Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-07-19
Tuesday, July 19, 1921.
LIVES IN a PALACE.
New Governor o. Porto Rico Oiscourses
On Island Affairs.

On Island Affairs.
From a residence OH quiet street
in Kansas City, Missouri, E. Mont
Reilly is moving to Il palace in the trop-
les, a palace built in the year 1918,
with thirty-fvc rooms. twcnty-onc scr
wants, a throne room where once Span
ish governors ruffled it in armor anu
bright silks and courtyard gardens
bright with flowers.
The palace is one of the pcrquisltcs
that goes with being governor of Porto
Rico, position TO which President
Harding appointed his friend Mont
Reilly few weeks ago. Governor Kelly
sailed for his now domain July 10, to
take up the task Of colonial admlnls-
tration that has been assigned TO him.
He has already devoted conslderab c
time and thought TO the problems of
Porto Rico and. has tentatively formu-
lated a number Of policies which he
hopes to carry out.
Il want to sec Porto Rico rs truly
and completely American as any stale
in our uniOn," the governor said in dis
cussing his plans for the island. "and
have no sympathy for the movement
fer making Porto Rico independent. |
do not believe that the rank and lS;a OF
Porto Rico voters want it either. The
independence propagandists arc protcs-
sional agitators, many of whom were
not even born on the island. To the
Proto Ricans who desire independence,
/ would say: Make Porto Rico Il full
tledrcd state of the union; c'cct your
own governors then, and you will nave
all the independence you want. and he
infinitely better off than if tho islIn3
were an independent nation. And the
thoughtful men of Porto Rico looking:
around them at the nominally inde-
pendent countries of the West Indies,
struggling with debts and other handi-
caps, appreciate the advantages OF b.
longing to Uncle Sam.
81 do not know what the feeling OF
the president and Secretary Weeks
would be in regard to statehood for
sec it, whatever their views are arc
mine.
in line with this. l favor making
English the primary language in the
Porto Rico schools. and Spanish Sec
ondary. I want to see the Stars ana
Stripes tho only flag in Porto Rico.
There is Il movement in the island for
Porto Rico flag. The American flag
under which our forcfathers won their
liberty, is the flag which brought libcr-
ty and self government 10 Porto Rico.
| don't think VIC need try and improve
upon it..
Il want to see woman suffrage in
Porto Rico and mean to work for it.
porto Rico passed Il prohibition law
in 1917. / understand it has been
rather laxly enforced. l mean to en-
force it, 1t passed by u very large pop
lllar vote. If it can't be enforced. ii
ought to bc repealed
Il should like to sec Il subsidy nn
Porto isican coffee, which would put the
industry on its feet without inilictinG
hardship on tho American breakfast in
Bile. a subsidy of a quarter of Il cont
q pound--not enough to be noticed in
the retail price of colfrc--would bring
i'm rs million dollars Il year 10 Porto
RicHn cuffcc growers. and 80 far to-
ward putting the industry soliUly on
its feet.
''rhcrc is another condition on the
island that needs remedial Legislation,
and that is tho condition of the chill
dren, who have been abandoned by
their fathers There arc literally thou
sands of such children in Porto Rico.
born in lawful wcdlUck and abandon
cd ny their fathers. ] should Ike Ia
sec II law. such us we have in Missouri.
compelling fathers 10 support their
children and providing heavy penalties
for the man who runs away from hi;
duty"