Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-01-21
QUEER STATUS
OF PORTO RlCANS. NEITHER
CITIZENS OR ALIENS.
United States Supreme Court Says They Owe
Allegiance to no Other Country and are
Entitled to enter the United States at will.
A Peculiar Position.


Entitled to enter the United States at will.
A Peculiar Position.
The United States supreme court,
speaking through Chief Justice Fuller.
delivered an opinion January 4 in q case
involving the question whether Porto
Ricans are entitled to freq entry into the
United States. In 1902 the authorities
at the port Of New York refused to adj
nit Porto Rican woman, Gonzales by
name, on the ground that she was likely
to become public charge. In the cpinoin
delivered by Chief Justice Fuller. it is
held that the Porto Ricans owing allegi-
nance to the United States and to no
other government, are therefore entitled
to enter the United States at their plea
sure. Referring to the act Of 1900, Great
ing civil government for Porto Rico,
the court said that the woman was a
citizen OF Porto Rica under that act and
adds. 'There was nothing expressed in
the act nor reasonably to be implied
therefrom to indicate the intention Of
congress that citizens of Porto Rico
should be considered as aliens and the
free access denied to them"
In this opinion, the supreme court says
that the question Is not one Of citizenship,
but rather one of alienags. Chief Justice
Fuller says: 1--WE are not required to
discuss the power Of congress in the pre-
mises, or the contention Of Gonzales
counsel chat the cession Of Porto Rice
accomplished the naturalization Of the
people or that OF Commissioner Degatau
that a citizen Of Porto Rico is necessarily
citizen of the United States. The
question is the narrow one whether
Gonzales was an alien within the mean
ing Of that term as used in the act of
1891. We think it clear that that act
relates to foreigners as respects this
country, to persons giving allegiance to
foreign government, and citizens or Sub
jects thereof, and that citizens Of Porto
Rico, whose permanent allegiance is due
to the United States, are not aliens, and
upon their arrival by water at the ports
OF our mainland are not alien immigrants
within the intent and meaning Of the act
Of 1891"
Commenting upon this decision, the
indianapolis News says that while the
opinion is righteous ons it must have
taken good deal OF ingenuity to reach
it, The News points out that the court
has held that we have the right to impos Q
taxes ON the trade Of those people who
owe allegiance to the United States
taxes that a'e supposed t. be levied only
on foreign trade. Now it is said that the
Porto Ricans are not foreigners, though
we taxed their trade as foreign trade.
Under the Porto Rican act the people OF
Porto Rico are not citizens OF the United
States, but of Porto Rico-and yet Porto
Rico is part Of the United States, and
the Porto Ricans, though not citizen OF
the United States, nevertheless owe
allegiance to it,"
Doubtless there will be very general
agreement with the opinion OF this
Indiana newspaper that "clearly one re-
suit of our oversee acquisitions is to in
troduce good deal Of metaphysics into
the body of our law" The News says
that there are many things suggested by
this decision on which the court did moi
pass. For instance, how could the Porto
Ricans become citizens? They did not
become citizens by annexation-at leas,
congress did not intend that they should
Probably a Porto Rican moving to the
United States would have to be natural
lied. Yet he could not swear allegiance
to the United States, for that he already
owes according to this decision. He
could not renounce allegiance to another
sovereign, for there is no other sovereign
But we can all be content to know tina
the Porto Ricans are not foreigners, and
that they can come to this country when
ever they please. AT least they have thu
right of locomotion throughout ou
national domain. Not being citizens
and yet owing allegiance, can it be sale
they are subjects?
Rev. Carlise p. B. Martin, L. L. D
OF Waverly. Texas. writes: "Of a morn
ing, when first arising, 1 often find
: troublesome collection Of phegm, whicl
produces cough and is very hard to dis
lodge; but a small quantity of Ballard
Horehound Syrup will at once dislodg