Evening journal., 1916-01-03
PORTORICANS ANXIOUS.
FOR j. S. Citizenship
Governor Yager Will Spend
Month in Washington Urg-
ing Congress TO Act
ALSO PLANS
FOR HOME RULE

SAN JUAN. Porto Rico, Jan. B.
Whether Porto Ricans are to be sue
cessful this year in getting the United
States Congress to admit them to
American citizenship is the question
uppermost in the minds of most Porto
Ricans at present
Although citizenship has been prom
ised since the days OF the Spanish
American War and American occu
patton. seventeen years ago, each Con-
gress since that time has failed TO
pass the necessary laws. The island
ers now are 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 hOpse that favorable legisla-
tion may be obtained. Governor Ar
thur Wager will spend the month Of
January in Washington urging Con-
gress to act. Bills providing a new
organic act to take the place of the
I temporary Foraker act, which went
into force in 1901 establishing civil
government and which has been in
force ever since. alreudy have been in
trOduced i'm Congress by Chairman
Jones, Of the House committee on IN
sular affairs. and by Senator Willard
[ Salisbury. OF Delaware.
Calls Citizenship a Right.
THE new organic act should grant
to the people Of Porto Rico collective
[ citizenship in the United States" said
! Governor Wager before sailing. 81
know OF no simple gift that would go
so far toward removing dissatlsfac-
tion and difficulty I'm Porto Rico as
this simple grant Of citizenship. and
none 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 a right. II is the neces
sary complement OF sovereignty and
should go with the llag. The people OF
Porto Rico must obey all the laws of
the United States, pay taxes. are liable
to military services. and yet they are
not citizens.
citizenship does 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 moi
B. the privilege OF the suffrage thar
those who have. The people of the
District of Columbia never have haC
the privilege to vote for anybody oi
anything. and yet they are citizens
Most of the negroes of the South, th'
, minors of both sexes, and as yet al
immense majority of the women o
the country are not permitted to vot
and vet no one would think of exclud
ing these classes from the rights o
citizenship"
Provide for Home Rule.
The chief features of the bills to b
considered by Congress, 1t is eXpecte
here. will provide both for blauke
citizenship and a greater degree @
=, home rule The most important hom
rule featu-' is the provision for a
elective Senate OF nineteen member.
The present lower house o. the les
islature already is elected, while th
, present upper house or Senate Is com
posed of eleven members, all OF whor
are appointed by the, President oi th
United States. and six of whom ar
head of executive departments Of tn
insular government.
Here in the island it iseaid that a
difficulties which heretofore have deve
oped over legislation by Congress in b'
half of Porto Rico have been cleare
away. The most important single ste
. which has been taken recently was ii
adoption of new platform by IL
Unionist party. the majority party
r. the island. renouncing its independent
platform and condning itself to polio
of home rule.