Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-14

per cent OF The voters are ili,cratc.
I a !ii"ra,N test wears Il Inherent aspcc,
4 IMAM ~ bear" ia - pTO.'rsHiVc state
/ whcrc iiIit"racy is the cMc"ption Tho
. fpito i:ican voter. although lac viii
/ hc""nt nn American citizen under TIL.
hii! VIII oI!y vote IN local elections.
( II" VIII g"t figure Ia any s"r %; u
. l nitcd states, .Cl,CtiUr III the cast he
/ VIII not hc itbl" I" vote Tor "a Bfcsi-
] dent under amy circUniatanccs So
{ ms iil'ter',cN can only affect his man
/ "Scu"nt Of his own Internal affairs.
/ and II Is apparently going 20 l." mara
/ I" convince him that L." ou:;h, TO t,i,u
/ th"in over 10 that section of the ponu-
! iatou which can read a;d write. wl,,h
! N" has been voting al his life be-
! fore
Another clause in tho hiil which u,.
/ nc"n objected TO is thH, Hviut. :. prom
"'ty qualification FOR m.rnbor., uf tho
new Porto iican c"urr.ss rho I'M
provides that members Of thu upper
mouse must h" men p.,yiu. taxes ON
/ Si'ooo worth Of property. While Nom
/ bcrs OF the lower house must pay tax,.,.
/ on $500 worth Of property Accord
/ ing I" TIA" critics there are honest ANA
/ intelligent mcn in Porto Rico who do
/ not own $500 worth OF property. ana
/ inns clause would cut them out Of the
ch'hce OF seats III tn" icGIslativ" body.
\En'nst Eicrting Poor Mcm.
CA the other hand, advocates of tho
/ pr"p"rty-Hualiiication clause hold that
| II man utterly without property is
el"cicn to III" Legislature. hc is llltc!-
10 belong 10 the class on whom III.
! big mon"ycd interests OF til" island
have u hold. lie is more, likely Ia he
independent in his lcuisI;,,ion,If he liza,
a lttl" property or - baniI account.
| rms TIA" o,hcr side curhatically de-
| nicS. saying that a pcumilcss Porto
i''oan can be Just as independent as
| ON" with 5000. There the matter rests.
no Congressional iuvcs, igatiOn hayin..
been made in Porto Rico TO east any
light on tho subject.
The Port" Ricnn Legislature has sent
= COUNT sston OF ivc OF it's most PROM
; incht mcmhcrs To W. .hiurIou 10 watch
over the progress Of tn. bin and this
commission also handed = !nc;murau.
dunn To the Senate committee" recon-
incndinE that the property Ilalincaiion
b" abolished aud the litcracy test pro
vision amended. 'i'hc commission is
ca,scr for citizenship. and some ,iud
of q solution of the Porto Rrcau situ.-
tlon ii badly needed. Thc local cl,-
tons have been postponed r.udiug ihr
passage OF tn" bill. .,!id no one knows
Vet who VIII be able to vote at Tho
next ones. Tho Island L. going through
- sort OF tntcrrcruum OF uncertainty
Moreover. the granting of citiZcnshtu
- regarded as necessary ~ many Guar.
tcrS 10 silence tn" talk of rorto Ei,!,i
IL
OF IN" people more or loss Suoradicall,
aSitat". There seems IN fact. TO lie
some danger that tho prcssiug necd
Tor j." 'Iti*cnship hill VIII result iu tn
pASS"@c OF measure before al sides
may" nycu uurou@hly heard
hr. IElr>ins Di>mu.~d
MI igi'siIS. who las nric il." ir-
m"rouS trips seeking citlzcuship. i4
greatly aismaycd at Tho prurp,et az
IN" mrs getting through 10 it's pr
81 ID.
ana h"T Tor many years n,cn pu,st1r
Tor Inc !dborin1 class OF ruriu Rico
some OF MS "ppoucuts chursa tim, d.
does mo' fairly represent tnc actuul
sentiments "i IN" lru"g.r, class hf
40 ono denies that De, le ~, prIu,ir,.I
mou,iipiocc. II" was wriI.iu. 10 m
@"niz" Porto Kirnu labor back ID. ,h.
daiS OF tn" Spanish regime. whom hi,
meetings could bo broken up %, in.
pole" as soon as sUnlonuuy sad .,ir.
ihtuS mat did not pioaA, TIA. ammo.
tics. IT," was, IT, fact. boo IAN 3D. ~lr
Juan Tor nEitatng aUiolr. Tho libofir.
ell" 's"s. when tho American G,ui sl,ii,ri
the prison. Thcy blew pu, SIDE or Mir
iricsi"sS cell out ana hc returned
ne favor 10y escaping 1" tho Nmcri..u
lines. where lie acted as .ut.fp,,Icr
guide I" TIA" American forces Iic i-
an enthusiastic believer $50 the iucpi.
~ America, and AZ soon o.. y,. rp
Fort" I;ic" from Sraiu. ho hr.:tn b.,
make hts pilrriusag"4 .,,Niur Tor ,Ir
I"nshi9. Now that citizenship tiotil
(" "c granted, ic points oui that ti,r
property and litcracy Qualifications viii
eventually disfranch!ac a larg, rrr-
portion cf the present voters Ny
l=icsihs hakos ms ncad ald calls IL
; lennon
Tho case that De-, and others el,irn
t" present for tho illi',rntc Porto
E!'"n voter" ICONS 10 dosotve dispas
siomato invcSticatiou. brfur. me, Ituii,l
STATE" finally decide. just what III tr
gong 10 90 With its ucNcat million
citi2eus.