Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-08
PORTO RICO BILL
PROMISES FIGHT
DRY FORCES IN CONGRESS WANT
PROHIBITION ORDER IN THE
ORGANIC LAW.
Especial Correspondence.)

| Washington, D. c., Dec. 7. -Prohib
ition threatens to become the effective
barrier to passage Of the Porto Rican
self government bill this winter. The
house has passed the bill, and the sen.
ate committee on Pacific Islands and
Porto Rico has favorably reported 1t
in modified form, but the dry forces
In the senate have demanded that q
prohibitory enactment be made part
of the new organic law of the islands.
In this proposal, Senator Shafroth, in
charge Of the measure in the upper
house, sees possible trouble. Time is
short until March 4 and the "wet" ele-
ment is not going to surrender any
more readily than will the "dry" con-
tingent. Shafroth says that if the
"dry" clause Is adopted without de-
bate In the senate, all will be we'll. But
if debate gets started, the fight Will
mean no legislation.
This Porto Ricon bill has another
feature-the terms of qualification for
voters-that is causing great uneasi-
ness. The house adopted proviso
that all voters in Porto Rico hence
forth must either pay 50 taxes an
nually or be able to read and write.
AS the vast majority Of Porto Ricans
are agricultural laborers, without
money savings or property Of any
kind, and as they have never had and
do not now have school facilities for
sny but the most fortunately situated,
this means the refusal Of the ballot
to some 100000 men who are now
qualified electors. There has been uni
versal manhood suffrage In Porto Rico
for the past eighteen years. Disfran-
chisement Of what is estimated at 80
to IS per cent of the present enroll
ment Of voters Is demanded in this
proviso, as recommended by Governor
Yager.
Porto Rican delegations, the press of
the island and two or three American
members of the house protested
against the Acknowledgement, but the
house agreed to 1t by an overwhelm-
ing vote.
Prohibition sentiment in Porto
Rico Is an unknown factor. In the
event that the bill should
now become law with prohibition in
cluded, there will be curious expert
ment in the ability Of northern
people to bring a Latin-American
people to give up its use of alcoholic
AS soon as the president had an
to congress on Tuesday his
desire that there be enacted a law
railroad strikes during Of
fetal inquiry into the disputes back OF
the strike demands, the "labor group"
In the house began to arrange to meet |
the challenge. This group, made up OF !
eighteen men holding trade union |
cards, had as its chairman Represen-
.ative Heating Of Colorado, democrat.
meet with the four chiefs Of the rail-
'oad brotherhoods and with the execu-
i've council Of the American fedora
ion Of labor. to discuss the terms Of
he bill which shall be submitted by
he administration element in the
louse. The labor forces will then plan
heir strategy
The trade unions and the railroad
are opposed to compul-
ory delay Of strikes. They are op-
,osed to this delay because they do not
want strikebreakers recruited, nor 9TH
IT defensive preparations made by the
companies, during the period of inves-
igation and because during that
'eriod the enthusiasm of the men who
lad voted to strike would be systemat-
cally sapped by the appeals made to
hem to remain loyal to their en-
,loyers.
The companies gain in their degree
Il preparedness to break the strike.
very day the strike is delayed.
That is the one bread and butter fact
which drives the labor forces to oppose
he president on this issue.