PORTO RICAN INTERESTS.

COMMITTEE ON INSULAR AFFAIRS,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Wednesday, September 10, 1919.

The committee this day met, Hon. Horace M. Towner (chairman) presiding.

It will not

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. be necessary to call the roll of the committee for the purpose of ascertaining whether a quorum be present, for the reason that there will be no business to transact by the committee. The chairman has called the committee for the purpose of taking advantage of the presence in Washington of some of the distinguished citizens of Porto Rico, who will talk to you regarding the conditions in the island and perhaps make some recommendations for action on our part. The Chair will recognize the Commissioner of the island.

STATEMENT OF HON. FELIX CORDOVA DAVILA, RESIDENT COMMISSIONER FROM PORTO RICO.

Mr. DAVILA. Mr. Chairman, I have the pleasure of introducing to you the president of our senate, Mr. Antonio R. Barcelo, Senator Frank Martinez, and Mr. Manuel Rodriguez Serra, who is the vice president in Porto Rico of the American Bar Association, and a prominent citizen. They do not come here on an official mission from the senate of Porto Rico, but they belong to the majority party in our island. As you know, the senate of Porto Rico is composed of 19 members. Thirteen belong to the majority party, five belong to the minority party, and one to the Socialist Party.

Mr. Rodriguez Serra will speak first, but before he proceeds I want to thank you for your kindness in calling a meeting of the committee to hear our people. It is very kind of you, and we greatly appreciate your kindness.

The CHAIRMAN. The Chair will be glad to recognize the gentle

man.

STATEMENT OF MR. MANUEL RODRIGUEZ SERRA.

Mr. RODRIGUEZ SERRA. Mr. Chairman, it is indeed a great honor for me to address this committee on behalf of my country. We come not to urge at this time the final solution of the political status of Porto Rico. We come merely to try to induce you to pass amendments to our present organic law in such a way that our capacity for

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self-government may be better shown than it is at present. The people of Porto Rico are anxious for full political justice. The organic act which was enacted by Congress three years ago was decidedly a great step along that line. Porto Ricans feel greatly honored by being granted American citizenship. We want to impress upon you that we are a loyal people. I think that arguments are not necessary when facts speak in such an eloquent manner as they did speak in Porto Rico during the war. Porto Ricans were anxious to fight for liberty, were anxious to fight for the honor of the American Nation, and I am sure that I speak the feelings of my countrymen when I say that whenever the occasion arises the people of Porto Rico will again be as a single man, decidedly under the American flag.

There is a big problem for you to decide, and we think it is for us to decide, too. I refer to the problem of the final political status of Porto Rico, but, as I said in the beginning, we are not concerned in that for the present. We think we ought to be placed in a position where we might in the future be more efficiently prepared to decide what our final relations to the United States will be; not decide, but give our opinion and state the will of Porto Rico in that regard. We have shown in the past that Porto Ricans were capable of exercising judicial functions. The history of the last 20 years shows that the judiciary of Porto Rico, the great majority of which was composed of Porto Ricans, was a thing that we might rightly be proud of. We have had legislative experience under the Foraker Act, although, as you are well aware, we had only the house of delegates elected, and the upper house, which was the executive council, was made up by appointment of the President of the United States. Under the Jones Act we were given the opportunity to elect a senate, so we had an opportunity to show our ability in legislative work. I think that the experience of the last two years has been a good one, but now, gentlemen, the Governor of Porto Rico, under the authority given by this law, is a great factor in the legislative work. In order that our capacity for legislative work may be fully demonstrated, and in order to arrive at a just conclusion as to our capacity I think that there must be a certain degree of harmony, a certain degree of good understanding in the relations of the governor with the legislature, and a very clear conception by the governor of the status of the situation in Porto Rico.

We want at this time the executive branch of the government to be put in the hands of the Porto Ricans. That will be the only way for us to prepare ourselves to decide in the future what we want to be. There is no question but that we wish forever to be associated and joined with the American Nation by some tie. There are several aspirations in that regard, but our contention today is limited to that one. We want the executive as we have had the judicial branch of our government.

Now, gentlemen, I do not want to take up your time, but I want to inform you of anything that you may be interested in, and I will be ready to answer questions if you desire to ask me on any point. I think that I have made myself clearly understood by a statement of what is our immediate need, that is to have the executive branch of the government elected by the people of Porto Rico.

Mr. HERSEY. You want to elect your governor?