Show MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Senate Listens to an Account of the Recent Visit to Porto Rico COUNTRY IS BEAUTIFUL CITIZENSHIP ASKED FOR THE NATIVES Washington Washing ion Dec 11 The presidents message to congress giving the result of his recent observations in Porto PortoRico PortoRico PortoRico Rico and making makl g recommendations concerning the government government of that isi Island and was read to the senate today toda The message was as follows To the Senate and House of Representatives On Nov 2111 21 I visited the island of Porto Rico landing at Ponce crossing by b the old Spanish road by b Cayey to San Juan and returning next morning over the new American road from Arecibo to Ponce Police the scenery was won beautiful especially among amon the mountains of the interior Int which constitute a veritable le tropic Switzer land I could not embark at San Juan because the harbor has not been dredged out and cannot receive an American battleship I do not think this fact creditable to us as a nation and 1 earnestly hope hone that immediate provision will be made for dredging San Juan harbor har or Beauty of the Island I doubt whether our people as a whole realize tho the beauty and fertility of Porto Rico and the progress that has been made under its admirable government We V e have just cause for pride in hr the character of our representatives who have administered the tho tropic islands which came under our flag as a result of the war with Spain and of no one of them is this more true than of Porto Rico It would be impossible to wish a more faithful a more efficient and a amore I more lnore disinterested public service serice than that now being a rendered In Jn the th island 1 1 of Porto Rico b by those ii se il in control nt of the I insular government I stopped at a dozen towns all told and one of the notable features in every town was the gathering of the school children The work that has been done llone in Porto Rico for education has been noteworthy The main em emphasis emphasis emphasis as is eminently wise and prop proper prop proper er Ir has been put upon primary education education education tion but in addition to this there Is a normal school an agricultural school three industrial and three high schools Every effort is being made to secure not only on 1 the benefits of elementary ed education education education to all the Porto Ricans of the next generation but also as far as means will permit to train them so that the industrial agricultural and com commercial commercial mercial opportunities of the island can be utilized to the best possible adan advantage advantage tage It was wad evident at a glance that the teachers both Americans and na native nathe native tive the Porto Ricans w were ere devoted to their work took the greatest pride in it ft and were endeavoring to train their pupils not only in mind but in what counts for far more than mind in citizenship that is in character I I was very vcr much struck by b the excel I lent character both of the insular po lice and of the Porto RIcan regiment They are both of them bodies that reflect re reflect credit upon the American admin of the island The insular po lice are arc under the local Porto Rican government The Porto Rican regi regiment regiment regiment ment of troops must be appropriated for by the congress I earnestly hope hOPi that this body bod will be kept permanent There should certainly certain be troops in the he island and it is wise that these troops should be themselves native Porto Ricans It lIa ns It would be from every stand standpoint point a mistake not to perpetuate this re regiment Sugar Cane and Tobacco In traversing tiie tl island even een the most cursory survey leaves the behold beholder er struck with the evident eident rapid growth in the culture both of the th sugar cane and tobacco The fruit industry is also growing Last year car was the most pros pro prosperous prosperous year ear that the island has ever eer known before or since the he American occupation The total of oC exports and imports of he ire island was l as against in 1901 This is the largest in the islands history to the American occupation the greatest trade for any an one year was that of 1896 when it reached nearly nearl Last year ear therefore there was double the lite trade that there was in the most prosperous year ear under the Spanish regime There were tons of oi sugar fugar exported last year rear of the value of 16 of oi tobacco and pounds pound of coffee of the value of Unfortunately what used to be Porto Ricos prime crop coffee has not shared this prosperity It has never recovered from the disaster of the hurricane and moreover the thc ben benefit benefit benefit of throwing open our market to it has not compensated for Cor the loss in by the closing of the markets to it abroad I call your our attention to the accompanying memorial on this sub suo jeet of the board of trade of San Juan and I earnestly hope that t lat some meas measure ure Gre w will ill be taken for the benefit of the excellent and high grade Porto Rican coffee corree In addition to lo delegates from the board bard of trade and chamber r oC or com commerce merce of San Juan I also received del dl delegations delegations rations from the Porto Rican Federa tion of Labor and und from the tac Coffee Growers association Plea for Citizenship There is a matter to which I wish to call cnn your our special attention and that is the desirability of conferring full American citizenship upon U JS people P pic of Porto Rico I most earnestly hope that this will be done I cannot see how any an harm can possibly result r from it and it seems to me a matter of right and justice to the people of Porto Poto Rico They The are arc loyal the are glad gla to be un under under under der our flag they the are making rapid progress along the path of If orderly liberty lib liberty erty crt Surely Surel we should show our appreciation elation dation of them our pride in what they have hae done and our pleasure in extend extending extending ing recognition for what has thus been done bv by b granting them full American citizenship Under the th wise administration of the tIte present governor and council marked progress has been made In lit the difficult matter of granting to the people of the Island the largest measure or et Emment that can with safety be given ghen ghent at t the present time It would w ul nave been b en a very serious mistake to have hav ha gone any an faster than we wp have gone In iii this direction The Porto Rl nl cans have complete and absolute an in all their municipal Govern covern I I I I I i I ments the only power ower over them tb m pos possessed possEssed pos possessed by b the insular government beIng belg that of removing corrupt or incompetent tent municipal officials This power has lias never bee bc exercised save sav sa on the clear cear clearest cst est proof of corruption or of tence such as to jeopardize th the inter interests interests ests of the peonie of the island inland and under such mch circumstances it has hrs been ben fearlessly used to the immense benefit of the people It is not a power with which it would be safe for fur the sake of the island itself to dispense at jit present ent The lower house is absolutely elective while the th upper house is appoint appo Plan Works Well The scheme is working roll elf 10 io in injustice injustice justice of any kind results from it and andI great benefit to the island and it Il I should certainly not he be changed it at this time The machinery of the elections d is i IE administered entirely entire by b the tile Porto Rican people themselves th governor and council keeping only such supervision supervision sion olon as is necessary in order to insure an orderly election Any An protes protest as to electoral frauds is settled in the Ue court ourt Here Herc again it would not be sate safe sat to tomake tomake tomake make any an change in the present system tern tem The elections this year were abl abI ab absolutely orderly unaccompanied by byan any an disturbance and no protest has lias been made m de against the management it lr ittie tie the elections although threw contests are threatened where the majorities were very If small and error was as Claimed the contest of course to bo b settled in irs inthe inthe the courts In short the th governor and council are cooperating with all of the most enlightened and most patri atie tic of the people of Porto in edu educating educating educating cating the citizens of or the island in the principles of orderly liberty They rhe are providing a government based base upon each and the mu mutual mutual mutual respect of or all citizens that is based laed upon a rigid ri Id observance of t the e principles of justice and an honesty It has not been easy to instill into the he minds of people unaccustomed to the thel exercise i c o of freedom the two basic prin principles principles principles of our American system the 1111 principle l that the majority must mut rule and tie the principle that the minority ha has rights which must not be or trampled upon Yet Y t real progress pro has ha b been n made in having these principles principles ples accepted as elementary as IS foundations of successful ment mentI I transmit herewith the report of the governor of Porto Rico Pico j sent nt to tie te president pr through the secretary of state date One Bureau Enough All the insular governments should be placed d in one bureau either ither in the tI department of war or the department of state It is a mistake not so to ar arrange arrange arrange range our handling of these Islands sit nt Washington as to be able to take ad advantage at advantage vantage of cf the experience gained iii ri rl rione one when dealing with the problems robem that time to time arise in an another a another other Tn in conclusion let me express s my ad admiration for the work done one by b the ion on gress ress when it enacted the tho law under which the island is now being admin administered administered After seeing the island per Der personally personally and after five years yearn experience exper ence in ht connection with its administration it is but fair to those who devised lsd this th law to say sr that it would be Impossible to have devised any ny oth other r which lr it the actual working would rave cave i accomplished better results res THEODORE ROOSEVELT ROOSEVEL The Thc White House Doc Dec 11 1906 1006 |