Show FROM THE senate listens to report of conditions in the porto rican islands under wise administration of present governor marked progress ha has been made recommends conferring of american citizenship washington the president presidents s me mes sage to congress giving the result of 0 his recent observations in porto rico and ma making king recommendations con berning the government of that island was read to the senate on tuesday the president say in part there Is a matter to which I 1 wish to call your special attention and that Is the desirability of conferring full american citizenship upon the people of porto rico I 1 most earn estly hope that this will be done I 1 cannot see how any h harm rm can possibly result from it and it seems to me a matter of right and just justice ice to the people of porto rico they are loyal they are glad to be under our flag they are making rapid progress along the path ath of orderly liberty surely we should show our appreciation of them our pride in what they have done and our pleasure in extending recognition on tor for what has thus been done by granting them full american citizenship under the wise administration of I 1 the present governor and council marred progress has been made in the difficult alt matter of granting to the people of the island the largest meas are of self government that can with safety be given at the pr present besent time it would have been a very serious se rious mis take to have gone any faster than we have already gone in this direction the porto ricans have complete and absolute ant antinomy anton onomy oiny in all their muni munt cipal governments the only power over them possessed by the insular government being that of removing corrupt or incompetent municipal ceals this power has never been ex save on the clearest proof of corruption or of incompetence such as to jeopardize the interests of the island the scheme is working well no in justice of any kind results from it and great benefit to the island and it should certainly not be changed at this time all ali the insular governments should be placed in one bureau either in the department of war or the depart ment merit of state it is a mistake not so to arrange our handling of these is lands at ashington as to be able to take advantage of the experience gained in one when dealing with the problems that from time to time arise in another after seeing the island personally and after five years experience in connection with its administration it is but fair to those who devised this law to say that it would be well nigh impossible to have devised any other chic which h in the actual working would have accomplished better results |