Evening star., 1938-07-26
HOME RULE URGE
SPURS ASSASS|NS
.Terrorists of Puerto Rico
= Fired on Winship for
: Revenge and Freedom.
By CREsTON B. MULLINS

~, BY CRESTON b. MULLINS.
8 The little bit of Latin America at
tached to the United States which IS
Puerto Rico has suffered new spasm
OF terrorism which is focusing the at
tention of the American Government
upon the still unsolved problems of
this island dependency.
The attempt to assassinate the Gov
-ernor of the island, Maj. Gen. Blan-
ton Winship, as he reviewed with
members of his staff and the Puerto
Rican Government parade at Ponce
in commemoration of the landing 40
years ago of American troops in the
Spanish-American War, brought again
into sharp relief the growing separat-
ist movement within the island.
Although the sentiment for freedom,
which finds its most bitter expression
in the recurrent outbreaks against
ainsular police and members of the
@Government, is increasing, the use Of
syiolence is still restricted to the mi
snute fraction which the Nationalist
party comprises.
5000 Amid 10000
8 Out OF population of approximately
100000 persons, the Nationalist
scount only 5000, and refrained from
aeven taking part in the elections of
1896 on which the present Legislature
swas constituted This group, COM
sprising chiefly youths, barely out of
their teens and university students,
ahas been under the sway OF the
Harvard educated anti American,
aPedro Albizu Campos.
Albizu Campos is now in Atlanta
sprison along with seven other Ma
stionalist leaders after conviction on
scharges of attempting to overthrow
sthe Government of the United States
scharges which grew out of the killing
sof Col. E. Francis Riggs, chief Of the
stnsular police, February %. 1896.
That killing was the first major act
sof violence by the Nationalists, and
twas found by commission of inquiry
eheaded by Arthur Garfield Hays to
shave come about in the following
manner:
. Albizu Campos in September, 1885,
in a radio address denounced the NOR
, ais of the students-men and women
of the University of Puerto Rico,
who, growing resentful, called pro-
test meeting. Four NationaliSts were
found by police near the university
in heavily-armed car about the time
of the meeting, and while being forced
to drive to police headquarters firing
broke about between the officers and
the Nationalist quartet. All four OF
the latter were killed and at their
funerals Alblzu Campos vowed to
avenge them with the lives of four
continental "oppressors.'
Riggs Specifically Marked.
He named Col. Riggs specifically as
marked for death, and three months
later Col. Riggs was murdered in cold
blood as he sat in his car on a street
in San Juan. This was first blood in
avenging the slain Nationalists.
Albizu Campos and seven Nation
alists were brought to trial in July,
1886, and convicted Of sedition and
conspiracy to overthrow the Govern
ment of the United States, although
it was nearly year more before he
and his seven colleagues were sent on
their way to Atlanta.
On June 8, 1887, less than 18 hours
after Albizu Campos entered Atlanta,
the second attempt to assassinate
continental "oppressor" was made in
an attack by four Nationalists who
fired more than dozen shots at Fed
eral Judge Robert A. Cooper in San
Juan. Judge Cooper had tried and
sentenced Albizu Campos and his asso-
ciates. The four Nationalist attackers
were later captured, tried and con-
victed and sent to prison early this
year.
The shooting yesterday, then, was
apparently the third attempt by Ma
tionalists to avenge their comrades
slain by police in 1885.
One of the most disastrous of
clashes between Nationalists and po-
lice occurred on Palm Sunday, March
Il. 1887, in which 10 persons were
killed and over hundred wounded at
Ponce, where the shootings yesterday
occurred.
Parade Permit Cancelled.
Nationalists had received a permit
to hold a parade in Ponce that day,
but cancellation of the permit was de-
manded by the more moderate ele-
ments in the city, and Mayor Jose
Iormos Diego, after at first refusing
to do so, finally acceded to the can
collation. request.
Accordingly when the scarcely more
than 100 Nationalist gathered, attired
IN their uniform of white trousers and
black shirts, they found themselves
surrounded by police, who warned
them not to attempt to march They
tried to do so anyway and after
mysterious shot was fired-by
Nationalist. the police charge-whole-
sale shootings occurred.
The local commission of inquiry
formed under the chairmanship Of
Mr.. Hays, general counsel for the
American Civil Liberties Union, con-
Guided that the Palm Sunday affair
was massacre" which was due to
the denial by the police of the civil
assemble
Albizu Campos, although in prison,
continues to WELD tremendous power
over the Puerto Rican Nationalists.
While he reposed in Jail on the island
IN February. 1887, he was reelected
president of the Nationalist party,
and continues to hold that position.
Apparently the war of revenge against
the "oppressors" goes on.
What is the basis for the fanaticism
Of the Nationalists against the United
States?
Two Chief Factors.
There are two bases: The purely
political which dates from the mo-
ment Puerto Rico was ceded to the
United States by Spain; and the
personal hatred of oratorical Albizu
Campos for the United States.
The Nationalists accuse the United
States of intervening in the island.
They argue that Puerto Rico had