Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09
to Congress for Legis-
Iation Giving Them Definite
Political Status.
EACH HOUSE ALREADY
HAS BILL ON SUBJECT
Gov. wager Will Spend Month in
Washington to Urge Enactment.
Gives His Views.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
SAN JUAN, P. r., January 1.-Wheth-
er Porto Ricans are to be successful
this year in getting the United States
to admit them to citizenship
is the question uppermost in the minds
of most Porto Ricans at present. AL
though citizenship has been promised
since the days of the Spanish-American
war and American occupation, seven
teen years ago, each Congress has fail
ed to pas the necessary laws. The is
landers are now hopeful that the first
democratic administration since 1898
will act favorably and give them a
definite political status. At present
Porto Ricans are merely Citizens of
Porto Rico"
In the hope that favorable legislation
may be obtained, Gov. Arther wager
will spend the month Of January in
Washington urging Congress to act.
Bills providing a new organic act to
take the place of the temporary Fora
ker act, which went into force in 1901,
establishing a civil government, and
which has been in force ever since,
have already been introduced in Con-
committee on insular affairs and by
enato Willard Salisbury of Delaware.
Suggests Collective Citizenship.
THE new organic act should grant
to the people of Porto Rico collective
citizenship in the United States" said
Gov. wager before sailing. II. know
of no simple gift that would go SO far
TOWARD removing dissatisfac tion and
difficulty in Porto Rico as this grant
of citizenship. and zone that would be
attended with so little cost and risk.
People speak Of citizenship as a
privilege To my mind it is not a priv
ilege at all, but q right. 1t is the nee
essary complement of sovereignty and
should go with the flag. The people of
Porto Rico must obey all the laws of
the United States. pay taxes. are liable
to. military service. and yet they are
not citizens.
citizenship oes not at all imply
suffrage or the power to vote for any
officer of the government or anything
else. In the United States there are
now many more citizens who have not
the privilege of the suffrage than those
who have. The people of the District
of Columbia never have had the
privilege to vote for anybody or any
thing, and yet they are citizens. Most
of the negroes of the south, the minors
of both sexes, and as yet an immense
majority of the women Of the country
are not permitted to vote, and yet nc
one would hin of excluding these
classes from the rights of citizen
ship"
Features of the Two Bills.
The chief features Of the bills to be
considered by Congress. it is expected
here.' will, provide both for blanket
citizenship and a greater degree of
home rule. The most important home
rule feature is the provision for an
elective Senate of nineteen membe
The present lower house of the legis-
lature is already elected, while the
present upper house or Senate is COM
posed of eleven members, all of whom
are appointed by the President of the
United States, and six of whom are
heads of executive departments of
the insular government.
Those most interested in the passage
of "A new organic act for Porto Rico
have been much Encouraged by the
Presidents recent message to Con-
gress. in which he recommended new
legislation for both Porto Rico aud the
Philippines.
At the same time Porto Ricans point
ont that reference to legislation for
them is SO closely associated with that
urged for the Philippines that they
fear the two may become confused,
and that in the fight which they ex-
pect will develop over defining a policy
for Philippines independence Porto
Rico may again be disappointed.
Difficulties Cleared Away"
Here in the island it is said that all
difficulties which heretofore have de-
veIoped over Legislation by Congress
in behalf of Porto Rico have been
cleared away. The most important
single step which has been taken re-
Gently was the adoption of a new plat
form by the unionist party. the ma
jority party in the island, renouncing
it's Independence platform and confin-
ing itself to a policy of home rule.
Almost nvari bly, in the past when
legislation for the island has been
under consideration at Washington,
and Congress seemed about ready TO
grant American citizenship to the peo-
pie of the island, long protests were
forwarded to Washington setting forth
objections to any Legislation that did
not provide for the ultimate indeDend-
ence of the island. 1t Is admitted
here that these protests have TO IA very
large measure caused Congress to de-
iay any definite action.