The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-12-12

U
 Commendable
 Washington, Dec. il, President Roosevelt's message on Porto Rico was read in both branches of congress to-day He told of his trip to the is- land and then makes strong plea for "oonferring full citizenship upon the people of Porto Rico.
 The message follows;
 SPECIAL MESSAGE.
 To the Senate and House of Repre-
 sentatives:
 On November 21 I visited the island of Porto Rico, landing at Ponce, crossing by the old Spanish road by Cayey to San Juan, and returning next morning over the new American road from Arecibo to Ponce; the seen cry was wonderfully beautiful, espe- cially among the mountains of the ir- terior, which constitute a veritable tropic Switzerland. I could not em- bark at San Juan because the harbor has not been dredged out and can not receive an American battle ship. I do not think this fact creditable to us as a nation, and I earnestly hope that immediate provision will be made for dredging San Juan Harbor.
 I doubt whether our people as a whole realize the beauty and fertility of Porto Rico. and the progress that has been made under it's admirable government. We have just cause for pride in the character of our represen- tatives who have administered the tropic islands which came under our flag as a result of the war with Spain; and of no one of them is this more true than of Porto Rico, It would be impossible to wish more faithful, 8 more efficient and a more disinterested public service than that now being rendered in the island of Porto Rico by those in control of the insular gov ernment
 I stopt at dozen towns all told, and one of the notable features in ev- cry town was the gathering of the school children. The work that has been done in Porto Rico for education \ 1ldS DOOI CWOI JllJ iC lllellb SliAT phasis, as is eminently wise and pro- per, has been put upon primary edu- < cation; but in addition to this there Is a normal school, an agricultural school, three industrial and three high schools. Every effort is being made to secure not only the benefits of elemen- tary education to all the Porto Ricans of the next generation, but also as far x as means will permit to train them so that the industrial agricultural and commercial opportunities of the is- land can be utilized at a glance that the teachers, both American and na- tive Porto Ricans, were devoted to their work, took the greatest pride in it, and were endeavoring to train their pupils, not only in mind, but in what counts for far more than mind in citi- 5 zenship, that Is, In character.
 I was very much struck by the ex- cellent character both of the insuar police and of the Porto Rican regi- Gnent. They are both of them bodies { chat reflect credit upon the American administration of the island. The in- < fsular police are under the local Porto < lRican government. The Porto Rican |regiment of troops must be appropria- ted for by the coigress. ] earnestly hope that this body will be kept per- < 1nanent. There should certainly be VI troops in the island, and 1t is wise .s that these troops should be them selves native Porto Ricans. It would be from every standpoint mistake not to perpetuate this regiment.
 Tn traversing the island even the most cursory survey leaves the behol- der struck with the evident rapid growth in the culture both of the su- gar cane and tobacco. The fruit in- dustry is also growing. Last year was the most prosperous year that the is- land has ever known before or since the American occupation. The total of exports and imports of the island was forty-five millions of dollars as against eighteen millions in 1901. This is the largest in the islands history. Prior to the American occupation the grfeatest trade for any one year was that of 1896, when it reached nearly twenty-tllree millions of dollars. Last year, therefore, there was double the trade that there was in the most pros porous year under the Spanish regime. There were 210,273 tons of sugar ex- ported last year, of the value of $14,- 1S6,319; $S,555, ,163 of tobacco, and 2S,- 29o, 1922 pounds of coffee of the value of $3,481,1O Unfortunately, what used to be Porto Rico's prime crop-eoffee- has not shared this prosperity. It has never recovered from the disaster of the hurricane, and moreover, the benefit of throwing open our market tc it has not compensated for the loss in- fiicted by the closing of the markets to 1t abroad. 1 call your attention to the accompanying memorial on this sub jeet, of the Board of Trade of Sar Juan, and I earnestly hope that some measure will be taken for the benefit of the excellent and high grade Porto Rican coffee
 In addition to delegations from the Board of Trade and Chamber of Com merce of San Juan, also received del egations from the Porto Rican Fedora
 tion ef Labor, and from the Coffee Growers association.
 There is matter to which l wish tc call your special attention, and that is the desirability of conferring full American citizenship upon the people of Porto Rico. most earnestly hope that this will be done. l can not set how any harm can possibly result iron 1t, and 1t seems to me a matter oi