The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-23
now ampler reason than ever before for this
feeling ~ f. IT, -. l.
Admtnistration of Porto Rico.

:
Admtnistratipn of Porto Rico.
Porto Rico, it is a pleasure to say. may.
now serve as an example of the best meth
DDS Of administering our insular possessions.
So excellent have been the effects of our ad-
ministration and legislation concerning this
island that their very excellence has resulted
in, their being almost forgotten. by those at
home .t 80 So. .-'s =.
In making appoint tments to the insular ser
vice it Is necessary to disregard any Question
of mere party expedency, and to look at the
matter solely from the: standpoint Of the honor
OF our own nation and of the welfare Of the
island itself. This has been the, standpoint
adhered to in selecting the men who repre-
sent our government in Porto Rico-governor
treasurer, attorney general, Judges. superin-
tendent Of education--every one In conse-
quence all Americans should feel a real pride
in the way in which their compatriots who
are responsible for the government of the ISL
and have administered it. Moreover, in
shaping the government of the island we
have acted with good sense as well as with
good faith. We have not been frightened or
misled into giving the people of the island
a. form Of government unsuitable to them
and, while providing that they should gov
ern themselves so far as possible we have
not hesitated In their own interest to keep
the power of shaping their destiny
Helat1OnsG With Cuba.
In Cuba the problem was larger, more COM
plicated and more difficult Here, again, we
kept our promise absolutely. After having
delivered the island from its oppressors, we
refused to turn 1t loose finland with the
certainty that 1t would sink into chaos and
savagery. For over three years we admin
istered 1t on 4 plane higher than it had ever
reached during the four centuries since the
spaniard first landed upon it's shore. We
brought moral and physical cleanliness into
the government. We stamped out yellow fe-
ver-in itself an inestimabie service both to
the Cuban people and to the people of our
own southern states. We made life and nron-
erty secure, so that Industry could again be-
gin to thrive. -. :
Then, when we had laid deep and broad the
! foundations upon which civil liberty and ma
t1ona! independence must rest. we turned the
| island over to the hands Of those whom the
people had chosen as the founders of the new
republic. 1t is republic with which our
| own great republic must ever be closely knit
BY the ties of common interests and com
mon aspirations. Cuba must always be pc
cularly related to us in International poll
tics. She must in international affairs be to
degree part of our political system In
return, she must haYe peculiar relations with
US economically. She must be, in a sense
part OF our economic system. We expect her
to accept political attitude toward us which
we think wisest both for her and u.s. In
| return. we must besprepared to put her In an
economic position as regards our tariff sys-
| tenn which will give her some measure of the
| prosperity which: we enjoy. We cannot, in
my Judgment, avoid taking this attitude if
| We are to persevere in the course which we
| have outlined for ourselves as a nation djrinp
| the past four years; and, therefore, 1 believe
| that 1t Is only matter of time-and, I trust
! only a matter Of very short time-before We
enter into reciprocal trade relations with
! Cuba.