The Connecticut labor news., 1925-01-24
ICLESIAS PUSHES FIGHT FOR PROBE
 OF ELECTION FRAUDS IN PORTO RICO

lence and corruption, employing the public insular police and officials of the department of justice, and putting into
 practice the worst kind of devices, in-
 cluding actual use of force against the
 electors, the voting of paid agents with the name of thousands of legal electors,
 wh ereby the said legal electors all over the island were deprived of their votes i; making false returns and annuling enor- nous amounts of ballots which were perfectly legal; and finally, committing an innunerable set of outrages and vio-
 lations of the law, proof of which is being prepared and shall be submitted to the Congress of the United States in the form of decoumentary evidence enough to contest and annul the legality of the election.
 That, 1t is not possible that in Porto Rico an American territory, under American jurisdiction, the laws of the land be violated, the American institu- tions of freedom be abolished, citizen ship be outraged and elections carried out in such way as to be a degrada- ton of the American principles of uni versal suffrage; and the people of the United States can not stand by d4look indifferently upon such attempts against peaceful and law abiding community.
 Therefore we request:
 q. To protest before the President of the United States and the American people, against the violations of law and outrages to American citizenship that took place on the Island of Porto, Rico in the elections held on November 4th past, and most especially against the use of force by the local officials of the government of the island, against the peaceful voters of the working masses of the island:
 "2 To suspend the endorsement of the American Federation of Labor to any legislation granting more self-gov- ernment at this time to Porto Rico until a joint subcommittee from both houses of Congress shall proceed to the island to investigate the aforesaid elections and conditions of the people and take the proper measures to grant these peo- pie the right to hold new general cleo ton and to insure to said people of Porto Rico an honest and free exercise of the suffrage.
 : g. That the President of the Ameri- can Federation of Labor be requested to most earnestly recommend to the friends of justice who sit in both house of Congress to give aid and support 10 the claims of the representatives of the people of Porto Rico who are petition ing the Congress for an investigation of the election held in said island on yhe fourth of November, 1924
 "A That copies of this statement be handed to the President of the United States, the president of the Sem ate, and the Speaker of the House of the Congress, and give same as much publicity as possible
 "In accord with that judgment we submit the following statement and rec ommendation.
 "When the sovereignty of Porto Rico was transferred from monarchial Spain to democratic America, they rejoiced in the hope that under the Constitution and flag of our country, that liberty, justice and democracy would be the happy end of conditions in which they were forced to work and live.
 "These exploited people have, been just as ruthlessly robbed of their eco homie rights and privileges by the pri- vileged few, smoke screened under our glorious Stars and Stripes, as they were when held in subjection by Spain.
 '"The trade union movement, acting with the upstanding, forward-looking people of Porto Rico, recently acquired by the peaceable means of the ballot fsller control of the legislativegoverfl- ment of Porto Rico.
 "It is alleged that the reactionary prohteering element now ii control resorted to illegal, fraudulent means to rob the victorious workers Sof their .well-earned victory in the recent election.
 "We, therefore, recommend that a full statement of facts that are now in the hands of Delegate Santiago Iglesias be referred to the President of the American Federation of Labor, with in to use his good offices to com ply with the requests of Porto Rico and give \helpful assistance to the people of Porto Rico, to right the great wrong