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Show PRESIDENT! AFT SENDS SPECIAL MESSAGE TO. CONGRESS ON PORTO EIC Says the islanders Have Forgotten the G?nerosity of the United States and Are in Need of a Reprimand Asks That Congress Amend the Foraker Act by Limiting the Power of (he Porto Ricans "Washington, May 10 For the want . of a quorum, the house took no action on the President's message recommending recom-mending remedial legislation for tho Island of Porto Rico, Speaker Cannon fought to liave the message referred to the committee cn ways and means, but an objection by Mr. Garrett ot Tennc3ee, who wants it sent to tho committee on insular affairs, which has not he-en appointed, opened up the whole subject of the house rules. Tiiero being no such committee. Speak- i er Cannon "said that in suggesting the . present condition of the house, only , four committees had been appointed, ' of which the committee on insular af- . fairs was not one. ! A long argument ensued ovr the j right of the speaker to avoid the rules, and ended with a motion by Mr. Garrett Gar-rett that the speaker he "directed forthwith to appoint a committee ou insular affairs to consider the mes- The vote disclosed but 1G5 members present, far short of a quorum, whereupon where-upon Mr. Payne moved an adjourn-i adjourn-i ment, remarking, as he did so. that he ' hoped a quorum would be present ! when the house met next time- Tho house then adjourned with the Presl-j Presl-j dent's message still on the speaker's table. pus has 1'cen higher, or opportunity, his liberty In thought and actio i more secure " For the first time in its history. Porlo Rico, he says, is living under the laws enacted by its own legislature. legisla-ture. The President points out that if tVe Porto Ricans desire aid in the form 4 of the Foraker act this Is a mr.'.ter of congressional concern, dependent v.p-on v.p-on the effect of such a change on thi ical political progress on the island Such a change he says, should '03 nought, in an orderly way and n it brought to the attention of congress by "paralyzing the arm of the existing exist-ing government. " I The President says that the fact ot the Porto Rlean's forgetting the generosity gen-erosity of tin-: government should n?t be an occaclcn Tor surprise, nor ia ile.Ving with a whole people can it bo mad? the bais of a charge of ingratitude." ingrati-tude." The message concludes: "When we' with the confent of the j people of Porto R'co assumed guard-I guard-I lanfhlp over them and the gui. lance of ; . their dcstlni-5 we must have been j I conscious Hint a people that had on- j joved so little opportunity for educa- , lion could be expected safely for them-selves them-selves to ex-ercise the full powf-r ct ( self-government and the present 1"- , velopment is only an indication that we have gone somewhat tuo fast hi the extension of politic: 1 power to them, for their own good. "The change recommended may net immediately ccnvlnec these conircl'ing ' the house of i;ck-rp.tc.; of the irlstalo ! they have ir.cle In the exti-,r,ity to I which thev have been willing '" report In the senate it was reierrpi uu-out uu-out discussion to the committee oa Porto P.ico. Washington, May 8. President Taft ' todav sent to congress a special message mes-sage recommending legislation at the president extra session, amending the ! Foraker act under wTiich Porto Rico I3 I cr.verned. The President directs the 1 - ,.o., nff i'vc .,n the for political pMTpo;e; but m me k.-., run it will secure nure careful and responsible exuclce of tho 1'ow 1,1 '' have " "Were Is not the tl!ghte-t evuience that there h:i-? been, cn te pari of tl.o government or any nnmbe." ff th-? executive cou.rci! a d poi'.tiin to uu'P authority or lo within 1 i aporowl of such legislation as wai fjr th3 b.-;t Interests of the island or Utk cf sympathy sym-pathy with the bett aspirations of Ut? Potto Rican pecpli." aneuiiou 01 tuiipitaj - if land, laying particular stress on what he terms' "a situation cf unusual gravity" grav-ity" developed nuou'g-thcrfaHKre ct the legislative assembl of Torto Rico to pa?s the usual appropriation bills, leaving the island without support after June 30, next. Porto Ricans have forgotten the gen- . ercitv of the United State?, the Pies- j ident'savs, in Ihe desire of certain of , the islands' political leaders for pow- 1 er, and he adds that the present situa- i lion indicates that the United States has gone too fast in tho extension of political power to the Porto Ricans. He concludes that the absolute power of appropriation should be taken away from "those who have shown them I selves too irresnon.sible to enjoy II." The President suggests to congress j the wisdom of submitting to the ap-I ap-I propriath.n committee the question of ! qualify ing some of the provisions of 1 j tho fundamental act as to the respective respect-ive jurisdiction of the executive council coun-cil and the legislative assembly. But no action of this kind, the President I savs should be begun until the Forn-' Forn-' ker act is amended so that when the , legislative assembly shall adjourn ! without making the legislative appro- , priationa necessary to carry on the j "overnmeiit, sums eH'al to the appro- , priatlons made in the previous c r 1 for the lespective purposes shall be available for the current revenue and chili 1 drawn by the warrant of the auditor on the treasurer and counter- j -i"ned by the governor. Such a provis- , ion applies to the legislators cf the ; Philinpines and Hawaii and "it has j prevented in thote two countries any misuse of the power of appropriation." . The President reviews the establish- j ment cf the present government for , Torto Rico l)v the Foraker act. He savs the statute directing how the ex- j pc'nses of the government are to be , provided leaves some doubt whether I this lunctlon is not committed solely to the executive council but in prac- 1 tice the legislative assembly has ap- : propriated Tor all the expenses other than for salaries fixed by cougress and tho President adds. " It Is too late to , reverse that construction." ! Tho President savs that, ever since j the institution of the present assem- ; blv, the house of delegates has uni-foimlv uni-foimlv ueld up the appropriation bill until the last minute ot the session ; and has sought to use the power to do so as a means of compelling the concurrence of the executive council in legislation which the house desired. In tho last legislative assembly the attitude of the executive council in refusing to pas bills led the house of delegates to refuse to pass the necessary nec-essary appropriations bills. Mr. Taft discussed thnt act of the legislature and of the council in detail and says the 1 facts recited demonstrate the willingness of the representatives of the people in the house of delegates to subvert the government In order to secure tho passage of certain legislation. legis-lation. The question whether tho proposed pro-posed legislation should bo enacted iuto iu-to law was left by the fundamenUil act to tho joint action of the executive council and the house of delegates as tho legislative assembly. The houso of delegates, says the president, proposes Itself lo securo this legislation wltnout respect to the opposition oppo-sition of tho executive council, "or else to pull down tho government." This growing spirit shows that too great power has been vested In tho delegates. The message presents au executive economic review of conditions condi-tions on the islands, its trade and its wealth, its educational facilities. It presents that "never was a time ia the history of the iwfantf when the aveiasc moapcrity. cf tho Pur to Kic- |