The Grenada sentinel., 1906-12-22

therefore. there was double the trad9
that there was In the most prosper
Gus year unCsr the Spanish regime.
There were 210,273 tons Of sugar ex.
ported last year, of the value of $14,'
1S6,319; $3.E55,163 of tobacco, and
2S,290,322 pounds of coffee of the value
of $3,4S1,102. Unfortunately. what
used to be Porto Rico's prime crop
coffee-has not shared this prosper.
ity. It has never recovered from the
disaster of the hurricane, and, more
over, the benefit Of throwing open
our market to it has not compensated
for the loss inflicted by the closing Of
the markets to it abroad. l call your
attention to the accompanying memo
rial on this Subject of the board Of
trade of San Juan, and / earnestly
hope that some measure will be taken
for the benefit of the excellent and
high grade Porto Rican coffee.
There is a matter to which l wish
to call your especial attention, and
that is the desirability of comforting
full American citizenship upon the
people of Porto Rico. l most earnest
ly hope that this will be done. / can
not see how any harm can possibly re-
suit from it, and 1t seems to me a mat.
ter 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
for what has thus been done, by grant
ing 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 measure of self-gov-
ernment that can with safety be given
at the present time. 1t would have
been very serious mistake to have
gone any faster than we have already
gone in this direction. The Porto
Ricans have complete and absolute
autonomy in all their municipal gov
ernments, the only power over them
possessed by the insular government
being that of removing corrupt or In.
competent municipal officials. This
power has never been exercised save
on the clearest proof of corruption or
Of ncompetence-such as to jeOpar-
die the interests of the people of the
island; and under such circumstances
it has been fearlessly used to the i'm
mense benefit of the people. 1t is not
a power with which it would be safe,
for the sake of the island itself, to dis
pense at present. The lower house is
absolutely elective, while the upper
house Is appointive. 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 machin-
cry of the elections is administered en-
.irely by the Porto Rican people them
selves, the governor and council keep
ng only such supervision as is neces-
sary in order to insure an orderly elec-
ion. Any protest as to electoral frauds
IS settled in the courts. Here again it
would not be safe to make any change
n the present system The elections
his year were absolutely orderly, un-
by any disturbance; and
10 protest has been made against the
management of the elections, although
hree contests are threatened where
he majorities were very small and |
error was claimed; the contests, OF
to be settled in the courts. In |
short, the governor and council are CO.
operating with all of the most enlight-
ened and most patriotic OF the people |
If Porto Rico in educating the citizens
If the island in the principles Of order
y liberty. They are providing a gov
,rnment based upon each citizens self
and the mutual respect Of all |
that is, based upon rigid
observance Of the principles of justice
md honesty. 1t has not been easy to
nstill into the minds of people unac-
,ustomed to the exercise of freedom
he two basic principles of our Ameri-
an system; the principle that the ma
ority must rule, and the principle that
he minority has rights which must
lot be disregarded or trampled upon.
yet real progress has been made in
laving these principles accepted as
as the foundations of sue
essful self-government.
l transmit herewith the report of the
Governor of Porto Rico, sent to the
resident through the secretary OF
tate.
All the insular governments should
e placed in one bureau, either in the
apartment of war or the department
f state. 1t is mistake not so to ar
ange our handling of these islands at
Washington as to be able to take ad-
antage of the experience gained in
ne, when dealing with the problems
hat from time to time arise in an
ther.
In conclusion let me express my ad.
,iration for the work done by the con.
ress when it enacted the law under
7hich the island is now being admin.
stored. After seeing the island per.
onally, and after five years expert.
nee in connection with its admins
ration, it is but fair to those who de-