Show 111 t e01mtt mp r ry tbOMgbt NOT FIT FOB SELFRULE t The law creating a civil government for Porto Rico Is criticised because1 It dues not provide for complete selfgov ernment and docs not confer the V name degree of Il Independent legislative power as Is enjoyed by the lowest or Kanlzatlon In the Federal system I ThC law makes provision for a Leg Jblature will a lower house whose members tire elected by the qualified voter of Porto Rico and an upper huge or Council all the members of whih arc appointed by the President if the eleven members at least five I must be native inhabitant of Porto Thro The Council selected by the President has an effective veto on the House of Delegates elected by the people I peo-ple Furthermore the power is reserved I re-served to Congrcps to annul any law the Legislative Assembly may enact Evidently I is true that provision In made for practical Intervention of the Federal Government In local affairs There Is an excellent reason for It The Porto Ricans have as yet no capacity ca-pacity for selfgovernment and no actor act-or Congress vnn give them that capacity ca-pacity They cannot be trusted out of leading strings That is the firm con I vl nlon string < Davis 1 his view had ktlor been followed a majority of the mem folowel hers of rhe House of Delegates would he htr = appointed I think said he there may be thirtyfive men or perhaps per-haps a larger number who are qualified fied to legislate but there la L no certainty certain-ty of those men being hofcn at an I lection He IK convinced that if the Porto Ricans are given complete self government whichever local party prevails we may expect t corrupt gov einmonl administered solely In the Interest In-terest and for tjie aggr mlyemcnt oC the party in power 1 This piHflical Intervention of the Federal Government In the local affairs I af-fairs of Territories Is no jjovolty I began with the ordinance of 17S7 establishing estab-lishing a form of government for the Northwest Territory The citizens of the different States migrating there might have been assumed to be capable capa-ble of selfgovernment but that ordinance ordi-nance gave the Territorial Oovcrnor an absolute veto No act of the General Assembly was of any force without his assent When i government had to be provided for the inhabitants of Louisiana Louisi-ana who had known nothing of free Institutions legislative power was vested In a Council appointed by the President Laws passed by It had to he and if disapproved laid before Congress Ud dhnJ proved of by It became of no force Congress still has the power to disapprove disap-prove of any law enacted by the Legislature of New Mex islature of the Territory 1lc Jro or of Arizona The power was not reserved In the case of Oklahoma for it was assumed it would not be needed If ihe political Intelligence of the Inhabitants In-habitants of Porto RIO verc equal to that of the inhabitants nf the last mentioned Territory Congress l would have given them the same measure of local selfgovernment It Is not equal Jt is i practically nil Therefore Congress Con-gress ban gone as far as Is safe It has protected Porto Rico against local mIsgovernment by tlng the inhabitants inhabi-tants no more politico pocr i than they can be trustee t with Whenever they show themselves competent to lisa more It will bo given them Chicago Tribune |