Evening star., 1941-05-18

ULtl d lew ulOIlIllS ago IL was GdhCL
for granted that Uncle Sans $150000,-
600 defense program in Puerto Rico
would result in closer political and eco
nomic ties between the Caribbean terri
tory and the United States. Various
Federal officials also have been counting
on Puerto Rico to serve as a good ex-
ample of the ability of a Latin people
to fit in smoothly with our national
policies and economy and thus to play
q prominent part in promoting the good
neighbor policy in the rest of Latin
America
However, recent political developments
in the island threaten to nullify any
such developments and to halt or at
least slow up the steady trend toward
Americanization in the Territory.
The sudden change in outlook is not
related to the defense preparations,
which are going ahead as scheduled, but
rather has come about as a result of
the 1910 elections in which new polit-
ical party won control of the insular
Legislature, following splits in the two
parties which previously had dominated
the political picture. The new Popular
Democratic party, under the leadership
of Luis Munoz Marin, Senate President,
immediately embarked on program
that involves eliminating continental
American business concerns from the
island, slowing up the teaching of Eng
lish, purchasing the islands food supply
from foreign nations rather than from
the United States mainland, and ulti-
mately seeking independence or some
form of autonomous government in
place of territorial status or eventual
statehood
Sharing Wealth a Big Argument.
Appealing mainly to unemployed la
borers, slum dwellers and the jibaros,
or landless mountain dwelers, Munoz
Marin campaigned on a slogan of
BREAD, Land and Liberty" His princi-
pal campaign promise was to regain the
land of Puerto Rico for the islands
people, by driving out nonresident own
ers and breaking up the larger sugar,
fruit and tobacco farms into small plots.
The victory of the Populares is attrib-
uted to the Territory's depressed eco
nomic situation resulting from the low
per capita income and overpopulation.
1nasmuch as there is no prospect of any
substantial increase in income, owing to
natural and legislative restrictions on
the islands agriculture and industry, re-
distribution of the existing income was
the appeal that Munoz Marin held out
to the voters, together with a general
program of heavier taxation, higher
wages, new social benefits for labor. and
, so on.
Having complete control of the Legis-
lature, though receiving only about So
per cent of the total vote in the Novem-
Der elections, the Populares proceeded to
pass legislation putting their entire pro-
gram into effect, including one bill that
would have reduced greatly the Terri
torys huge food purchases from farm
ers and business men in the United
States.
In 1900, soon after Puerto Rico be-
came a part of the United States, Con-
greSs provided that customs duties on
all foreign goods entering the island
should be turned over to the insular
treasury, insead of going to the Federal
Government. However, customs COL
lections have been relatively small be-
cause the island always has purchased
the bulk of its requirements from the
mainland United States, ranking from
9Th to 10th as market for United
States goods in recent years.
Cheaper Food Bill Vetoed.
The Populares, having promised
cheaper food to the people, passed bill
which would have shifted a large part
of the $28OOO,OOO food purchases to
foreign nations. Under the plan, the
island would have bought its rice from
Java instead of Louisiana, its wheat
-four from the various South American
countries instead of Texas and Okla
homa, and so on.
The bill passed by the Legislature pro-
vided that the insular government re-
bate rs per cent of the customs duty to
wholesalers who agreed to sell the food
at reduced prices. In that way, people
could buy their rice for 31a of 4 cents