BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-01-20
EDITORIAL.

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democratic.
The people Aaar flgh, 81 know
bow as weaea Is eApcueCd - q q =.
In like manner - regulate ~ll The
dniics q he puhsc iunciionSTles PIT.
scrhing in detail her lsriSdlcion.
To ihss unheard oi omEipo;ence
which converts the govcTnmcn; iuto 4
power more irTesp3nible ih-n an abso.
lutte menafe4g. IL legislative -~-.~.
have stupidity contributed, by passing
laws which heap unknown authority
upen isc multiple powers already seiG
by the heads of~dep&rimeni..
Iii this manner, orr Legislature on
lis own account and without measuring
;ke false step II was giying in The di-
rection OF imperialism. relinquis he'd
voluntarily the right TO oriiicIse he
;he legitimate administrative siislrs.
and 10 define how far the people have
delegated in their public servants the
sovereign control
With this enlightmcnt, and with
neglect for things more important and
which touch Us closely the capncious
idea is confirmed OF those who aver
that the country needs the completion
of its transformation which should be
affected by consumption in order TO
enter entirely i'll the government
Of its destiny.
AS at present, civil service law IS
being talked of it would be well to
gather the reins which gave such sin
gular prerogatives to our provisional
chiefs of department.
The colonial regime which prevails
now in Porto Rico, was sufficiently
bad, but our glorious representatives
Of former legislatures have come to
make it worse.
Here there is no other power but
the Executive and the Executive Is
composed of the oinnipotent function
aries.
That is why the popular Legislature,
which in all countries under parll
amentary system, is where the auth
ority of the people is demonstrated
with more direct sovereignty, should
take up again the powers left in an
abandoncment that might have been.
disastrous TO tise county,. .":Ahe .lav-
makers should legiaaa 'liberally and
supremely. without that additional
rule whick gave, the Commissioners
faculties to make laws and dictate
regulations and dispositions which,
we'll examined. serve or served to
declare, at the same time, the abso
Lutte uselessness Of an assembly or
organization which yields to few
officials the most lofty of popular pre-
negatives.
The public servants do not always
make the best use of the power which
is invested in them. This we see in
the case of the Commissioner of Edu
cation who competes, with detriment
to the public interests, with business
houses in Porto Rico in the purchase
of books of instruction and we say
with prejudice to the public interest.
because it is certain that American
manufacturers and publishing houses
do not make the discount to the Com
missioner of Education, which are
established for the trade.
This results in the Department
beinp concerned in what it does not
understand; a bad business agent that
impairs the public welfare.
The urgency which always presses
the Commissioner, compelling him to
engage in negotiations with book
dealers in the United States. is also
hurtful to the production of text books
which could be written by Porto Rlcsn
teachers, by means of competition
which the Department of Education
should stimulate and organize.
The non compliance OF these OBJ
servations is an injury to the gener
al.good and gives room for incidents
as that of which a certain Commls-
siener was guilty who carried on
business with his son. an agent OF
manufacturer of steam rollers. buying
these machines and other things nee
essarv in the construction of roads.