M
Portland Observer
Election tests Puerto Rico Indepen distas
by Bee ate Lev ter
San Juan. Puerto Rico (PNS) - When
the polls close and the votes are counted
hare in November, thia long time U.S.
commonwealth and tax haven (or U.S.
Industry - could find itself the focus of
U.S. fears over a growing leftward tilt in
the Caribbean.
For the first time, both of the island's
pro independence parties - the Puerto
Rican Socialist Party (PSP) and the
Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) -
have gubernatorial and legislative candi
dates on the ballot. Gaming momentum
from the collapse of the mainland-domin
ated economy, they are expected to
double, triple or quadruple the PIP's four
per cent showing of 1972.
If they do garner 16 per cent or more,
the independence movement will have a
new stamp of legitimacy on the island.
Already, according to a State Depart
ment official, that prospect is beginning
to worry official Washington.
A t the international level, a good
showing by the “independistas" will
likely fuel Third World attempts at the
United Nations to pressure the U.S. into
granting Puerto Rico independence.
The U.N. Decolonization Committee
and the Conference of Non Aligned
Nations have both passed pro-indepen
dence resolutions. But the U.S., arguing
that any U.N. discussion of Puerto Rico is
“an undue intervention in its internal
affairs," has been able to bottle the
matter up in committee threatening to
withhold economic aid to those countries
voting to bring it to the General
Assembly floor.
The Decolonization Committee, how
ever, has pledged to make specific
recommendations on Puerto Rico's case
next August.
Statehood Also aa Option
Overall electoral victory in November
will go to one of the two dominant parties
on the island -- the ruling Popular
Democratic Party (PDP) or its largest
challenger, the New Progressive Party
(NPP). But even for these politically
moderate parties, the island's status vis a
vis the U.S. has emerged as a hotly
contested issue - as a result of a “new
compact of permanent union" now
pending before the U.S. Congress.
The Popular Democrats favor the new
compact, largely for economic reasons.
By transferring authority over many
economic, immigration and environmen
tal matters from Washington to the
government of Puerto Rico, the compact
would allow the island to attract more
business by offering lower wages and
relaxing environmental and job safety
standards.
The Progressives join the independis
tas in condemning the new compact for
stripping away the protection provided
Puerto Rican workers by federal legisla
tion. In the long term, the Progressives
favor statehood for the island.
Both independence parties condemn
the compact as a ruse to cover up what
they describe as the continuing colonial
status of the island. Socialist candidate
Juan Mari Bras told a U.S. congressional
committee. "The obligation of Congress
in relation to Puerto Rico is simple: to
renounce without condition or reserva
tion its authority over the Puerto Rican
people - which we never gave them: to
dismantle the bureaucratic, repressive
and military apparatus set up by the U.S.
to safeguard it: domination over the
island; and to respect the right of the
people to self determination and inde
pendence."
The gubernatorial candidates of all (our
parties have taken part in three televised
debates, and the island's newspapers
have shown new respect for the indepen
distas. publishing lengthy interviews
with Socialist candidate Juan Mari Bras
and his Independence Party counterpart,
Ruben Berrios Martinez.
Even such groups as the Lions Club,
Rotary Club and League of Women
Voters have invited the pro-indepen
dence candidates to participate in their
television programs and address their
meetings
Independistas divided
The existence of two pro-independence
parties is a reflection of the ideological
split in the movement. M ari Bras has
called on his “fellow patrio.a in the P IP to
form a united front," but Berrios, who
disavows the radical politics of the
Socialists, has rejected the invitation.
The Independence Party supporters
come mainly from Puerto Rico’s middle
class. They favor the establishment of a
more egalitarian society in the manner of
Portuguese Prime Minister Mario Soares'
Socialist Party and oppose the more
radical line of the Socialists, which would
transform Puerto Rico into a socialist
society patterned after Cuba.
The Independence Party also hopes to
win votes from nationalist Popular
Democratic supporters who are disen
chanted by their party’s increased
dependence on the U.S. government,
mainly through federal funds.
The Socialists, on the other hand,
expect to draw the bulk of their electoral
support from the labor and student
movements. Its members are active in
what is known here as the “new union
movement,” a drive to break away from
main land-based internationals - believed
by many to have sold out to management
- and set up local, independent unions.
The Socialist also have affiliated
student organizations at the high school
and university level and enjoy a good
measure of support among island intellec
tuals.
During the campaign, the local
government admitted it has used under
cover agents to infiltrate the Socialist
Party, defending its actions as an
offensive against the Socialists' endorse
ment of revolution and armed struggle as
potential means to achieve independence.
And Puerto Rico’s Electoral Court, a
quasi-judicial entity that oversees the
election process, exempted the Socialists
from having to reveal the names of its
campaign contributors after it deter
mined that party members were subject
to “harassment by repressive agencies,”
defined by the court as commonwealth
police and the FBI.
Thursday. October 28th, 197«
Register and vote.
Broken Bootstrap
The Puerto Rico controversy dates
back 78 ytars to the Spanish American
W ar, when the U.8. invaded the island.
U.S. citizenship was extended to Puerto
Ricans in 1917, allowing them to travel to
the U.S. at will and obligating them to
fight in American wars.
The establishment of the Common
wealth in 1962. which permitted the U.S.
to remove Puerto Rico from the U.N.
colony list, coincided with the develop
ment of Operation Bootstrap, now the
backbone of the island’s economy. The
philosophy of the Bootstrap, then as now,
was to attract U.S. industry to the island
with cheap labor and tax exemptions.
But when the recession hit three yoars
ago, the bootstrap broke. U .S . companies
began to pack off to countries with lower
wage scales and unemployment shot up -
to 21 per cent in government statistics, 30
percent according to Governor Hernan
dez Colon and 40 per cent by many
independent estimates.
The collapse in turn lit a fire under the
independence movement, demonstrating
the dangers of dependence on mainland
industries which it had pointed out for
years.
Mainland-based corporations own 81
per cent of the plants and industries here
and control 85 per cent of all commercial
sales, virtually the entire mass communi
cations industry and 60 per cent of all
housing and banking. In the last fiscal
yezu* alone, these companies have realized
a profit of $1.3 billion on the island.
The U.S. military occupies 10 per cent
of the island's territory, much of which
was once productive farmland.
Meanwhile, 60 per cent of the popula
tion still lives below the poverty level and
71 per cent of the people receive food
stamps. Thirteen percent are illiterate,
while more than half have less than a
fourth grade education.
The poor are crowded into barrios as
dense as any in the world, shanty towns
usually lacking running water, sewage
and garbage disposal, Even where there
is running water, purification systems
are often inadequate, as demonstrated by
a massive case of gastroenteritis that hit
7,000 residents of a mountail town this
summer.
I t is these conditions that provide
fertile ground for the independistas. If
they are not changed, Puerto Rico could
well become the kind of explosive issue
that Panama is today.
Copyright PNS, 1976.
ft could mean the difference between
«Hmniy Carter and Gerald Ford»
$4 Too many have had to suffer at the hands
of a political and economic elite who have
shaped decisions and never had to account
for mistakes nor to suffer from injustice.
When unemployment prevails, they never
stand in line looking for a job. When depri
vation results from a confused welfare
system, they never do without food or
clothing or a place to sleep. When the public
schools are inferior or tom by strife, their
children go to exclusive private schools.»
Jim m y Carter
made that statement
when he accepted the
Democratic nom ina
tion for President. If
it hadn’t been for
Black support, Jim m y
Carter would never
have gotten that far.
For it was Blacks
who put Jim m y
Carter over the top in
the Democratic pri
______________ ___
maries. Because he
understands our
m«iiia«iiiMiiiiiit»ii«(!«iw«'wmwi™«i
needs. A nd because he’ll do something
about a government tha t ignores them.
Now we have a chance to make a differ
ence again. In the general election Novem
ber 2nd. It can mean the difference be
tween politics as usual or real leadership
for a change.
We can d rift along w ith an economy
that’s choking the w orking people of this
country. O r we can elect Jim m y Carter—a
leader who w ill check inflation and put
America back to w ork again.
We can continue w ith a lack o f justice in
this country. Or we can elect Jim m y Carter
—a leader who
doesn’t think big shot
crooks should go free
while the poor ones
go to jail.
We can suffer
through a welfare sys
tem th a t’s bloated
and confused. Or we
can elect Jim m y
Carter — a leader who
w ill straighten out the
welfare system and
make it fair.
_ __________ _____ We can struggle
w ith a government that does nothing to
help the cities. O r we can elect Jim m y
Carter—a leader who w ill move to relieve
an unemployment rate among Blacks
that approaches 17,%. We can continue to
have a government that caters to the
special interests, the powerful and the
privileged. Or we can have a government
of the people, by the people, and for the
people. A government led by Jim m y Carter
and Walter Mondale.
It can’t
-------
. happen
r r r . w itho ut your help.
.
That s w hy it s so im portant for you to
register. And to vote Democratic.
R.S.V.P. specializes in placing retired
persons in volunteer positions around the
community and helps prevent a valuable
part of our community from becoming
inactive.
Caldwell, who is very involved in
community activities (he is Deputy
District Governor for District 36-0 of
Lions International and Chairman of the
St. Vincent De Paul Day Care Center),
states. “I am looking forward to working
with R.8.V.P. I feel it has great potential
for keeping older Portlanders an active
useful part of our community."
Also named to the board were Paul
Eckleman, Irving Ail and Phillip Bogue.
All terms are for two years.
(R.S.V.P. is a non-profit program).
F or fu rth e r inform ation contact
Morgan Dickerson at 248-4288.
r a r a roc ana atanortzca ay
1976 Democratic Presidential
Campaign Committee. Inc.
A leader, for a change.
MM
Ministers oppose 10,12
The Legislative Committee of Ecumen
ical Ministries of Oregon announced its
opposition to State Ballot Measures #10
and #12.
“We believe that natural resources
cannot be replaced, once destroyed.
Stewardship for succeeding generations
is part of our responsibility today. We
feel that maintaining the present process
of statewide and regional land use
planning is progress in the right direction
and we therefore strongly oppose State
Ballot Measure #10 and #12.”
‘PREVENT WASTE OF NEEDED
NATURAL RESOURCES. VOTE
NO ON # 9 — THE NUCLEAR
ENERGY BAN7
"The world s resources ol oil and natural gas are being
used up last They're loo valuable Io use on electric
energy generation The nuclear method is a practical
solution available lo us now We should conserve oil
and gas and go ahead with nuclear energy The ban
would be a step backward and Im against It
1 HOLLIS DOLE
I
Former Oregon State Geologist
and Assistant Secretary
A ol the Interior—Mineral Resources
DO N’T GET CAUGHT
IN THE CONFUSION
VOTE # 9 NO
IT BANS NUCLEAR ENERGY
OREGONIANS AGAINST THE BAN O N N U C U A R ENEEGY* S30 S W frTM AVE FORTLAND ORE ♦ ? » « • MARRY (
TRIAS
J IM R E D D E N
j
Vote for Jimmy Carter
$
l£
Caldwell joins RSVP board
Gerald A. Caldwell, Manager of the
Medical Center Branch of the First
National Bank, was recently apointed to a
2 year term on the Retired Senior
Volunteer Program.
Page 3
O b the ■ » testen of the removal af kaaria from the Lampa
L. Henderson, Harold Williams, Angelo Lampus and Stephen Kafoory.