BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-04-16

Mexico-The Greater Question of the
Statehood Policy as to Outlying De
tendencies.
The action of fhe House Committee
on Territories in reporting an omnibus
bill granting Statehood to the three
Territories outstanding in the Southwest
has been long expected. It is neces-
sary to do something in each Congress
to keep up the courage Of fellow-par-
tisans in the Territories. A great
many Eastern interests, besides, are
always concerned in favor of Statehood,
as Offering better security for invested
capital, and perhaps promoting the de-
velopment of the communities in which
they are working. But the leaders OF
Congress do not want Oklahoma,
Arizona, and New Mexico admitted to
the Union at this time, and their
wishes will doubtless prevail. It is too
late in the session for a movement OF
that kind to begin with any real ex-
pectation of Success.
When these territories are finally
admitted, it will be well for the Union
to come to an underst,;. t,;.lding as to
it's Statehood policy in regard to outly-
ing dependencies. Thee will always
be a great temptation, ii the competl-
ton between political parties, to rush
new States into the Union, just as the
naturalization mill always grinds brisk
ly before an approaching political con-
test. Is Hawaii to be made a State IN
the American Union 1t will have pop
ulation enough, in all probability,
when an Is.hfnian canal shall have
made Honolulu another Singapore 1t
already has the Territorial form OF go
vya,-a,,,n4, i. ,v,1,zr ~ s-1I CA-t -11 -
| the next step? Then, there is Alaska,
which has not advanced SO far towards
American Statehood, but is on the wa =.
The Agricultural Department expert
who has been stationed there for several
years predicts great future for Alaska
as self-sustaining community. He
bases his conclusions On the experience
Of Finland, which is smaller, and, irs lis
opinion, less resourceful. Henry Gannett
in a recent number of the National
Geogra pllic Magaz ne. pricks this sbub-
bic by showing that this community will
always be regulated by the range of
prices of farm products on Our Pacific
Coast, plus the cost of transportation.
As water freighting is cheap, and the
unoccupied land of the coast almost
Unlimited, Alaska will apparently be a
long time in filing up; but when it
gets population comparable to that of
the Southwestern Territories today, it
may safely be predicted that Statehood
movement will be equally strong.
There is Porto Rico, which, though
not yet a Territory, has system that
might at any time be transformed into
the Territorial. Cuba will doubtless be
"a State in the American Union some
time. What should be done with the
Philippines? 1t is doubtful if colo
NAL system will permanently stand,
with the constant pressure of one party,
or the other for the political strength
which new States promise to give. The
proposal made in the last Congress for
a Constitutional amendment to limit
Statehood to the continental republic, |
although it failed to attract attention,
is certainly worthy of most serious con-
sideration, 1t is doubtful whether any
Expansionist is SO confident OF the
adaptability of all mankind to the
American experiment that he would
believe it desirable to have American
States plotted out in ali parts of the
world, and among all races of people,
with the expectation of a harmonious
result