Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-14
CITIZENSHIP PROBLEM IN PORTO RICO

~, FREDERIC }. mAsI>j

"ASiilNHrON. -. G.. January IA
'' P'"hi" OF Porto liicu are about i,,
"i', c't'"tnS Of the United states.
t.''' icing people with"u; a rolil.
Wy strictly speaking. since ,hc ISLAM.
cum" l." ia from Spain In 1925. ,i,>v
are 10 u" admitted cn nuss, to Amer
t'"" citizenship. by II bill which IN ono
''''" "i another may become law n,
""I moment VI has passed the IIous ,
.iu - carly on the senate c:lcn,,,r
me Porto lttcans have been nskiur IA,
citizenship f"r the last seventeen vrnr,
ana now they are about To get it, AM,
YET th"y are not satisfied. II they have
I" tax" /, Ia the form IL is or,cr,i +,
lh"m. they would rather go without /;
They regard Il rs citizenship win :.
string tied to IL.
Such At least are tho statements
which several Porto iticans inclu,iin.
Shn,iag" Iglcsias. the president of mo.
Free Federation OF Workngmcu OF
Fort" Rico. have boon milking Ia oui
Senators. I'll" labnriug class in Porto
iico. The class composed OF ilIi,cratc
h'id hands ~ rcrs large. and as its
representative MIR. iglesias has been
listened I" with some attention
nave mad. sixteen trips to tho
th't"d Sihtcs asking for American Citi-
Hcnsh'p for the Porto lticans." SAYS MIR
iSirSiaS. and now they are giving Us
citizenship: bu, regarded as citizenship
~ IS what You here call lemon"
The question OF settling the status
81 f"rt" iiicr has come UP from time
!" TIM ever sine" We got the island
from Spain. Til" treaty then prov ided
mat such action should bc taken by
CONGRESS. II haas. never been pcrma =
n"ntiy settled; Porto Rico has only "a
temporary status, awaiting IN" nnnl
action which has been SO slow IN com
inE. M"anwnil" American Investments
bay" grown heavier and heavier, the
island ~ rapidly peimg developed. It's
wealth has more than doubled since
lN"N. while til" unsettled political
status ~ the people gives upportunity
TO- TIA" "uilat"rs wh" keep alive the
plan OF Port" ltiCan Independence. The
passagc 81 AN az, settling the status
of Porto !iicu once and for all is every
whore recognized as necessary
TWO Provisions criticized.
There ar" tao provisions in tho pend
iug bill Which have h"cu criticized.
pt. provision siipulat"s an educational
qualification for voters No man snail
Nnt" unless he can read and write.
There arc .c".0co voters IN Porto Rico
NOW men OF voting aG"-wit" are
voting IN local matters under thu prcs-
"nl sysicm OF government. Only about
10000 Of them eau read and write.
Thus by becoming American citizens
l15."uo men who are nov able to vote
may cvcn,uaIly lose their franchise.
owing u their inability to fultiil the
educational uUaliucalIou.
Tn" present hil gives the voter
what seems like ample Time 1" qualify
himself "ducttionally. II provides
that all men who are voting now can
20 ON voting for the next ten years
hcfor" they nave /" pass a i;cr.,cy
test :" continue 10 east ballots. New
voters coming OF age each year nave
10 be able TO read and write from
the first The tcm-ycar clause APP
parently avoids the injustice OF taxi
ing away the franchise from men who
q &. M
ia ~ say certain II the DIRECTORS. II
simply puts the injustice or for ton
years. and 1t isn't fair to the young
men coming OF age wh" can't read and
write because they never had a chance
TO learn.
Therefore 1t has been recommended
that tho bill be ameudcd SO that ali
voters who are now over twcnty-u
can Z" on voting the rest OF their lives
whether they can read or not. Then
II more schools are established and am
other provision inserted torbidding the
employment OF children under four
teen years of age In any industry. thus
giving tho next generation a chance
TO learn to read before they are old
enough To vote, Porto Rico Will have
nn more TO ask. "Othcrwisc American
citizenship may be an actual dctrimcnt
:" TIA" people says ono Porto Rican.
Many OF them viii lose right to
vote IN their own local affairs. u right
which they have exercised ever since
tho days that Porto Rico was a Span
ish colony"
Need Not BE Able 10 Read.
There IS another claus" ia tn" bill
which gives the right TO vote TO every
mHu who pays So year in taNcs.
whether N" can read or not; but so
few ~ The iaboriug class own any
property that this clause does not
touch most Of them. There is con
siderable sentiment here in tho United
states in favor OF Il liicracy test for
voters. bat the question in Porto Rico
Us ub. iuusly different Tho Porto
I:icans HAY" never bad the same
rhauc" /" get education, and when $,