Evening star., 1936-05-09
independence for Puerto
Rico Raises Questions

To the Editor of The Star:
Senator Tydings has introduced q bill
to permit the people Of Puerto Rico to
vote on independence and complete
separation of the island from the United
States.
This bill presents two questions. name
ly, the economic and financial welfare
of the people of the island, and in q way
the national security of the United
States. The economic and financial vel
fare of the Puerto Ricans rests upon
their production of sugar and the Amer
ican market for it. Independence means
their loss of this market; and In this
connection one wonders II the American
sugar producers are not behind this bill.
The writer has spent much time In the
island. and knows it well. It cannot be
denied that conditions In the island are
bad, but with the loss of the American
market for their sugar starvation and
penury would be the portion OF the
islanders, which would be followed. Of
course, by internal strife and turmoil,
promoted by ambitious and unscrupulous
politicians, of which the masses would
be the victims.
We acquired this island by conquest,
and also compensated Spain therefor, If
remember rightly. While the Consti-
tuition provides that Congress shall have
power to dispose of and make all needful
rules and regulations respecting the ter
ritory and other property belonging to
the United States, it Is an open and
controversial question whether or not
Congress can dispose of inhabited terri
tory belonging to the United States,
under this provision. Be that as 1t
may, the question remains whether or
not we should abandon or withdraw our
sovereignty from this island. The rea-
son that motivated its acquisition was its
strategic position that made it desirable
and necessary to us In connection with
the defense of the Panama Canal, the
building of which we then had in con-
temptation. No other reason could have
justified its acquisition. To now sur
render our sovereignty over it on Senti-
mental grounds or the nonsensical
grounds of the good neighbor" theory
would be blunder of the first magni-
tude. Furthermore, the same reason
that prompted us to acquire Puerto Rico
moved us to purchase the Virgin Islands
from Denmark. If we yield to this
clamor of the Puerto Rican politicians
for independence, the Virgin islanders,
the Samoans, and the Hawaiians will
be demanding their independence, which
we could not then logically refuse, and
if acceded to would make the defense
of the Panama Canal difhcult, If not
impossible, thereby resulting in serious
impairment of our national security in
the event of war.
The misfortune of our country is that
we are governed by politicians and not
by statesmen; by men without political
vision and wisdom, and whose mental
horizons are the boundaries of their dis
tricts, and who are incapable of thinking
in terms of national policies and of their
relations to the world at large and to
situations that may arise in a remote
future. The result is bound to be a
rude awakening some day. If the exam
Piles of history are authentic, and prove
that like conditions produce the same
results, a nation governed by men with
out vision and exalted patriotism, and
who are deficient in honesty and tenacity
of purpose, will ultimately and inevitably
perish.
ALEXANDER SIDNEY LANIER.