The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-10
PRESIDENT TAFT
/. ON PORTO RICO
Sends Special Message to
Congress Today.
WANTS TO AMEND ACT

Two branches OF lnsular Government
at Loggerheads over Trivial Mat
ters and Legislature Adjourns With
out Making Appropriations For Els
cal Year--WouId Take Power Of
appropriation From Those Who
Have Shown Themselves Too lire.
sPonslble to Enjoy It. - Reviews
!. Progress In the island.
Washington, May 10. - President
Taft today sent special message to
congress on the necessity for re.
vision of the Foraker act under
which the present government of
Porto Rico was established. The pres
ident said I'm part.
An emergency has arisen in Porto
Rico which makes II necessary for me
to invite. the attention OF the congress
TO the affairs of that island, and to
recommend legislation at the present
extra session amending the act under
which the island is governed.
"The regular session OF the legisla-
tive assembly OF Porto Rico adjourned
March il last without passing the
usual appropriation bills. A special
session OF the assembly was at once
convened by the governor, but after
three days, on March 16, It again ad-
journed without making the appropri-
ations. This leaves the island gov
ernment without provision for It's sup
port after June 30 next. The situation
presented IL therefor of unusual gray
ity.
Describes Form Of Government.
"The present government OF Porto
Rico was established by what IL
known as the Foraker act, passed
April ~, 1900, and taking effect May
], 1900. Under that act the chief ex-
ecutive is u governor appointed by the
president and confirmed by the sen
ate. A secretary, attorney general,
treasurer, auditor, commissioner of
the interior and commissioner of ed.
ucation, together with five other ap-
pointees of the president, constitute
the executive council The executive
council must have in its membership
not less than five native Porto Ricans.
The legislative power is vested in the
legislative assembly which has two
coordinate branches. The first of
these is the executive council Just de-
scribed, and the second is the house
OF delegates, popular and represen-
tative body, with members elected by
the qualified electors of the seven dis
tricts into which the island Is divided.
"The statute directing how the ex-
penses of government are to be pro-
yided leaves some doubt whether this
function is not committed solely to
the executive council; but in practice
the legislative assembly has made APP
propriations for all the expenses 9th
er than for salaries fixed by congress,
and II is too late to reverse that con-
struction.
Have Holdup Habit.
Ever since the institution Of the
present assembly the house Of dele
gates has uniformly held up the APP
propriation bills until the last minute
OF the regular session, and has sought
10 use the power to do SO as means
of compelling the concurrence OF the
executive council In legislation which
the house desired.
"In the last regular legislative as
sembly the house OF delegates passed
bill dividing the island into several
counties and providing county gov
ernments a bill to establish manual
training schools; a bill for the estab-
llshment Of an agricultural bank; a
bill providing that vacancies in the
offices of mayors and councilmen be
filled by vote of the municipal eoun-
ellis instead of by the governor and
bill putting in the control of the larg-
est taxpayers In each municipal dis.
trict the selection in great part of the
assessors OF property.
The executive council declined to
concur in these bills; II objected to
the agricultural bank bill on the
ground that the revenues OF. the ISL
and were not sufficient to carry out
the plan proposed, and to the manual
training school Dill because IN plain
violation of the Foraker act. 1t OBJ
jected to the change in the law con.
corning the appralsement Of property
OH the ground that the law was in
tended to put too much power in re-
spect of the appraisement of property
for taxation In the hands OF these
having the most property TO tax. The
chief issue was bill making all the
judges in municipalities elective.
What Facts Demonstrate.
"'The facts recited demonstrate the
willingness of the representatives of
the people in the house OF delegates
TO subyert the government in order to
secure the passage of certain legisla-
tion. The question whether the pro-
pcSed legislation should be enacted