The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-21

ST CLOUD, Oct. 20.-(Special. 1T
was an enthusiastic gathering that pack
ed the opera house this evening to hear
perhaps the most important Democratic
meeting of the campaign in this county
President ]. D. Sullivan, of the st.
Cloud Bryan-Lind and &-uelsen club
presided and first introduced Henry
Truclsen, the nominee for congress, who
has just completed the canvass of Stearns
county, which will probably give him a
plurality of between 5000 and 1000 Mr.
Truelsen spoke for an hour on the is
sues of the campaign and was follow
ed by George Fred William. of Massa-
chusetts. who held the rapt attention
Of his audience until a late hour with
an eloquent address on the present cam
paign in the nation
Mr.. WILLIAMS ADDRESS.
He said in part:
AMID the violent protests which were
mace py the Repubncan leaders in the
mouse and senate against the tax law
which was inflicted by an American con-
press upon the unwilling and unconsent-
ing people Of Porto Rico, sight seems to
pave been lost of that portion of the
Porto Rlcan bill which provides a govern
1nSnL Tor that island. 1t is measure
winch seems to me as iniquitous and as
destructive of the principles OF Ameri-
can institutions as the tax law itself
ana yet it has received but little CON
slderat9n from the public in this cam
G~Aoii. III IllS lGll0r or acc6DtdncA of
president Mckinley, he uses these words.
congress has given to this island a
goVernmenG in which the inhabitants
participate, elect their own IeeisIature
enact their own local laws provide their
pWn system of taxation, and in these
respects nave the same power and priyi-
iiese is enjoyed by other territories belong
ing to the United States The gener0f?s
treatment of the Porto Ricans accord M :.
hperally with that OF our own counfrv
and encourages the best aspirations ~
icl1
POSTMASTER General Smith. at Auo11sta
-nalht; repeated this sta tement and adj
Ged thereto the further assertion that
me people of Porto Rico ara to estab
!lsh their own system of educa ton and
they Will have their own courts. I re-
6fet exceedingly to say, not as a matter
" oplnion, but as matter of fa|t
tnat everyone of these statements are
absolutely untrue, and L have The char
NY TO believe that tie president and
postmaster general have never read The
plI Which makes thir statemente -
glaringly false - 80
desire tonight to summarize the nro
ISL tbeloha u tiI9 Pofto Rco bill to compare
tneln somewhat with the like provisions
Tor the government of our territories aI15
10 ash your calm judgmem of the
REMARKABLE STATEMENTS
made by the president and his postmaster
general concerning this measure.
- 1Gbhc .btGhc Document No. 81 dated April
-, 4SJV, contains this law, and everT
statement which l may make is open 10
Refineataon In The frst place the bill
proTlGes that the soVernor of Porto Rico
i1oI 9be UT ap'oI!leq ca py me president with
Iue consent OF the senate of the United
6lates. agree that THIS is also. true CON
S3eFnlllg the terntQIies OF the United
Gnltea SIa Les. But il is not true in the
territories tDat the salary of the g1Yerno1.
IS TO be paid by the people out of tneIr
1SaSuy, as IN the case of Porto Rico,
MHefS lhe governors salary is hxed ana
RaSdple out of the revenues of Port3
rico on the warrant of the auditor coun-
IeISlgned by the governor himself Tnis;
!IISt NIoiauon OF the principles of Amer
!cdH government recalls viVidly the pro-
lcst made in 1i6S to the agent of the colo
MES, which was framed by Samuel
ADAMS and adopted by the house of rep
SentatIVes in these words: This house
RpprehendS that it would be grieVous and
OF dangerous tendency if the crow1
should not only appoint governors over
the seYeraI colonies but allow them such
SupendS as it should judge proper at the
consent.
But still greater breach of the nri,,-
ciples of self-government appears in fne
provisions of the administrative denart-
ment of the Porto Rican government six
oIncers are created, as follows: A secre-
taFy, an attorney general, a treasurer
VINO receives and disburses all the moneys
OF the island; an auditor, who audits al!
accounts, commissioner of the interior
VINO superlntends all public works, build
ngS and lands, and a commissioned
Of educa ton, who superintendS public in
etTucUon throughout Porto Rico and all
disbursements on account thereof These
0fhcerS. one and all, are appo. .nted b3 the
president of the United States and their
salarleS are fixed by the congress of the
United States, to be paid out OF the treas
ufy OF Porto Rico. Thus the entire ad-
mInstratiVe business of the island is de-
hVered over, body and soul to six car
pctbagS1n3 officials, in whose selection
the people of Porto Rico have not the
slightest choice. When section % pro-
VideS that the commissioner of educa lion
shall superintend public instruction
throughout Porto Rico. and all disbIrsn-
ments on account thereof, it seems incredi-
pie that Postmaster General Smith should
have allowed to be published this state
nlent that these people are to esetablisn a
the-r own system Of education
DEPRIVED OF CONTROL.
All these officials, under our territorial
tolIa oil government, with the exception
OF the secretary, are elected by the peo-
pie of the territories. But in the case of
Porto Rico the people are deprived of all
control over the public business of their
country.
But the construction of the legisla-
ture of Porto Rico presents still more
gIarlng horror to the mind of any stu
dent of free institutions. Two branches
OF the legislature are crea ted, the low
er Of which is elected by the people of
the island; the upper branch known as
the executive council, consists of these