Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-12
PRESIDENT ON PORTO RICO
Message TO OongreU Tells Of Visit and
Makes Recommendation for Laws.
STAND IS BEAUTIFUL AND FERTILE
Inhabitants Exercise Large Measure
of seIf-GOvernment, but should
BE Made Citizens of
United states.


making recommendations concerning the
government OF that island was read to the
senate today The message was as fol-
/ lows:
! To the Senate and House OF Representa-
| uves: on November q / 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;
I the scenery was wonderfully beautiful.
| especially among the mountains Of the in
| terror, which constitute a veritable tropc
| Switzerland. l could not embark at San
Juan because the harbor has not been
| dredged out and can not receive an Ameri-
| can battleship. l do not think this fact
| creditable TO us as a nation, and 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 representatives who have administered
J the tropC Islands which came under our
flag as result of the war with Spain; and
1 OF no one of them is this more true than Of
Porto Rico. II would be impossible to wish
a more faithful, a more efficient and more
! disnterested public service than that now
! being rendered in the island Of Porto Rico
ment.
! l stopped at a dozen towns all told, and
| one of the notable features in every town
was the gathering Of the school children.
The work that has been done in Porto Rico
! Tor education has been noteworthy. The
main emphasis, as is eminently wise and
! proper, has been put upon primary educa-
! ton; 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 elementary education to all the
| Porto Ricans of the next generation. but
| also as far as means will permit to train
| them so that the Industrial, agricultural
! and commercial opportunities of the island
| can be utilized to the best possible advan-
1 tage. IL was evident at a glance that the
nFwNFa
Ricans, were devoted to their work, took
/ the greatest pride in IL and were endeaVCr-
ing to train their pupils not only In mind
/ but In what counts for far more than mind
in citizenship, that is, in character.
Native Troops Efficient.
was very much struck by the excellent
character both of the insular police and Cf
the Porto Rican regiment. They are both
Of them bodies that reflect credit upon the
American administration of the island. The
insular police are under the local Porto
Rican government. The Porto Rican regi-
ment of troops must be appropriated for by
the congress l earnestly hope that this
body will be kept permanent. There should
certainly be troops in the island, and il Is
wise that these troops should be themselves
native Porto Ricans II would be from
| every standpoint a mistake not to perpetu-
In traversing the island even the most
cursory survey leaves the beholder struck
with the evident rapid growth IN the cul-
Nture both of the sugar cane and tobacco.
The fruit industry is also growing. Last
island has even known before or since the
American occupation. The total of exports
and imports of the island was $i5,OOGGO, as
I against $18,OOO,COO in 1901 This is the larg-
est in the islands history. Prior to the
American occupation the greatest trade for
any one year was that of 1895, when 1t
fore, there was double the trade that there
was in the most prosperous year under the
sugar exported last year, Of the value Of
H4,lS63 l9; $685., 1853 Of tobacco and 2sZ9l55Z
Unfortunately what used to be Porto Rico s
prime crop-coffec-has not shared this
prosperity. 1t has never recovered from the
disaster of the hurricane, and moreover,
the benefit of throwing open our market 1t
II has not compensated for the loss inflicted
by the closing Of the markets to 1t abroad.
l call your attention to the aCcompanyi-g
memorial 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 Rico coffee.
In addition to delegations from the Board
OF Trade and Chamber OF Commerce OF
San Juan, / also received delegations from
the Porto Rican Federation of Labor and
from the Coffee Growers association.
CItIEenship for Islanders.
There is a matter to which wish to call
your special attention, and that is the de
STABILITY of comforting full American c.ti-
zenship upon the people of Porto Rico. l
most earnestly hope that this will be done.
can not see how any harm can possibly
result from 1t, and Il seems to me a matter
OF TlEnl ana Justice 10 lnf people OF PORTO
Rico. They are loyal, they are glad to b
under our flag, they are making rapid prog
Iess along the path OF orderly liberty
Surely we should show our appreciation o.
them, our pride in what they have done
and our pleasure in extending recOgntiO.
for what has thus been done, by granting
them full American citizenship.
Under the wise administration of the pres
ent governor and council, marked progres.
has been made in the difficult matter Of
granting to the people OF the island the
largest measure OF self-government 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 governments, the only
power over them possessed by the insular
government being that OF removing corrupt
or incompetent municipal officials. This
power has never been exercised save on
the clearest proof Of corruption or OF in
consequence as 70 Jeopardize the inter
ests OF the people Of the island and under
such circumstances It has been fearlessly
used to the immense benefit Of the people.
II 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 alb
solutely elective, while the upper house. is
appointlve. This scheme is working ell;
no injustice OF any kind results from it,
and great benefit to the island, and It
should certainly not be changed at this
time.
Elections Are Fair.
The machinery of the elections is admin
istefed entirely by the Porto Rican people
ing only such supervision as is necessary In
order to insure orderly election. Any
protest as to electoral frauds Is settled I'm
the courts, Here again It would not be
Bafe to make any change in the present sys-
TEN; The elections this year were ALSO
lutely orderly, unaccOmpanied by any dis
turbanee; and no protest has been made
against the management OF the elections,
although three contests are threatened
where the majoritSs 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 enlightened and most patri-
otto of the people Of Porto Rico in educat-
ing the citizens Of the island in the prn-
ciples Of orderly liberty. They are pro-
viding a government based upon each Cltl-
zen's self-respect, and the mutual respect
OF all Citizens that is, based upon a rigid
observance OF the principles of justice and
honesty.
Real Progress Made.
II has not been easy to instn into the
minds Of people unaccustomed to the eN-
ercise OF freedom the two basic principles
Of our American system; the principle that
the majority must rule, and the principle