Evening star., 1928-03-17
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL J.. COLLINS.

BY PAUL
What constitutes a state?
Men. high-minded men
With powers as far above dull brutes
endued
In forest. brake or den.
AS beasts excel cold rocks and brambles
rude
These constitute a state:
And sovereign Law. that states collected
will.
Smit b. her sacred frov.n.
The fiend. Dissension, like a vapor
sinks.
There appears a radical difference OF
opinion as TO a State between that of
the President of the United States and
the president OF the Senate and Speaker
of the House. of Porto Rico. There is
also a difference of opinion between
the certain Western States of conti-
mental United States; for instance. GER
tain Californians are demanding that
the charter. of Arizona be forfeited,
and that Wyoming desires voluntarily
10 relinQuish her honor OF statehood
and to revert to the condition of a
territory. This latter allegation Is We
hemently denounced by the wyoming
members of Congress. Nevertheless,
whether Arizona should be forced to
take her stand along with Porto Rico
and the District of Columbia. or
whether Wyoming should be voluntari-
~ denoted. so that as territory. like
Porto Rico and the District of Column
hia. she would again feed directly at
the trough OF Federal support. the queS-
ton returns. What constitutes a
State?" 81 ~.-.I
The politicians of Porto Rico are dis
satisfied because the island is not
independent" of the United States.
They send joint letter and legislative
resolution to the President. protesting
that Porto Rico was the only Spanish
American country whose voice has not
been heard at Havana during the Pam
American Conference, for Ii was not
represented there"
The answer of President Coolidge was
the only reply that could be made to
such a contention; No State or Terri
| tory OF the Union was represented as
such at Havana. but the representation
OF the United States at Havana repre-
sentS Porto Rico as truly as IL repre-
sents any part OF the territory Of the
United States"
~
The appeal OF Porto Rico bctravs
utter miSconception OF the status of the
States and Territories of the Union.
Their conception is only as broad as the
hyphen. The fact that all Porto Ricans
are now full citizens of the greatest
republic that ever existed. and the most
powerful Nation in the world and that
every Porto Rican has all the protection
Guaranteed hAF
laws give TO the most powerful and iO-
fluential citizens of this country has
not impressed them yet They think
they would be free" only when their
httle island could abandon the con-
nection with the United States and
coulo Sneer at the Monroe Doctrine and
lhduiSe III ofiice-Seeking revolutions at
each election-iike the free" Latin
countries OF Central America. How
happy they would be,
Why didn't they achieve their ideals
under Spanish rule>
NO grievance is cited in their appeal
Tor the status Of free state. not a
subjected colony" They simply wan,
anarchy without restraint and Ia revert
TO the conditions. AS described By a
ieaoinS Porto Rican native, in 1897. in
which their poverty and utter Ignorance
were depicted, This description was in
dorSed rs accurate by receiving prize
awarded by the Economic Society or
Friends OF ths Country Referring 10
conditions when We took over the island
In 1898, II Said, III part
Only lhs taborFr, the son Ot our
fields. one ot the mcSt unfortunate be-
inGS In the world. With a pale face, sAye
feet, lean body, ragae6 clothing and
teNeri>h loCE, walks indiylcrcntlN. with
the shadows of ignorance III his ewes
dreaming OF the cocknShtS, the Shut!te
of the cards or the prize IN tn. prcVtn-
cial lottery. No, IL Is not possible that
the tropical zone produces such organic
anaen,ia, this lethargy ot body and soul
Is the offspring OF moral and physical
vices that drag down the spirit and lead
our peasants 10 such q state OF SOcia3
degradation"
President Coolidge shows Wonderful
patience III pointing cut what Porto
Rlco'S conneetton AS a Territory ot the
United States brings IT, in cemmegCe
amcuntmg Io mtllionS ot dollars n,,,re
Tor their exports to the continental
tnltcd States than VIZ paV anv forelgn
coul,try, mtMding Cuba tor the same
amount ot mpcttS, whether o. sugar,
tobacco er other products, Their prod
uctS have the henent of our tariff pfn~
tection, lust A. do cur continental m-
duStrieS,
So much TOT one Territory which
wants to he "tndependtnt'
How about the revolution III our
Far West, which threatens to deprive
Arisona ot It's charter as a state nf the
Union and reduce It ia the "anlect"
condition even ut the pistFiet ~ C'o~
lumhia, Alaska and Poftn Riens
A surprising article appears III the
last issue ef the North American Re.
view. disclosing that Representative las
seph CLAN ul Les Angeles, caitt n
about to Introduce IN Congress a tnint
resolution declaring the admission as
the TerrltarS oI AelngAaa into t,tl( state
hnod shall ne nov revoked eecauSe
Ariaana has oetained Soaas under tstse
pretenseS, IN erdcr 10 GAIN fnli states
hond having Voluntarily waived all