The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-07-11
NEW GOVERNOR
 OF PORTO RICO
 TO HAvEPALACE

Kansas City, Mo-, July 11--FrOm a residence on a quiet street in Kansas City. E. Mont Reilly is moving to a palace in the tropics, a palace built in the year 1515, with thirty-five rooms. twenty-one servants, a throne room where once Spanish governors and courtyard gardens bright with flowers.
 The palace is one of the perquisi- ties that goes with being governor of Porto Rico, position to which Presi- dent Harding appointed his friend Mont Kelly a few weeks ago. Gov ernor Reilly sailed for his present do- main yesterday, to take up the task of colonial administration that has been assigned to him. He has already devoted considerable time and thought to the problems of Porto Rico and has tentatively regulated a mum ber of policies which he hopes to carry out.
 T want to see Porto Rico as truly and completely American as any state in our union,'' the governor said in discussing his plans for the island, and I have no sympathy for the movement for making Porto Rico independent. do not believe that the rank and file of Porto Rican vot- CTS want it, either; the independence propagandiStS are professional aS1ta- tors. many of whom were not even born on the isla nd To the Porto RlcanS who desire independence, I would say: Make Porto Rico full-fledged state of the union; elect your own goVer- nors then, and you will have all the independence you want, and be in fnitely better off than if the island were an independent nation And the thoughtful men of Porto Rico, look ing around them at some of the nominally independent countries of the West Indies, struggling with debts and other handicaps, appreciate the advantages of belonging to Uncle Sam.
 q don't know what the feeling of the President, and Secretary Weeks would be in regard to statehood for Porto Rico. and while should like to see it, whatever their views are, are mine
 Tn line with this. I favor making the English primary language in the Porto Rican schools, and Spanish sec ondary. l want to see the Stars ana Stripes the only flag in Porto Rico There is a movement in the island for a Porto Rican flag The Al erIcan flag, under which our forefathers won their liberty, is the flag which to Porto Rico. I don't think we need try and improve upon it.
 s.I want to see woman suffrage in Porto Rico and mean to work for
 Porto Rico passe-- a prohibition law in 1917- I understand it has rather laxly been enforced. I mean to enforce it. It passed by a very large popular vote If it cant be en- forced, it ought to be repealed.
 'I should Ike to see subsidy on Porto Rican coffee, which would put the industry on it's feet without in fIicting hardship on the American breakfast table, A subsidy Of a quar- ter of a cent a pound
 ter of a cent a pound-not enough to he noticed in the retail price of Cof- fee-would bring in 75 million dol lars a year to Porto RiCan coffee growers. and go far toward putting the industry solidly on its feet
 'sThere is another condition on the island that needs remedial legisla- 1ion- and that is the condition of chill dren. who have been abandoned by their fathers There are literally thousands of such children in Porto Rico born in lawful wedlock ana then abandoned by their fathers ] should like to see a law, such as we have in Missouri compelling taIhers to support their children and proV1d- ing heavy penalties for the man Whc runs away from his duty.