The Washington times., 1909-05-10
President, in Message te
Congress, Urges Some
Change in Foraker Act.
FLAYS ASSEMBLY
FOR DERELICTIONS
Asserts House of Delegates Eret
in Not Passing Current Ap-
preparation Bills.

In Vigorous message sent 70 Con,
gress today, President Taft expresse4
the opinic.o that the United States has
gone too far in the extension Of the
powers Of self-government 10 TIE people
Of Porto Rico, and recommends certais
qualifications in the so-called Fcrakel
ae-, which provides for the administrs.
ton Of affairs in that island.
He censured unsparingly the action OF
the house OF delegates OF the island IL
refusing TO pass the appropriation bilis
for the coming fiscal year. and sug.
gests the t1esirability of taking from
this lower Lody OF the Porto Rican As.
sembly the power thus 10 hamper ths
government o. the island
The message says:
To the Senate and House OF Represen.
tatives.
An emergency has arisen In Porte
Rico which makes it necessary for me
to invite the attention Of the Congress
TO the affairs Of that island, and te
recommend legislation at the present
extra session amending the act undel
which the island is governed
The regular session OF the Legislative
Assembly ot Porto Rico adjourned
March II, -ast, without passing the
usual appropriation bills A special ses-
sion of the Assembly was at once con-
vened by the governor, but after three
days, on March 16. it again adjourn "a
without making the appropriations Ths
leaves the island government without
provision for its support after June 80.
next. The situation presented is, there
fore, Of unusual gravity.
The pFesen4 government OF Porto Rico
was established by what is known aS
the Foraker act Under that act the
chief executive is a governor appointed
by the Precedent and confirmed By tha
Senate A secretary. attorney general.
treasurer, auditor. commissioner OF tha
interior, and commissioner Of education.
together with five other appointees Of
the President, constitute the executives
council che executive council must
have in IFS membership not less than
five native Porto Ricans. The Iegisla-
tive power is vested IN the Legislative
Assembly, which has two co-ordinats
branches. The first of these is the
executive council just described, and
the second is the house OF delegates, a
popular and representative body with
members elected by the qualified electors
of the seven districts into which the
island is divided
Statute Directs.
The statute directing how the ex-
penses OK government are TO be pro-
vided leaves some doubt whether this
function IS not committed solsIy TO the
executive council but in practice the
legislative assembly has made appro-
priations for all the expenses other than
for salaries fixed by Congress, and it Is
too late TO reverse that construction.
Ever since the institution OF the pres
eRt Assembly, the house OF delegates
has uniformly held up the appropriation
bills until the last minute of the regu-
lar session, and has sought 10 use the
power to do so as a means Of compelling
the concurrence OF the executive c0uu- .
ell In legislation which the house de-
sired.
In the last regular Legislative Assem-
bly, the house Of delegates passed a bill
dividing the island into several counties,
and providing county governments A
bill to establish manual training schools.
a bill for the establishment of an agri-
cultural bank; a bill providing that va
cancies in the Offices Of mayors and
councilmen be filed by vote OF the
councils instead OF BY the
governor, ard a bill putting in the con-
troll OF Ihss largest taxpayers IN each
municipal district the selection IN great
part OF TIE assessors Of property.
Council Declines.
The executive council declined to con-
cur in these bills; it objected to the
agricultural bank bill on the ground
that the revenues of the island were not
sufficient TO carry cut the plan pro-
posed, and to the manual training
school bill because in plain violation Of
the Foraker act It objected to the
change in the law concerning the ap-,
praiSement OF property on the ground
that the law was intended TO put TOO
much power in respect Of the appraise-
ment of property for taxation in the
hands of those having the most prop
erty TO tax The chief issue was a bill
making all the judges in municipalities
elective Under previous legislation
there are twenty-six municipal judges
who are elected to office By this bill Il
was proposed to Increase the elective
judges from tWenty-Six to sixty-six in
and at the same time TO abolish
the justices Of the peace- The change
was objected to on the ground that the
election Of municipal judges had already
nterfered with the efficient and impair
rial administration Of justice, had made
the judges all OF one political faith, and
a mere political instrument in the hands
Of the central committee OF the uniOnist
or dominant party. The attitude OF the
executive council in refusing TO pass
these bills led the house OF delegates TO
refuse to pa- the necessary appropria-
ton bills.
Facts Are Cited.
The facts recited demonstrate the viii
lingness OF the representatives OF the
people in the house OF delegates TO
subvert the government IN order TO Sc
cure the passage Of certain legislation.
The question whether the proposed
legislation should be enacted into
law was left by the fII0da mental
act TO the joint action OF the
executive council and the house OF
delegates at the legislative assembly.
The house OF delegates proposes itself
to secure this legislation without Te-