Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-12-11
SANTA FE, N NJ, TUESDAY, DECEMBER II. 1906.


that is the desrability Of comforting
full American citizenship upon the
people of Porto Rico. most earnest.
ly hope that this will be done. can
NOT see how any harm can possibly
result from ii, and 1t seems to me a
matter of right and justice to the
people of Porto Rico. They are loyal,
they are glad TO be under our flag,
they are making rapid progress along
the path of orderly liberty Surely
We should show our appreciation Of
them, our pride in what they have
done and our pleasure in extending
recognition in what has thus been
done by granting them full American
citizenship
Under the wise administration Of
the present governor and council,
marked progress has been made in
the difficult matter of granting to the
people of the island the largest meas
ure Of self.government that can with
safety be given at the present time
It would have been very serious mis-.
take to have gone any faster than we
have already gone in this direction
The Porto Ricans have complete and
absolute autonomy in all their mun-
cipal governments, the only power ov.
er them possessed by the insular gov.
ernment being that of removing cor
rupt or incompetent municipal Off
cias. This power has never been eX-
ercised save on the clearest proof of
corruption or of incompetence-such
as to jeopardize the interests of the
people of the island; and under such
circumstances 1t has been fearlessly
used to the immense benefit of the
people. 1t is not a power with which
it would be safe, for the sake of the
island itself, to dispense at present.
The lower House is absolutely elec.
tive, while the upper House is appoin-
tive. This scheme is working well;
no injustice of any kind results from
it, and great benefit to the island, and
it should certainly not be changed at
this time. The machinery of the cleo
tions is administered entirely by the
Porto Rican people themselves, u q
governor and council keeping only
such supervision as Is necessary in
order to insure an orderly election
Any protest as to electoral frauds is
settled in the courts. Here again il
would not be safe to make any change
IN the present system The elections
this year were absolutely orderly, I'm.
accompanied by any disturbance. and
no protest has been made against the
management of the elections, al.
though three contests are threatened
where the majorities were very small
and error was claimed, the contests,
of course, to be settled in the courts.
In short, the governor and council are
cooperating with all of the most en-.
lightened and most patriotic Of the
people of Porto Rico in educating the
citizens of the island in the principles
of orderly liberty. They are providing
a government based upon each citi-
zen's self-respect, and the mutual re-
spect of all citizens; that is, based
upon a rigid observance of the prin-
ciples Of justice and honesty. IT has
not been easy to instll into the minds
of people unaccustomed to the exer
else of freedom, the two basic princi-
pies of our American system; the
principle that the majority must rule,
and the principle that the minority
has rights which must not be disre-
garded or trampled upon. Yet real
progress has been made in having
these principles accepted as elemen-
tary, as the foundations of successful
self-government.
transmit herewith the report of
the governor of Porto Rico, sent to
the President through the secretary
o. state
All the insular governments should
be placed in one bureau, either in the
Department of War or the Depart
ment of State. 1t is mistake not so
to arrange our handling of these is
lands at Washington as to be able to
take advantage of the experience
gained in one. when dealing with the
problems that from time to time arise
in another.
In conclusion let me express my ad-
miration for the work done by the
Congress when it enacted the law un-
der which the island is now being ad-
ministered After seeing the island
personally, and after five years ex
perience in connection with its admin
istration, it is but fair to those who
devised this law to say that 1T would
be well-nigh impossible to have de-
vised any other which in the actual
working would have accomplished bet
ter results.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
The White House, December II,
1906,