The sun., 1916-12-19
WHAT THE PORTO RICO PROTEST.
COMMITTEE ASKS OF CONGRESS.


pie OF Porto Rico shall take away ~.
civil rights that our people cnjoy ana |
possess. so 1t will clearly appear 10 ,bs.
minds OF the people that in being hor.s
Orably endowed with citizenship Of IN, |
United States they are going to lo,. |
their civil rights. m a property clans !
Is going to he created 10 make the Law, |
and to rule the working people. win |
constitute ninety-odd per cent. Of IN, |
people of the island. TN the o,bo, |
hand, no means arc provided 10 opabls |
some 800, 900 children to attend school |
which amounts to 80 per cent. Of IN, |
total electoral population. who bccauSe
Of the inability to obtain an cduca,ion
will be deprived of tho right Of fran.
chise. Moreover, only citizens who
pay a tax are privileged to he roptc.
sentatives in the Legislature OF tho
island. WOrkingmcn, however hrirh,
and intelligent they may he. II ,hey
pay no taxes will be disuuai iiicd to 10
representatives.
Quite recently Governor Wager a,
Porto Rico was quoted by the press as
saying that 1 is absolutely ncrcssarv
that the Jones bill lee passed M Con.
gress before the holiday recess IN order
to check forever the an i-Amcr.can and
independence agitation in the island.
Recently, in a conversation with
General Frank Mcintyre, chief Of mo
bureau OF insular affairs in the Va,
Department, ! tried 10 convey To him
the above influences, ideas ami pu,'ral
conditions that now exist in Porto nc
and he made the following remark. f..
fcrring specially 90 that section uf ,s
bill relative to the civil rights ut ''orto
Rico: 'Thos" clauses are not essential
to the principles OF the hill ANA could
very we'll DO eliminated While n,
Jones hill grants TO IT." p"ori" uf Tor,
Rice American citizenship that san.
bill forces upon our people theories d,
government which have long ago h.,a
repudiated by the progressive force ID,
American democracy as well as the
progressive force Of Porto l;lco.
If the condition Of the people o.,
Porto Rico is ever to he raised 20
standard at all compatible with that
prevailing in the United Sta'os our
civil and political rights that We nov
enjoy and possess must he guaranteed
anu tNtt'lu'u III NV INV bIEtlN LAW
now pending before the Senate.
The Free Federation Of Working.
1 men of Porto Rico maintains fully The
same declarations and petitions duly
made to the President of IN" Tinted
States in Congress year after year.
The people OF the island want TO
solve n great economic problem and
the right guaranteed 10y tn" Now COZ.
stitutiun to use the Government. whose
upholders they are, To obtain loans az
a low rate of interest. and ia" Goyclu.
mcnt in making such loans should also
do away with the dreadful usury pre-.
vailing through the country. In So
doing the Government would also
hamper and lessen the social and In.
dustrial oppression of the masses and
help thereby in diffusing the wealth.
The banking system and the Crrdi,
have both been left in the hands %
private manipulation. and both specu.
latlon and monopoly, as well as tie
control of the local government, have
fallen into the hands of the most IuN.
erful corporations.
The private monopoly OF vital inter.
ests of the community OF the island b,
detrimental to the well being o, the
people. and such monopoly ana cuu'ri
of the wealth produced 10y the people
Is creating among the popular minds d
moral state of Indignation agaius, tho
hateful industrial oppression which r'
been the cause OF 50 much wrctch'i.
rcss, %privation and hunger amon- '|
working masses.
We hope :hc United states Congress
will enact Il constitution furthcr.rc 'e
common good OF all tn" people % Porto
Rico n in the general iutorD.' ~ t.
island, Kidding the masses from 20
social and industrial oppression th''
suffer, oppression which H. east. = l,-
crcdit upon the American ili-.
Congress should suppress no r..
nopoly effected by the corporation.
the expectation of the wealth urriJ.
by Porto I;ican workers should h.
regulated so as Ia retain the great
part for the benefit of the iuh ,hl'.r''
% the island. Now more than $50 .
cent. is exported. a circumstln., Vhi
turns the island into Il trtaIu- ..,'
operated 10y undrrird and lur'ou'
laborcrs. and in his wtv the ,u'-N '
ton would benefit tn" whole people tH.
not "A specially privileged class or pi''.
such "A measure would pru'uo'' '
diffusion of wealth and comfort. 49,
Gencc. virtue and equal upinI'. '
which are the chief aims and a-iH'.
tons of the wise, dcmu'ralI. A'l.'
can institutions.
SANTIAGO 1.irSIN