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    "label": "Report, United States Policy Toward Puerto Rico Since 1898, Division of Historical Policy Research, Department of State",
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    "title": "Report, United States Policy Toward Puerto Rico Since 1898, Division of Historical Policy Research, Department of State",
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{
    "seq": 21,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
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    "ocrText": "-32-\n-33-\nexercises a greater degree of sovereignty over\nThey pointed out further that while in the States\nits own internal affairs than does the government\nof the Union Governors are elected, they are appointed\nof any State or Territory of the United States.\nin the island and were hitherto from the mainland; secondly,\nWe have now in Porto Rico a government in which the\nthe Governor has no absolute veto power in the States;\nparticipation by Americans from the United States\nthirdly, State constitutions are enacted \"by the people\nis indeed small. We have given to the Porto Ricans\nthemselves\", while the Organic Act is an act of Congress.\npractically every right and privilege which we\npermitted ourselves to exercise.\nResident Commissioner Felix Cordova Davila reinforced\nthe arguments of the insular legislators with the following\ncharge, he said:\nReferring in particular to the \"subjected colony\"\ndeclaration:\n\"It has been clearly shown that Porto Rico has\n\"Certainly giving Porto Rico greater liberty\nnot yet complete representative government. of the\nthan it has ever enjoyed and powers of government\nthree branches of the government, the legislative\nfor the exercise of which its people are barely\nalone is elected by the people; while the executive\nprepared can not, with propriety, be said to be\nand the judicial, including the attorney general\nestablishing therein 'a mere subjected colony\nand the justices of the supreme court, are appointed\nThe people of Forto Rico are citizens of the\nby the President. It is therefore clear that the\nUnited States, with all the rights and privileges\ngovernment of the island is not an expression of the\nof citizens of the United States.\npopular will. Only the legislative assembly represents\nthe views of the people. The heads of the other two\nThe spokesmen for the Legislature, in a long\ncoordinate departments, being presidential appointees,\nanalysis: of the President's communication, attempted\nare not strictly accountable to the people. And yet\nto refute the former's several affirmations, touching\nit is said that we enjoy a greater degree of sovereignty\nparticularly on the scope and substance of the self-\nthan any State.\ngovernment enjoyed by the island. They objected to the\nveto power of the Governor, \"even if he were an elective\nIn an analysis of the Organic Act prepared by the\nofficial\". In legislative matters they asked that only\nPuerto Rico Bar Association, dated September 1, 1944,\nthose Federal laws should apply to the island which are\nthe basic criticisms of the act stated above are outlined\nthat concurred in by the insular Legislature. They also asked\nas well as a number of others. Their criticism was based\nthe insular Legislature have the power to impeach\non the premise that no government is legitimate and truly\nall officials, without excluding the governor\"\ndemocratic unless it derives its powers from the consent\nasked that the jurisdiction of the Federal courts They in and\nof the governed. In their judgment, the Organic Act now\neffecting the island be limited and that the Puerto Rican\nin force abridges certain inalienable rights implicit in\nSupreme Court be composed entirely of natives. In\nthe above premise. They pointed to the veto power of the\nof administrative matters, they objected to the appointment\nGovernor and President, neither of whom is elected by\ncertain members of the Governor's cabinet by the\nthe people of the island, and to the powers of Congress--\nPresident. They also asked that the Congress should not\na body they did not help elect--over the people of Puerto\npass amendments to the new organic law \"except with the\nRico. The Puerto Rican Supreme Court is appointed by the\nconsent of the people of Porto Rico\"\nPresident with the consent of the Senate--another body\nthey have no share in electing--and its decisions may be\nappealed to two superior United States tribunals, the\nl\npart 6, April 12, 1928, pp. 6337-45.\nDated April 2, 1928; Congressional Record, vol. 69,\n1\nIbid., p.6330.\n2\nIndependence for Porto Rico; Hearings\non S. 227,\nSeventy-ninth Congress, First Session\n(Washington,\nGovernment Printing Office, 1945, 2 volumes) II, 367-71."
}