The National Geographic Society 



467 



The execution of the second feature of the 

 policy can be only graduall)' accomplished. 

 It ma)' be said to comprehend three phases : 

 (1) The immediate endowment of the island 

 with the maximum measure of self-govern- 

 ment that the educational and moral attain- 

 ment of its inhabitants and the training that 

 they have had in the management of public 

 affairs qualify it to enjoy ; (2) the administra- 

 tion of affairs ill the dependency with the dis- 

 tinct aim in view of educating the population 

 in a knowledge of the true principles and order 

 of political action and the cultivation of habits 

 of political morality, and (3) the actual exten- 

 sion of the local or self-government that was 

 first granted to the dependency as rapidly as 

 success is attained in these educational efforts. 



From the foregoing it will be seen that in 

 the management of its dependencies the 

 United States has to deal with what is a dual 

 problem — that of government proper and that 

 of the education in the knowledge and princi- 

 ples of government of the people governed. 

 This duality of the task should never be lost 

 sight of in any study of the problem or in an 

 attempt to judge of the success achieved in its 

 solution. The work to be done is rendered 

 enormously more complicated and difficult in 

 consequence of the adoption of this second 

 aim. 



The first step for the organizalion of a per- 

 manent civil government for the island was 

 •taken by Congress through the passage of the 

 " Foraker act," approved April 12, 1900. 

 This act provided for the organization of a 

 civil government, to lake effect May 1, 1900. 

 It attempts to do nothing further than provide 

 a bare outline of government. It specifies 

 that the government of the island shall be 

 vested in certain bodies and offices, and out- 

 lines their respective fi -Ids of authority. Here 

 it stops. All the details of the organization 

 of an actual administrative machinery and the 

 determination of the methods of work are left 

 to the subsequent actions of the government 

 thus created. 



The government of the island is vested in 

 an executive consisting of a governor and six 

 heads of administrative departments — the sec- 

 retary, attorney general, treasurer, auditor, 

 a commissioner of the interior, and commis- 

 sioner of education — and in a legislature com- 

 posed of two houses —an executive council, or 

 upper house, and a house of delegates, or 

 lower house. The governor and the six heads 

 of departments are appointed by the President. 

 To the legislative assembly of two houses, 

 known as the house of delegates and the ex- 

 ecutive council, is given full power to legis- 

 late regarding all matters relating to Porto 

 Rico, subject only to the provisions of the or- 

 ganic act and to the laws enacted by the Con- 

 gress of the United States. 



The sessions of the legislature are limited 

 to 60 days each year, beginning with January 

 1, though extra sessions may be called in the 

 discretion of the governor. All bills may 

 originate in either house, but no bill can be- 

 come a law unless it receives a majority vote 

 of all the members belonging to each house, 

 and is afterwards approved by the governor 

 within ten days after its passage. The gov- 

 ernor has the usual power of veto. 



The house of delegates constitutes the pop- 

 ular branch of the legislature. It is through 

 this body that the people of Porto Rico exercise 

 a real voice in the administration of affairs. It 

 is composed of 35 members, elected annually 

 by the qualified voters of the island. The de- 

 termination of the right of franchise was left 

 by the organic act to the insular legislature. 

 In pursuance of this power a comprehensive 

 election law has been enacted, patterned after 

 the system in force in the United States, which 

 in turn is thatknown as the Australian or secret 

 ballot system. By the law the franchise is 

 given to every male citizen of Porto Rico or 

 of the United States of the age of 21 years and 

 upwards who shall have resided in Porto Rico 

 for one year preceding the date of election, 

 and for the last six months within the munic- 

 ipal district where the vote is cast, who pos- 

 sesses any one of the three following require- 

 ments : 



(1) Able to read and write. 



(2) Owns real estate. 



(3) Pays taxes. 



At the elections, which are held on the same 

 day as the elections in the United States, the 

 voters vote for delegate to Washington, mem- 

 bers of the house of delegates, and municipal 

 officials. 



The disorders that occasionally take place 

 during the heated campaign preceding the 

 elections are without significance. While in- 

 dicative of a certain lack of self-restraint, they 

 are ill no way indicative of the inability of the 

 islanders to work under an election system. 

 It is difficult to persuade the voters that all 

 will be given a fair show, but as soon as this 

 fact is established the violence will become 

 less and less. 



The executive council is the center or key 

 to the government. The eleven members 

 which constitute it are appointed by the Presi- 

 dent. Six of the members are also heads of 

 the administrative departments, and in prac- 

 tice have heretofore been Americans. The 

 other five members have in practice been 

 native inhabitants of Porto Rico. The execu- 

 tive council has equal legislative powers with 

 the lower house and may initiate legislation. 

 As 110 legislation may be passed without (he 

 assent of both legislative bodies, the majority 

 of the council, the six heads of the depart- 

 ments, in a certain sense can control legisla- 



