Evening star., 1937-04-11
PUERTO RICO MAJORITY
OPPOSES INDEPENDENCE
Benefits Derived Since 1898 Are Not
ignored by Islanders, Says Resi-
dent Commissioner.
BY SANTIAGO IGLESIAS,

1t, you probably have the impress
L sion that Puerto Rico is eager to
become independent of the United
States: that there is large group of
dissatisfied people on our little Carib-
bean Island who want to become sep
arated from Uncle Sam, because there
is no other course to follow to eman-
cipate the islands producers. Many
writer's have given that impression
during the last few years in interpret
ing some unexpected legislation which
has been introduced in Congress. Each
time such kind of bill has been in
troduced their headlines have read:
Puerto Rico Seeks Independence"
In answer to the frequent questions
which are put to me, as to whether
the people of Puerto Rico want to be-
come independent, my reply is force
full emphatic, unqualified mol How
could they, in view of what the United
States has meant to them?"'
The masses of the workers of Puerto
Rico know that independence for them
would mean loss of their freedom and
individual rights as citizens and also
an inevitable catastrophe for the
island. 1t would mean for them. that
sort Of nationalist independence with
out liberty and without human guar
antees of life. The material interests
from outside and inside surely will
continue to receive ample protection.
Producing Glasses Oppose.
It is not accurate to say that the
honest propertied interests alone are
opposed to independence for Puerto
Rico. The greatest majority of the
producing classes in the agricultural
fields and industry also are opposed
to independence, with more emphasis,
because they organize to work for bet
ter life and happiness in behalf of the
greatest mass of the people of Puerto
Rico. For the producing people, indie
pendence is not problem of proper
tied interests and business alone, but
it also is great problem of keeping
freedom and the rights of citizenship,
democracy, education and popular rep
resentatlon in the affairs of the coun-
try. The reason for the few rich, or
business men, the intellectuals and the
'ilustrados" who talk about independ-
ence, naionalistS or no nationalists,
is because they are almost sure that,
If Congress would force independence
on the island, in the long run they
would get control by force of the new"
regime for their own benefit and glory
Yes, 1t is true that in the many
years past economic rehabilitation of
nf
and the American standard of life
for the workers was far from what Or
ganized labor had conquered on the
mainland, and, when economic con-
ditions became depressed in the ma
ton, Puerto Rico became a part of
President Roosevelt's program of relief
and rehabilitation, and the New Deal
began to give to the poor and well-to-
do classes Of Puerto Rico assistance
and compensation never before en-
joyed by them.
The Groups Seeking Liberty.
The idea of outright independence
Is terrifying and unthinkable to all but
group Of pretentious intellectuals,
"ilustrados," among our people Some
who have not clearly thought through
the questions conscientiously feel that
the island would be better off if it
were separated from the States. There
are, in addition, few well-to-do, dis
contented professionals who would like
to have the island turned over to
them for their personal administra-
ton, just as there are groups of in
dividuals in New York and Chicago
and San Francisco who promote the
overthrow of the Federal Government
In favor of radicals and communism
Every community of any size has the
same kind Of people, only our particu-
lar group seems to have done an un-
usually good job of advertising and
making lot of noise through sensa-
tionAl news and other devices.
I feel qualified to speak for the
Puerto Rican people. was grown
man when the island still belonged
to Spain. was there at the time
Of the American occupation, and I
have lived there ever since. did not
see all the course of the American
occupation, because was in jail
at the time, put there for daring to
suggest to the Spanish authorities that
Puerto Rican laborers be given those
rights which today are enjoyed by
every Puerto Rican and every other
American citizen-the right to strike
and to bargain collectively A few
years later they put me in Jail again,
and sentenced to serve four years in
the penitentiary. My ideas were too
advanced for the times, but President
Theodore Roosevelt and the American
Federation of Labor sponsored an in
established forever the rights and the
liberties Of the workers to organize
TO better their conditions.
Want Laws Extended.
We. the Free Federation Of Work
ingmen of Puerto Rico and the So
cialist party with 145,OOO votes, the
Union Republican party with 1000
and the majority of the Liberal party,
or 80 per cent of the people of the
island, are in favor of insisting on
the President and Congress the need
for q broad and comprehensive eco
nomic, social and political program
to lead and to keep Puerto Rico as
an integral part of the Nation. We
are asking for the extension of all
Federal laws covering education, sani-
tation, public works, economic reha-
Utilization, agriculture and social Sc
curity which will help the producers
and the needs of the island. Puerto
Rico Is pledging itself to comply with
all duties and obligations inherent
to these benefits by paying its cor
responding share, so that the welfare
Of the people of the island will con-
tinue to be builded up under mutual
understanding and obligations of both
peoples, United States and Puerto
Rico. We assure that the people
Of Puerto Rico desire to continue
under American institutions, enjoying
all the rights and privileges of Ameri-
can citizenship, but also sharing all
responsibilities without any special