CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



155 



States; the immigration of people from foreign 

 countries; the importation of contract labor; the 

 imposition and collection of internal revenue; the 

 application of the navigation laws; the regulation 

 of the current money; the establishment of post 

 offices and post roads; the regulation of tariff rates 

 on merchandise imported from the island into the 

 United States; the establishment of ports of entry 

 and delivery; the regulation of patents and copy- 

 lights; these, with various other subjects which 

 rest entirely within the power of the Congress, 

 call for careful consideration and immediate action. 



It must be borne in mind that since the cession 

 Porto Rico has been denied the principal markets 

 she had long enjoyed and our tariffs have been 

 continued against her products as when she was 

 under Spanish sovereignty. The markets of Spain 

 are closed to her products except upon terms to 

 which the commerce of all nations is subjected. 

 The island of Cuba, which used to buy her cattle 

 and tobacco without customs duties, now imposes 

 the same duties upon these products as from any 

 other country entering her ports. She has there- 

 fore lost her free intercourse with Spain and Cuba 

 without any compensating benefits in this market. 

 Her coffee was little known and not in use by our 

 people, and therefore there was no demand here 

 for this, one of her chief products. The markets 

 of the United States should be opened up to her 

 products. Our plain duty is to abolish all customs 

 tariffs between the United States and Porto Rico 

 and give her products free access to our markets. 



As a result of the hurricane which swept over 

 Porto Rico on the 8th of August, 1899, over 100,000 

 people were reduced to absolute destitution, with- 

 out homes, and deprived of the necessaries of life. 

 To the appeal of the War Department the people 

 of the United States made prompt and generous 

 response. In addition to the private charity of our 

 people, the War Department has expended for the 

 relief of the distressed $392,342.03, which does not 

 include the cost of transportation. 



It is desirable that the government of the island 

 under the law of belligerent right, now maintained 

 through the Executive Department, should be su- 

 perseded by an administration entirely civil in its 

 nature. For present purposes I recommend that 

 Congress pass a law for the organization of a tem- 

 porary government, which shall provide for the 

 appointment by the President, subject to confirma- 

 tion by the Senate, of a governor and such other 

 officers as the general administration of the island 

 may require, and that for legislative purposes upon 

 subjects of a local nature not partaking of a Fed- 

 eral character a legislative council, composed 

 partly of Porto Ricans and partly of citizens of the 

 United States, shall be nominated and appointed 

 by the President, subject to confirmation by the 

 Senate, their acts to be subject to the approval 

 of the Congress or the President prior to going 

 into effect. In the municipalities and other local 

 subdivisions I recommend that the principle of 

 local self-government be applied at once, so as to 

 enable the intelligent citizens of the island to par- 

 ticipate in their own government and to learn by 

 practical experience the diities and requirements 

 of a self-contained and self-governing people. I 

 have not thought it wise to commit the entire 

 government of the island to officers selected by 

 the people, because I doiibt whether in habits, 

 training, and experience they are such as to fit 

 them to exercise at once so large a degree of self- 

 government ; but it is my judgment and expecta- 

 tion that they will soon arrive at an attainment 

 of experience and wisdom and self-control that will 

 justify conferring upon them a much larger par- 

 ticipation in the choice of their insular officers. 



The fundamental requirements for these people, 

 as for all people, is education. The free school- 

 house is the best preceptor for citizenship. In the 

 introduction of modern educational methods care, 

 however, must be exercised that changes be not 

 made too abruptly and that the history and racial 

 peculiarities of the inhabitants shall be given due 

 weight. Systems of education in these new posses- 

 sions founded upon common-sense methods, adapt- 

 ed to existing conditions and looking to the future 

 moral and industrial advancement of the people, 

 will commend to them in a peculiarly effective 

 manner the blessings of free government. 



The love of law and the sense of obedience and 

 submission to the lawfully constituted judicial tri- 

 bunals are imbedded in the hearts of our people, 

 and any violation of these sentiments and disre- 

 gard of their obligations justly arouses public con- 

 demnation. The guarantees of life, liberty, and of 

 civil rights should be faithfully upheld; the right 

 of trial by jury respected and defended. The rule 

 of the courts should assure the public of the 

 prompt trial of those charged with criminal of- 

 fenses, and upon conviction the punishment should 

 be commensurate with the enormity of the crime. 



Those who, in disregard of law and the public 

 peace, unwilling to await the judgment of court 

 and jury, constitute themselves judges and execu- 

 tioners, should not escape the severest penalties for 

 their crimes. 



What I said in my inaugural address of March 

 4, 1897, I now repeat: 



" The constituted authorities must be cheerfully 

 and vigorously upheld. Lynchings must not be 

 tolerated in a great and civilized country like the 

 United States. Courts, not mobs, must execute the 

 penalties of the laws. The preservation of public 

 order, the right of discussion, the integrity of 

 courts, and the orderly administration of justice 

 must continue forever the rock of safety upon 

 which our Government securely rests." 



In accordance with the act of Congress providing 

 for an appropriate national celebration in the year 

 1900 of the establishment of the seat of Govern- 

 ment in the District of Columbia, I have appointed 

 a committee, consisting of the governors of all the 

 States and Territories of the United States, who 

 have been invited to assemble in the city of Wash- 

 ington on the 2st of December, 1899, which, with 

 the committees of the Congress and the District of 

 Columbia, are charged with the proper conduct of 

 this celebration. 



Congress at its last session appropriated $5.000 

 " to enable the chief of engineers of the army 

 to continue the examination of the subject and to 

 make or secure designs, calculations, and estimates 

 for a memorial bridge from the most convenient 

 point of the Naval Observatory grounds, or adja- 

 cent thereto, across the Potomac river to the most 

 convenient point of the Arlington estate property. 1 ' 

 In accordance with the provisions of this act the 

 chief of engineers has selected four eminent 

 bridge engineers to submit competitive designs for 

 a bridge combining the elements of strength and 

 durability and such architectural embellishment 

 and ornamentation as will fitly apply to the dedi- 

 cation, " A memorial to American patriotism." 

 The designs are now being prepared, and as soon 

 as completed will be submitted to the Congress by 

 the Secretary of War. The proposed bridge would 

 be a convenience to all the people from every part 

 of the country who visit the national cemetery, 

 an ornament to the capital of the nation, and for- 

 ever stand as a monument to American patriot- 

 ism. I do not doubt that Congress will give to 

 the enterprise still further proof of its favor and 

 approval. 



