Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-04-25
It's Wise Provisions Will Prove a
Great Benefit to the Fertile
Island.
THE MARITIME REGULATIONS
The Legislature and Oourts-Necessities Of
Life Are Admitted to the Island Free
of Duty-No Change In
Local Laws.

From the date of the passage of the
act the same customs duties are levied
on all goods entering Porto Rico from
same goods entering the United States,
save that coffee, which has free entry
into the United States, is to pay a duty
of 5 cents per pound IN entering Porto
Rico. Scientific, literary and artistic
works and books and pamphlets print
ed in the English language mayaenter
Porto Rico free of duty.
ALTGHT TARIFF.
All merchandise coming into the Unit
ed States from Porto Rico and coming
into Porto Rico from the United States
shall pay Is per cent of the present
Dingley tariff rates; articles of the
class which pay an internal revenue
tax in the United States must also pay
a sum equal to this internal revenue du-
ty, while articles from the United
States going into Porto Rico must also
be subjected to any internal revenue
rates of taxation there collected on that
class OF arIlCleS.
NECESSITIES FREE.
One feature Of the act, which hereto
fore seems to have attracted little at
t@ention, is extremely important to the
Porto Ricans, because it will permit
them to import free of any duty nearly
all of the necessities of life. Under the
orders which the secretary of a had
issued, flour, bacon, Goldfish, fresh beef,
pork, mutton, rice, bags for sugar,
coopers' wares and wood cut for making
casks for sugar or molasses, machinery
and apparatus for making and refining
sugar., or for other agricultural pur-
poses, plows, hoes, hatchets, machetes
and other agricultural implements not
machinery, rough lumber and modern
school furniture, crude petroleum, lime,
asphalt, bitumen, trees, plants and
MOSES in natural or fresh state, miner
al, carbonated and settler waters, Ell
Their natural or artificial, root beer, gin
ger ale and similar non-alcoholic bever-
ages, and numerous other articles are
admitted free Of duty, and will con-
tinue to be so admitted under the act
| which says specifically hat "all mer-
chandise and articles entered in Porto
| Rico free of duty under orders hereto
fore made by the secretary of wal shall
be admitted into the several ports there
of when imported from the United
States free of duty, all laws or parts of
laws to the contrary Notwithstanding"
1t thus appears that the Porto Ricans
| will, under the new act, receive from
the United States free of any duty all
of the above important articles in addi-
ton to those regularly'upon the free list
under the Dingley law, while on other
! articles they will pay but Is per cent or
| three-twentieths of the regular Ding
| ley tariff rates, and what is equally i'm
portant they may put al end to the
payment of even this small duty at any
time they may desire, since the law
shall cease as SOC as the Porto Rican
legislature shall have provided the nee
essary revenue for the expenses of the
government of the island.
FOR THE ISLANDS BENEFIT.
The duties collected under the act are
to be placed at the disposal of the presi-
dent to be used for the government and
benefit of Porto Rico until the govern
ment of Porte Rico shall have been or
ganized, when the moneys collected are
to be turned into the local treasury OF
Porto Rico. Goods imported from Por-
to Rico and under bond are to pay only
the duty imposed by the act.
THE CAPITAL.
The capital is to be at San Juan. Per-
sons who We're Spanish subjects April
II, 1899, and who have not elected TIC
preserve their allegiance to Spain, are
held to be citizens of Porto Rico and en-
titled to the protection of the United
States.
NO CHANGE IN LOCAL LAW.
The laws and ordinances in Porte
Rico now in force are to continue ex-
cept as altered by the act, or by mill
tary orders, and which are not incon-
sistent with the laws of the United
States. The old law %forbidding the mar.
riage of priests and ministers is re.
pealed.
MARITIME REGULATIONS.
The vessels of Porto Rico are to bt
naturalized and admitted to the bene.
fits of the United States coasting laws
Quarantine stations are to be estab.
lished. Porto Rico coins are to be re.
tired, the peso being rated at 60 cents
in the exchange. Three months after
the act takes effect Porto Rico coins
are not to be legal tender. Property
usually under the control of the Unit.
ed States will 80 continue, and other
properties acquired from Spain will be
administered by the Porto Rican gov.
eminent. The governor is to be appoint.
ed by the president and hold his office
for -four years, having the powers con
ferred on governors of territories of the
United States, but is to make his re-
ports through the secretary of state to
the president. =,
CIVIL GOVERNMENT.
An executive council appointed by the
president and confirmed by the senate
consists of a secretary, attorney gener-
al, treasurer, auditor, commissioners Of
interior and education, and five other
persons to hold office for four years
The council is the upper branch of the
Legislature, five of whom shall be ma
tives of Porto Rico. The other branch
shall be a house Of delegates, to on
sist Of thirty-flve members, elected BIZ
ennially by the qualified electors.
THE LEGISLATURE AND COURTS.
Provision is made for enacting legis-
lation similar to that in other terrific
ries. The judicial power Is vested in