Evening star., 1909-05-10

o2J 900 natives. or one-fourtn OF the
entire population. have been treated Al
government expense. and the effect has
been much to reduce the extent anu
severity of the disease and TO prlng IL
under control. Substantially every per-
son in the island has been vaccinated ana
smallpox has practically disappeared.
Cost in TariT Loss to United States.
There is complete free trade between
Porto Rico and the United States. and
all customs duties collected in the United
States on Porto Rican products subse-
quent to the date Of Spanish evacuation,
amounting to nearly $3,OOO,COO. have been
refunded to the island treasury. The loss
to the revenues of the United States from
the free admission Of Porto Rican PROD
ucts is $1o.000O 900 annually. The wealth
of the island is directly dependent upon
the cultivation Of the soil. TO cane, to
bacco. coffee and fruit, for which we in
America provide the market. without
our fostering benevolence the business
of Porto Rico would be as prostrate as
are some Of the neishboring West Indian
islands. Before American control the
trade balance against the island was over
e12JOO.OOO. while the present balance
of trade in favor Of the island is $500
600. The total of exports and imports
has Increased from about $o2.MOOO0 be-
fore American sovereignty to 6,oO0C COO
at the present day. At the date of the
American occupation the estimated value
OF all agricultural land was about $,1h-
OO0,o Now the appraised value of the
real property In the island reaches $1OO
100000. The expenses of government be-
fore American control were $2,969, 600.
while the receipts were $3.644O 600. For
the year 1906 the receipts were $A25O. 900,
and the expenditure was x4,O3f,UOO. OF
the civil servants. in the central govern
ment, 343 are Americans and 2.o4S are
time in the history of the island when
the average prosperity of the Porto Rican
has been higher. when his opportunity
has been greater. when his liberty or
thought and action was more secure.
Representatives of the house of dele
gates insist in their appeals to Congress
and to the public that from the stand
point of free people the Porto Ricans
are now subjected under American con-
troll to political oppression and to a much
less liberal government than under that
of Spain. To prove this they refer to
the provisions Of royal decree of 1897,
promulgated in November of that year.
The decree related to the government of
Porto Rico and Cuba and was undoubted-
ly a great step forward in granting GER
tain sort of autonomy to the people of
the two islands. The war followed with
in a few months after its PRONUNCIATION,
and 1t is impossible to say what its prac-
tical operation would have been. 1t was
tentative arrangement, revocable at the
pleasure of the crown, and had In its
provisions authority for the governor gen
eral to suspend all of the laws of the
legislature of the islands until approved
or disapproved at home, and to suspend
at will all constitutional guarantees of
ia fO HSo
the basis of civil liberty and free institu-
tions. The insular legislature had no
power to enact new laws or to amend ex-
listing laws governing property rights or
the life and liberty of the people. The
jurisdiction to pass these remained in the
the mass of code laws governing the de-
scent and distribution and transfer Of
property and contracts, and torts. land
laws, notarial laws. laws OF waters and
mines. penal statutes, civil, criminal and
administrative procedure, organic laws OF
the municipalities. election laws, the code
of commerce. and SO forth.
Given Complete Home Rule.
I'm. contrast with this. under it's present
form OF government the island legisla-
ture possesses practically all the powers
of an American commonwealth. and the
constitutional guarantees Of its inhabi-
tants. instead Of being subject to sus-
pension by executive discretion, are abso-
lutely guaranteed by act of Congress
The great body Of substantive law now
in force in the island, political, civil and
criminal code, codes of political. civil and
criminal procedure. the revenue, munich
pal, electoral. franchise, educational, po-
lice and public works laws, and the like,
has been enacted by the people Of the
island themselves. as no law can be put
upon the statute books unless it has re-
ceived the approval of the representative
lower house of the legislature. In no
single case has the Congress Of the
United States fntervened to annul or con-
troll acts of the legislative assembly. For
the first time in the history OF Porto
Rico the island Is living under laws
enacted by its own legislature.
1T Is idle, however, to compare political
power of the Porto Ricans under the
royal decree of 1897. when their capacity
to exercise it with benefit to themselves
was never In fact tested with that which
question we have before US Is whether
their course since the adoption of the
Foraker act does not show the necessity
for Withholding from them the absolute
power given by that act to the legisla-
tive assembly over approp riations. when
the house Of delegates as a coordinate
branch of that assembly shows itself will
ing and anxious to use such absolute
power not to support and maintain the
government, but to render 1t helpless. II
the Porto Ricans desire a change in the
form of the Foraker act. this Is a matter
for congressional consideration, depend
ent on the effect of such a change on the
real political progress in the island. Such
a change should be sought in an orderly
way and not brought to the attention of
Congress by paralyzing the arm of the
existing government 1 do not doubt that
the terms of the existing fundamental
act might be imp roved. certainly In quail
spective Jurisdictions OF the executive
council and the legislative assembly; and
/ suggest to Congress the wisdom of SUBJ
mitting to the appropriate committees
this question of revision. But no action
of this kind should be begun until after,
by special amendment Of the Foraker act.
the absolute power OF appropriation Is
themselves too irresponsible to enjoy 1t.
Benefits Have Been Forgotten.
"In the desire of certain Of their leaders
for political power Porto Ricans have for
gotten the generosity Of the United States
in it's dealings with them. This should
not be an occasion for surprise, nor In
dealing with a whole people can 1t be
made the basis of q charge of ingratitude.
When we, with the consent Of the people
of Porto Rico, assumed guardianship
over them and the guidance Of their des-
tinies we must have been conscious that
a people that had enjoyed so little oppor-
tunity for education could not be expect
ed safely for themselves to exercise the
full power of self-government, and the
present development is only an indication
that we have gone somewhat too fast in
the extension of political power to them