BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-09-03
The President and
his Opportunity

Mr.. Roosevelt will soon have
splendit opportunity to carry into Ell
feet trial of selgovernment, and thus
satisfy the most vivid desires OF the
country.
The people of course is waiting for
what the President should decide and
full of hopes that the Governor would
naturally help the aspirations OF the
country.
Mr.. Winthrop has been only short
time here, but sufficient to- find out
that the dearest hopes Of the people are
for selfgovernment, be it home rule,
territory or state. The people wish for
self government, thorugh autonomy,
or by real incorporation to the true
national life, but over all, whatever be
the form, selfgovernnent.
Known as it is known the existence OF
this peculiar and latent desire in the
life of the portoricans, it will then be
easily understood why we say that
the President has an splendit opror-
tunity to satisfy the Country. And how.
BY appointing portoricans to vacan-
cies of comm issioners to the Executive
Council
All the commissioners could be ma
tives, all the heads of the departments
natives also and in this guise the go
vernement of the peoples by the peo-
pie would be established at once, and
although the Foraker act would still
prevail, it would be impossible for
portoricans to look at the situation so
indefferently as the present commits
sioners do.
No matter that apparently things
seem to have been hurried little, as
is shown by the trik played to the dis
bursting officer of the department OF
Healh, prisons and charities, when
larger sums, and more serious accusa-
tions of important amounts have clrcu-
lated, without such zeal having been
displayed by the Americans as in the
present case.
And this is why we like to see the
law, beside the functionary inflexible
and exacting the fulflment of his du-
ties on the interest of the people that
pays him for that and not only fer his
willingness to serve, but for his eff
cience in the service.
Perhaps this inSvestigasion, which
has cooled some and have made other
to fear for the new Department, will be
a lesson to those heads OF departments
that directly undertook to buy from
the merchants and manufacturers OF
the metropolis. instead of advertising
for the goods and get them at the To-
west prices offered. Certainly that the
treasure would have been saved thou
sands of dollars in this form.
Ere thus, the Chief of the Ameri
can Nation must be aware as the high
powers of the Republic are, that there
is discomfort in the country, and IN
spite of the reiterated protests the vic
timizing Of the colony goes on. And
when it is in his hands to bring the
remedy, because the law says that OF
the natives no less than FIVE will be
members of the Executive Council, 1t
does not say however how many more
than five can be appointed. And this
is a favorab bic circumstance for the
country as we'll as for the President,
if he wish to be fair with us, as he is
thus authorized to take away iron and
lead from the shoulders Of the people.
The notifications of the actual pro-
ceedings is imposed upon the govern
ment quite in hurry, and really the
country colonial regime has lasted al
ready long enough, and in such hu-
militant way as if we could not learn
what to DO with ourselvesi if left alone.
In the form we nave proposed, time
will pass smoothly Until cabal and
complete Justice be done to the Porto