The daily sentinel., 1909-05-10
SPECIAL MESSAGE TODAY
lcontlnned from First pAge.)

do,,t saws should be begun until me
roral.er act is amended so that wheh
no legislative assembly snail aujouin -
,ritbout making the Legislative ~
nronriation necessary to carry Oh Ins
rovernment. sums equal TO the aP
nnronriations made in the previous,
Year for the respective purposes sndii
he available for the current resenu
and shall be drawn by the wal a.
of the auditor of the treasurer any
countersigned by the governor oucn
a nrovision applies to the legislators
~ the Philippines and Hawaii ana
lit has prevented in these two couh-
rios any misuse of the power OF
appropriation h
THE president reviews the estao-
lishment of the present governments
for Porto Rico by the Foraker ac..
He saws the statute directing now
the expenses of the government.
TO be provided leaves some uoup' uo'
whether this function is not conn
rod solely to the executive couhcii
hnt in practice the legislative assem-
hly has appropriated for all the eN,
nenses other than for salaries tixeo
by congress and the president aous'
"it is too late to reverse that con
The president says that ever since
the institution of the present ASSEM-
blv the house of delegates mas UNI,
formly held up the appropriation Dlii
until the last minute OF the session
and has sought TO use the po"ei ~ ~
do so as a means of compelling lhs
concurrence of the executive councii
in legislation which the house deslr-
cd In the last regular legislative
assembly the attitude of the execue.Hs
council in refusing to pass Dllis ieu
the house of delegates to refuse 10
pass the necessary appropriation
bills.
Mr.. Taft discussed acts OF the les,
islature and of the council in dstali
and saws the fact recited demonstrate
the Willingness of the representatives
of the people in the house of dele
gates to subvert the government IN
order to secure the passage OF certain
LEGISLATION. The question whether
the proposed legislation should pc
enacted into law was left by the
fundamental act to the joint action
of the executive council and the
house of delegates as the legislative
assembly.
The house of delegates, says the
president, proposes itself TO secure
this legislation without respect to the
opposition of the executive council,
.,or else to pull down the govern
ment.'
This growing spirit shows that too
great power has been vested in the
delegates. The message presents an
executive economic review of condi-
tions on the islands. its trade and its
wealth. it's educational facilities
1t presents that never was time
in the history of the island when the
average prosperity of the Porto
Ricans has been higher, or opportun-
ity, his liberty in thought and action
more secure"
For the first time in its history
Porto Rico, he says. is living under
the laws enacted by its own legis-
lature.
The president points out that if the
Porto kicans desire aid in the form
of the Foraker act this is matter of
congressional concern, dependent
the real political progress on the
islands. Such a change he says,
should be sought. in an orderly way
and not brought to the attention of
congress by 'paralyzing the aim of
the existing government.
The president says that the fact
of the Porto Ricans forgetting the
generosity of this government should
not be an occasion for surprise, nor
In dealing Win u WuOle peOple can
it be made the basis of a charge of
ingratitude.'
The message concludes;
when we with the consent of ii he
people of Porto Rico assumed guard
ianship over them and the guidance
of their destinies we must have been
conscious that people that had en-
joyed so little opportunity for educa-
tion could not be expected safely for
themselves to exercise the tull pow
er of self government and the presen;
development is only an indication
that we have gone somewhat too fast
in the extension of political power to
them, for their own good.
The change recommended may
not Immediately convince those con-
trolling the house of delegates of the
mistake they have made in the ex-
tremity to which they have been will
ing to resort for political purposes
but in the long rim it will secure
more careful and responsible exer-
else of the power they have
There is not the slightest evidence
that there has been on the part of the
government or any mem ber of the
executive council d disposition to
usurp authority or to withhold ap-
proval of such legislation as was for
the best interests of the islands or
lack of sympathy with the best as
pirations of the Porto Rican people"