Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-24


&H ernor of the territory. Occu-
G pied by the military forces or
the United States during the
war with Spain in 1898, Porto Rico was
restored to civil government in 1900.
Thus it has been nine years in the fam
lily of Uncle Sam, but 1t must be ad-
mitted that its treatment has been that
of a step-child. Although the American
flag floats over Porto Rico and the
American congress legislates for the is
land, its people are not American citi-
Zens and receive no protection what
ever from the washington government
when they leave their native island.
Commercially, Porto Rico was given
tardy justice, but even now its business
is threatened with disaster as the result
of the probable tariff retaliation OF
France against the United States.
France is the principal market for Por-
to Rican coffee, and a tariff war be-
tween the United states and that coun-
try would very seriously affect the for
tunes of Porto Rico.
At the same time the American rule
in Porto Rico has been of vast benefit
to the people, and there is no disposi-
tion on their part to be disloyal. They
appreciate the educational and sanitary
advantages which came with the Amer
lean flag, and they would not return to
the Spanish regime. Yet they are very
naturally chagrined when they realize
that practically the only reason they
are not given the rights they demand
is that the people of America are too
busy or too careless to pay any atten-
ton to Porto Rican affairs.
Porto Rico is, with the exception of
Barbados, the most thickly, populated
part of the Americas. 1t has an area
of little more than 5000 square miles
and a population of a million. Its
compared to the 200 to the square mile
compared tothe 200 to the square mile
in New England indicates how well
the country is settled. Its soil is cul-
tivated more generally than is usually
the case in the tropics, and its natural
frtility and beauty make it a veri-
table paradise. About one-third of
the population is negro and mulatto,
while the other two-thirds is almost
entirely of Spanish origin. The unan-
imous testimony of Americans who
have lived in Porto Rico is that the
people are gentle, lovable, honest and
loyal. The pleasant traits of the
warm blooded Latins are to be found,
and there is almost an entire absence
of those turbulent characteristics
which have disturbed sd many Latin
American lands.
Il
in demanding that the United States
do them the simple justice of granting
them citizenship. They are no longer
Spaniards, they are not yet Americans.
They have no status whatever in in
ternational law and every Porto Rican
is in fact man without q country.
Venezuela, under the. rule of Castro,
imprisoned Porto Ricans without cause,
deported them unceremoniously and
violated their property rights. The
victims of Castro's cruelty were who'll
ly without hope of succor, because they
had no nationality. Spain and the
United States both repudiated sthem.
They were political orphans in the in
ternational world. A Porto Rican can
not travel abroad with any guarantee
of safety or protection, for there is
not a nation under the sun that will
give him a passport.
Every governor of Porto Rico, every
American connected with it's govern
ment and every official representative
of the Porto Ricans themselves have
pleaded with the Washington govern
ment for relief from these intolerable
conditions. President Roosevelt and
President Taft have declared that it is
simple justice to grant the Porto Ri
cans citizenship. No specific argu-
ments have been advanced in opposi-
ton. Congress has simply refused to
answer the Porto Rican plea. Speaker
Cannon is opposed to the citizenship
law.
Many able lawyers hold that the
Porto Ricans are citizens of the
United States by reason of the trans
fer of sovereignty from Spain to the
United States. The Washington gov
ernment, however, has consistently re-
Ao1r xria af
which would operate to place Porto
Rico entirely under the constitution.
Three times cases involving the ques-
tion of citizenship have come before
the United States supreme court, but
in each instance the court decided the
main question without reaching the
collateral issue of citizenship. A man
damus suit to compel the department
of state to issue a passport to a Porto
this is carried to the supreme court
there must be a ruling on the ques-
tion.
If Americans knew more of Porto
Rico they would soon become much
better acquainted with the Porto
Ricans The island is one of the most
beautiful spots in the world. 1t is
only five days from New York, even
by the slow ships which now ply be-
tween Porto Rican ports and the
American metropolis. If the Ameri-
cans who annually make winter trips
to the Bermudas or to other semi
tropical lands would turn their atten-
tion to the American island of Porto
Rico it would result in pleasure and
profit to everybody concerned.
Porto Rico rejoices in a great num-
ber of excellent roads, and it is an ideal
country for motoring. It's climate is
not surpassed in the tropic belt in the
world. 1t is out of the beaten track
of the worlds travel and offers many
unique attractions to the American
driven from the north by Jack Frost.
If the tourist travel should increase it
would be easy to cut down the time at