Evening star., 1924-03-02

| GERS from the War Department, and
| every other year by a board of
visitors" consisting of two senators
and three representatives The report
Of this board of visitors on conditions
and affairs OF Porto Rico must be
| given to Congress within twenty days
! after the first meeting of the Senate
! and House committees from which
F, the board Is chosen. Adding insult to
| injury, from the Porto Rican point
| of view, expenses for the annual and
! biannual inspections will be borne
by the Porto Ricans.
| The chances for success of Repre-
| sentative Fairfield's measure in Con-
/ gress are yet to be seen. But the
Porto Ricans regard 1t with high
disfavor. Representative Fairfield
framed his measure after a careful
| and sympathetic Weighing of the
| facts, and he believes 1t gives the
! Porto Ricans an ample opportunity
| to demonstrate their fitness for self
! government. The Porto Ricans, how
ever, look upon it as imposing q
sacred trust in their hands and then
| assigning detectives to see that il
! il not violated.
Delegation United in Request.
J The Porto Rican delegation which
| sailed yesterday from New York.
| represented the three political par
! ties of the island and was composed
of men high in its government. Their
visit to Washington was the direct
result of Gov. Towner's adHce last
summer that all political factions
! should bury the hatchet-so far as
minor disagreements are concerned
and unite in telling Congress what
| they want Hearings before the
committee indicated this advice was
| followed in the main and that the
| delegation was united in its request
! for self-government.
| The Porto Ricans regarded their
visit to Washington, however, not so
| much as an effort to gain at one
step the self-government they desire
| as to impress Congress that it is
| time their ultimate status as Amer
| lean citizens should be outlined by
Congress by amending the organic
| Porto Ricans are citizens OF the
! United States who lack what is near
i est the heart OF true citiZen-the
| right to a voice in the government
which controls his destiny. Porto
Rico is an "unincorporated organized
| territory" That means she is neither
a territory nor a state. Her citizens
! do not desire the status OF q terri
| tory for the island, nor are they
united on the advisability of imme
diate statehood. and they have asked
Congress to find the happy medium
which will lead to something per
manent, and satisfactory in the fu-
| ture.
! While there is a difference of
opinion concerning statehood for
! Porto Rico. immediate statehood is
obviously out of the question. In the
| first place, it is an economic impos
sibility, for the island could not
! stand the expense Of being incor-
porated into the Union. The present
annual budget of Porto Rico is s1o.-
100000, and if she were incorporated
| $10,000,000 of this amount would ac-
crue to the United States treasury.
| as Porto Rico under the present sys-
tenn collects and uses what otherwise
| would be federal resources. 1t is
| argued that Porto Rico may create
and develop industries which might
enable her to meet the expenses OF
Incorporation, but this Is by no
means certain. The Porto Rtcans
prefer the present arrangement
which gives them control Of the ex-
penditure of their own revenues
The solution, suggested by Felix
Davila. Porto Rican resident con-
missioner. Is an "unincorporated or
ganiZed state" involving at the same
time recognition of the local SOW
! ereignty of the island and federal
sovereignty. -
The delegation based its request
for self-government on Porto Rfco.S
past performances. She has asked
Congress to give her a trial under
partial self-government, with COM
plete autonomy as the reward if she
is successful. She proudly claims for
herself a record during the last SIX
years which cannot be compared
relatively speaking. with that OF ADy3
other country in the world. Ia, .siS;
years her revenues have increassA
twofold with proportionatef5Sffiss IL
crease In budget expenses. Porto;
Rico now spends s5,0O0,000 a year un;
education-over 40, per cent ofsSf8a:
total budget. There are today 3.s8a;
1 leo oP mn
rural school houses has just been sa1dS
Public Improvements. ~
More than 1000 miles of modeess;
roads cross the island from north te,
south and from east to west, making
the interior OF the island accessible
TO automobiles. A million dollar boSb
issue. recently sold. is being used ID
completing the roads SYSTEM ana
another million dollars soon VIII b.
available for the same purpose. Pub
lie works. hospitals. government
buildings. including million-and-a-
half-dollar capitol building, are soon
to be constructed from another bond
issue which has been authorized
Sanitary conditions in the island are
being constantly improved and the
death rate has decreased 10 per cent,
in the last ten years. Modern agri-
cultural methods have been intro
duced and experimental stations are
determining what crops are best suit
ed for the soil and climate of the is
land. The legislature has enacted
laws which establish an eight-hour
working day for men; minimum wage
L fcx h,4 I.ati