EL LCDO. ALBIZU CAMPOS RESPONDING TO MR. BARCELO’S IDEA SUBMITS TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE COUNTRY A NEW PLAN FOR THE FORMATION OF THE PUERTO RICAN ALLIANCE Ponce, Puerto Rico April 24, 1924 Hon. Antonio R. Barceló, President of the Senate San Juan, Puerto Rico Very distinguished friend: Throwing stones at our compatriots is foolish. I applaud the invitation that “La Democracia” makes to all Puerto Ricans to suggest the ideas necessary to carry out the beautiful idea of uniting us all in the Homeland. That invitation is inspired by good faith and by the highest patriotism. Responding to it and in fulfillment of a civic duty, I allow myself to offer the following plan: First: Formally invite the Socialist Party to be part of the Puerto Rican Alliance. The reasons for not doing so presented in the alliance project between the Unionist and Republican Parties do not seem sufficient to me. Not doing so would be committing a preterition against a legally constituted Party, represented in our Legislature, and a signatory of the Joint Resolution, and whose representatives went to Washington and worked as members of the Joint Commission to collect the rights that were demanded in said resolution. This preterition will be capital, in the hands of the enemies of a good faith understanding between all Puerto Ricans and will bring down the noble end that is pursued, and instead of consolidating the Homeland in a beautiful unity, deeper divisions will arise to the detriment of the country. Second: Platform. A. Economic Part 1. Return our lands to Puerto Rican hands. 2. Industrialization of the country. 3. Develop maritime and commercial life to make Puerto Rico an essentially maritime country as indicated by its island condition. 4. Raise the standard of living of our workers. B. Cultural Part. 1. Promote the study of mechanical arts and physical and natural sciences. 2. Restore our culture, orienting young people towards the sources of our civilization. C. Political Part. (a) Transitory regime. 1. Elective governor without impediments of any kind. 2. Abolition of the Federal Court to unify our judicial system. 3. Creation of a Supreme Court with final jurisdiction in all cases except those involving the interpretation of American constitutional law and public international law. (b) Definition of status. 1. Formal commitment between all current parties for our Legislature to approve a Joint Resolution requesting the Congress of the United States to convene the people of Puerto Rico to a constituent convention. D. Administrative Part. 1. Selection of the best men for the positions, applying the Civil Service Law with absolute impartiality. 2. Creation of the judicial career, selecting men for it by rigorous position. To achieve this, it will be necessary to raise the salaries of judges and for the higher positions to be covered by the promotion of those already appointed, and for these to occupy their positions while they demonstrate good conduct in them. This measure will be effective in cleaning up the collective environment. 3. Preponderance in the insular administration of bona fide residents outside the capital to force it to concentrate its attention on the general interests of the country. Third: Procedure. A. Creation of mixed local boards representing the current parties in the proportion determined by the assemblies that said parties are to hold. B. Candidacies for local boards must be endorsed by a certain number of electors and these will be submitted to primaries in each municipality. C. Each local board will designate two representatives from its midst, who with the representatives designated by the local boards of the district, will constitute the district board. D. In general primaries, in each district, of three candidacies that the district board will submit to the electorate, three representatives, bonafide residents, will be elected for each of them, and these will constitute the Central Board of the Puerto Rican Alliance. This will have the power to enforce the plan approved by the assemblies of the current parties. So that it is free from official influence, it will have its seat in Ponce or in any district other than San Juan. E. Municipal candidates and candidates for the House will be selected in primaries of candidacies submitted to the electorate by the Local Board or by a certain number of electors. The number of candidacies that the Local Board must submit to the electorate will be three. F. In primaries in each district of the candidacies that the District Board submits to the electorate, or a certain number of electors, the senators for said district will be chosen. The District Board will submit three candidacies to the electorate. G. In general primaries throughout the country, the candidates for senators and representatives by accumulation and the candidates for elective insular positions will be chosen, from three candidacies that the Central Board will submit to the electorate, stipulating that the Senatorial District of San Juan may not have more than one senator or representative by accumulation. H. The change of residence invalidates the right to represent the city that granted it, be this a Local Board, a District Board, Municipality, Representative District or Senatorial District. I. The Central Board with a representative designated ad hoc by each District Board, will constitute the Board that will recommend to the executive the candidates that it will select for insular administrative positions. Fourth: distribution of power. This will be done on the basis of proportional representation according to the result of the 1920 elections. The general cleanup has to start with the decentralization of representation. The country’s progress will be uniform and rapid. This is a patriotic understanding and requires new orientations that emanate from good faith and from the sacrifice of prejudices and vested interests. We can all well dispense with the current names, since there are no reasons for great pride for anyone when the partisan struggle of the last 25 years has reduced us to pariahs in our Homeland. You and Mr. Tous Soto have broken the collective inertia. The movement begins, and although we do not constitute a large people in territory or population, we can be great in material wealth, in art and sciences, and be at the forefront of civilization. Please accept this humble effort as proof of the appreciation that motivates the beautiful idea of rebuilding our Homeland. With all my consideration. Your friend and S.S., P. ALBIZU CAMPOS.
Albizu Campos Responds to Barceló's Idea for a New Plan for the "Puerto Rican Alliance
Date:
1 de January de 1924
Source:
Pedro Albizu Campos, Obras Escogidas 1923-1936, Volume 1
Country:
Puerto Rico