The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1906-12-21

attention To the accompanying memo
rial ON this Subject of the board OF
trade of San Juan and earnestly
hone that some measure will be taken Z
for the benefit of the excellent anu
high grade Porto Rican cohee'
In addition to delegations from the
hoard of trade and chamber OF COM
merce of San Juan, also recelveu
delegations from the Porto Rican feu-
Grafton of Labor, and from the CoHee
Growers association. 5
There is a matter to which WISH
to call your especial attention, anu
that is the desirability of conferrlng
full American citizenship upon inc
people of Porto Rico. | most earnest
ly hope that this will be done. can
not see how any harm can possibly re-
suit from it, and it 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 pain
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-
eminent 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 4
ernments, the only power over them
possessed by the insular government
being that of removing corrupt or in
competent municipal officials. rms
power has never been exercised save
on the clearest proof of corruption or
of incompetence-such as to Jeopar-
die the interests of the people of the
island; and under such circumstances
1t 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-
tirely by the Porto Rican people them
selves, the governor and council keep
ing only such supervision as is neces-
sary in order to insure an orderly cleo
ton. Any protest as to electoral frauds
is settled in the courts. Here again 1t
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, although
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 CO
operating with all of the most enlight-
ened and most patriotic of the people
of Porto Rico in educating the citizens
of the island in the principles of order
ly liberty. They are providing gov
eminent based upon each citizens self
respect, and the mutual respect OF all
citizens that is, based upon a rigid
observance Of the principles OF justice
and honesty 1t has not been easy to
instill into the minds Of people unac-
customed to the exercise of freedom
the two basic principles of our Ameri-
can system; the principle that the ma
iority must rule, and the principle that
the minority has rights which must
not be disregarded or trampled upon.
Yet real progress has been made in
having these principles accepted as
elementary, as the foundations of suo-
cessful self-government.
| transmit herewith the report of the
governor of Porto Rico, sent to the
president through the secretary OF
state.
All l0e luSuldl SONcl uihShlo ouOuiu
be placed in one bureau, either in the
department of war or the department
of state 1t is mistake not so to ar
range our handling of these islands at
Washington as to be able to take adj
vantage of the experience gained in
one, when dealing with the problems
that from time to time arise in an
other.
In conclusion let me express my adj
miration for the work done by the con-
gress when it enacted the law under
which the island is now being admin
istered. After seeing. the island per-
sonally, and after five years expert
ence in connection with its admins
tration, it is but fair to those who de-
vised this law to say that it would be
well-nigh impossible to have devised
any other which in the actual working
would have accomplished better re-
suits. THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, Dec. IL, 1906.