Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-10-28
STRANGE STATE
OF PORTO R|CANS
TEN YEARS UNDER OUR RULE
BUT HAVE NO STATUS
YET.
ISLANDERS ENJOYED BETTER
LIBERTY BEFORE AMERI-
CANS CAME.

New York, Oct. 24.-Senor Martin
Travieso, member of the executive
council of Porto Rico, speaking be
fore the Lake Mohonk conference oil
friends of the Indian and other de
pendent peoples, made an appeal fol-
citizenship for the Porto Ricans
Ten years had elapsed, he said, vel
congress had not fixed the status Of
the people of the island. Although
the supreme court had held that they
We're not aliens, when they enter the
United States, they can not claim OF
enjoy the privileges of citizenship
I'm order to be able to enjoy any Of
those rights, said he, they have tG
become American citizens, renounc
ing formally their allegiance to the
king of Spain. 1, myself, in 1904 had
to follow this anomalous procedure
although our political relations with
Spain ceased after 1893"
Whenever we make a plea for citi
zenship," Senior Travieso went ON tC
say, 1.-The usual answer is that the
question of citizenship is purely
sentimental question. Nobody has
deied that our petition for citizen
ship is inspired by sentiment. The
people of Porto Rico have heart
and soul besides a digestive appara
tus. They are not nor can they be
satisfied simply because they have
enough to eat Liberty and equal
rights are as necessary to the heart
and soul of a human being as food
and drink to his body.
1.-The war of the revolution was in
spired by sentiment. When the
American forefathers in Boston pro-
tested against taxation without rep
resentation, they did not protest be-
cause they did not have enough to
eat. The revolution would not have
been fought and won had these men
been fighting for food and drink in
stead of liberty and equality. Ladies
and gentlemen, it is your duty, as
the descendants of those great men
of the past, to help the Porto Ricans
in this campaign for the recognition
of their unalineable right to be de-
clared citizens of this great Republic.
when the invading army occupied
our island and unfolded old glory over
our heads, that symbol of liberty was
raised over a people in the full enjoy.
ment of self-government granted by
Spain in 1897. And the Porto Ricans,
during the short period of self-gov-
eminent they had enjoyed, demon
strated to the whole world that they
were capable of looking after the in
terests of their country.
Porto Rico was to the Americans
a new and unknown country, and
therefore it was perfectly natural and
proper to frame law whereby the
control of the executive and legisla-
tive powers was kept in the hands of
the representatives of the federal adj
Nobody would under
take to deny that the organic law of
Porto Rico, the Foraker act, is very
wise piece of legislation when wei
consider it as a temporary or provi-
sional law But at the same time mol
lawyer would undertake.
to argue that such law can be con-
sidered model of legislation to gov
ern a country indefinitely, because It'll
has the inherent defect of concerning
executive and legislative powers
upon the same body of men,. And be-
sides, it does not give the people gov
erned thereby voice in the selection
of thesaid body of men. The Porto
Ricans believe that ten years of the
Foraker law is sufficient for them;
that they are prepared for self-gov-
eminent; and all they ask is chance
to show their capacity in the admin
istration of the island, as they have
shown it in the administration of the
all of which have sur
plus In their treasures and have
paid their Indebtedness. Porto Rico
wants TO stand upon its own feet.
She wants to be given the oppOrtun-
ity of showing what she can do, while
Uncle Sam stands by and watches
his child walking in the path of
government.
In conclusion Senior Travieso said:
Il am criticizing a law and not the
men who hold Office under the law.
Since the occupation of the island no
finer set of men have had in their
hands its administration"