Evening star., 1932-01-17
BY WILLIAM HARD,

BY WILLIAM HARD.
The transit Of Theodore Roosevelt
through Washington on his way from
the governorship of Porto Rico to the
governor generaship of the Philippine
Islands has vividly directed the atten-
tion of Washington to the future fate
of the American Empire"
When will the Philippines be inde-
pendent? When will Porto Rico be
independent? What will happen In
the meantime? Such are the queS-
tions that occupy and perplex the
Federal authorities in the course OF
their conferences with Col. Roosevelt.
Jocularly, a certain criticism has
been leveled at Col Roosevelt by GER
tain high administration officials. They
express themselves as follows:
x x x x
eve are withdrawing from Mica
ragua. We are withdrawing from
Haiti. Those two Withdrawals are well
under way. We had hoped that pos
sibly the day of withdrawal from Porto
Rico would begin to swing into view
Our sanguine anticipations had some
basis of realistic development. The
independence movement in Porto Rico
Then Roosevelt became Governor. He
is very emphatic personality. We
concluded that under the rigors OF his
rule the independence movement would
thrive. What is it, though, that we
see? The patriotic son of President
Roosevelt at once became such q
patriotic Porto Rican that during his
governorship the movement for inde-
pendence from the United States, in
stead of rising higher. has sunk lower
We seem to enjoy actually less chance
Of being thrown out of Porto Rico now
than we enjoyed before"
There is some merit in this whimsi-
cal contention. The people OF Porto
Rico are perhaps increasingly con-
sciouS of certain material advantages
and even of certain spiritual advan-
tages-gained by their United States
connection. One of those advantages
is a high degree of freedom OF express
sion in the press and at the polls.
x < X x
While independent Cuba has seen
it's press persistently and completely
censored by President Machado, the
press of Porto Rico has continuously
discussed the government at San Juan
and the Government at Washington
with an the liberty granted to such
discussions in the United States itself.
A similar liberty has been exercised
by the Porto Rican political parties.
One of the last acts of Gov. RooSe-
velt in Porto Rico was to summon q
special session of the Legislature IN
order to secure adequate safeguards at
the polls for minority factions desiring
to express their political principles
Certain members of these factions de-
sired most especially to express a
strong aversion to United States dom
ination in Porto Rico and strong
ambition for Porto Rican independence.
Gov. Roosevelt fought strenuously and
protractedly to insure the existence OF
an untrammeled opportunity for the
free receiving and full recording OF
such sentiments in the election booths.
X x X
In certain important sense there
is more civil and political liberty today
in Porto Rico than in many tnde-
pendent Latin American countries
which are ruled by disguised or open
relationships. The training, however,
which the Porto Rican people are
acquiring in free institutions will neces-
Sarily ultimately lead on, it is admitted,
to an increasing demand for one of
two permanent outcomeS.
One is independence, and the. other
is statehood in the American Union.
Some authoritative observers believe
that if the Porto Rican people, on a
referendum, were confronted with a
choice between independence and state
hood, they might, after complete de-
bate, choose statehood. 1t Is equally
believed, on the other hand, that state
hood for Porto Rico would in all prob
ability get rejected by the Congress at
Washington. The weighted conclusion
of many students of the matter Is,
therefore, to the effect that in the
end-although, perhaps, in quite re-
mote end-the destiny Of Porto Rico Is
a wholly independent political life.
In the meantime Porto Rico is lead
ing locally extremely autonomous life.
1t has an immense amount of home
rule" Numerous Porto Rican leaders
are now requesting the Hoover admin
istration to accentuate that home
rule" by the appointment of a native
Porto Rican to the governorship left
vacant by Roosevelt. This demand the
Hoover administration is at the moment
inclined firmly to reject. The feeling of
the administration is that the United
oldISS, dS lung DIS IL COIlLHlueS 10 dS-
sumo the responsibility for political edu-
cation and development in Porto Rico,
must continue also to possess and use
the authority and power necessary for
the task. Many Of the most influential
advisers OF the administration would
rather see an independent Porto Rican
Republic with Porto Rican President
than see native Porto Rican Governor
ruling the island in a Latin American
manner under the sanctioning protec-
tion of the United States flag.
1t is fairly safe to assume, accordingly,
that Porto Rico will go on getting de-
veloped toward independence under
Governors from this country.
4
In the Philippine Islands Col Roose-
velt will find vigorous independence
movement convulsed by an unexpected
difficulty. In Washington today there
is Philippine Independence Commis-
| sion headed by Sergio Osmena, acting
president of the Philippine Senate. The
conversations between Senor Osmena
| and United States officials have not
been empty of humor, even If the
humor has been q by-product OF serious
and solemn srgumentations.
Some of the United States ofdcial1