Albizu Campos is acclaimed upon making his entrance to the people’s theater of Lares on September 23, 1931. NATIONALISM AND THE ELECTORAL SITUATION Gentlemen D. Luis Sánchez Morales and D. Manuel F. Rossy, presidents of the Senate and the Chamber respectively. Gentlemen: In fulfillment of the mandate imposed upon me by resolution of the National Board of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico, I have the honor of addressing this communication to you to demand equality before the electoral law to which our patriotic organization is entitled. Nationalism has systematically abstained from entering into the bitter controversy over the electoral law because that fratricidal struggle exclusively benefits the American interventionist who contemplates it smiling and with pleasure. Nationalism will always compromise with its Puerto Rican compatriots rather than favor in any way the policy of foreign Yankee intervention that seeks to annihilate Puerto Rico. We do not believe in the tactics of the parties with which we painfully have to confront, because those tactics are condemned by the very experience of those same groups, who have exhausted their patience in a sterile diplomacy so that the Government of the United States respects our sovereignty. Our country is in ruins. It has lost in thirty-two years more than seventy percent of its wealth that has passed to American interests by virtue of the monopoly they have of our market, which forces us to buy their goods under the conditions they want to impose on us. And to sell them ours in the terms that are pleasing to them. We call attention to the fact that the high purchasing power that Puerto Rico claims and that allows it to occupy the position of the fifth market for the United States in the world, and the first in Latin America, is not based on real income, but on the displacement of our farmers, industrialists and merchants, who are buying not with profits derived from capital, but with the remainder of that capital after its forced liquidation by virtue of the public auction of the assets to satisfy the tax burden that falls only on the natives of the country, as is proper in any regime of foreign intervention. That system does not respect even the humblest home, and day after day we have to contemplate the effect of that silent war of public auction, which throws the entire Puerto Rican family to the side of the roads. No well-intentioned government would allow such a situation, because the contributory power can never be exercised for the extermination of the ancestral home, as happens as happens in Puerto Rico; it is permissible to exercise that power for the promotion of the economic independence of the home. No people can cross their arms to see the proletarian tide rise that ascends with the indifference, conspiracy or cowardice peculiar. The social and cultural ills inflicted on the Puerto Rican nation during the Yankee intervention are too clear to require further analysis. It is for this reason, and based on the tragic experience of our compatriots who do not belong to our ranks, that nationalism has emerged to put a definitive stop to the Yankee government that sucks the blood of the Homeland. Our program is clear - as soon as we receive the suffrage of the Puerto Rican majorities, the holding of the Constituent Convention of the Republic will be immediately declared. We do not recognize the validity of the Yankee regime, because it is based on the nullity of the Treaty of Paris. On the date of its signing by the mother country Spain, Puerto Rico had international personality, and no treaty of Spain could bind us without the express consent of the Insular Parliament, and that indispensable requirement for its validity was not heeded. In other words, Puerto Rico was not a marketable item and could not be the object of trafficking, not only by virtue of the principles of natural law, but by mandate of the strictest positive law that informs the life of relationship between civilized nations. We resort to peaceful means to effect the change of regime because it is a norm that must be respected in the contemporary age. Modern empires are obliged to respect the independence of the intervened countries when the national will is unshakeable. Empires consult their convenience, and this is never found in provoking the revolution that destroys their interests. The Nationalist Party was constituted ten years ago. It has resorted to the elections of the year 1924, in about ten municipalities and in the year 1928 only in Caguas, under the present current electoral law, made under the direction of the head of the intervention in the year 1924, Mr. Towner, and approved unanimously at the suggestions of the same governor. The purpose was to prevent any nationalist sentiment from manifesting itself in the country. Currently the Party has registered general candidacies by convention, but, according to the current interpretation, it has no representation on the Insular Board of Elections, and in the polling places it will only have an observer with voice but without vote, if the current law is respected, which is being interpreted by the Superintendent of Elections, Mr. Terry, as is natural in an American official, in the most restrictive sense in what concerns the vital interests of the Nationalist Party. We have been contemplating the electoral picture with patience while waiting for this legislative assembly. The head of the occupation, as befits the one in command, has submitted to you the draft “law” that does not take into consideration, ex-professo, as was to be expected, the position of party by convention that nationalism has reached. We are aware that if you do not accept the will already expressed by the Governor, the tacit will of the Yankee Congress is expected to define in advance who should triumph in the elections. You do not have legislative powers because you stumble upon the absolute veto or the annulment of your acts by the Yankee Congress. It is yours, without limitations, however, the legislative initiative, and it is to be expected that, as Puerto Ricans, you will only accept a law that guarantees the patriotic cause of nationalism that does not dispute anything from you unless it is the sacrifice to constitute a free Homeland for all Puerto Ricans. In international life, nationalism is the representative; internally, it is the spur that forces the invader to cede the fruit that does not fall into our hands, but into the lap of the parties that represent the middle way. Nationalism is the only thing that belongs to every Puerto Rican. It demands from you respect for your most sacred right: the independence of the Homeland. With all consideration, P. ALBIZU CAMPOS President, Nationalist Party A PROCLAMATION OF THE NATIONALIST PARTY REGARDING THE DATE OF TOMORROW FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23 The Puerto Rican nationality fulfills, on September 23, 1932, sixty-four years of baptism. On such a day of the unforgettable ‘68, the liberators of Lares baptized with their blood the marvelous body of the nation. Something of perfumed vestment runs through our recollections similar to a clarion call of religious faith, exalted by the indissoluble ties of the concept of free Homeland. As if from the amphitheater of immortality an effluvium of perfect joy softens our calvary and illuminates our decorum. It is that the liberators, in the title of immortals, sweeten the life of oppressed peoples by establishing themselves as guardians of the code of honor. Where the greatest number of illustrious dead rests lies the most vigorous national dignity, because peoples are sustained by the glory of their illustrious dead. Puerto Rico, the only country in America that has produced holiness and unfortunately the only country in America that suffers the most degrading of enslavements, is sustained spiritually, thanks to the Olympic feat of Lares, which marked, for pride of future generations, the genesis of the most tender Republic in America. And the patriarchs of ‘68 were pure men and wise men; pure as the essence of supreme pain and wise as the beauty of the Almighty. They were inspired by God and produced infinite redeeming faith. Thus they lived and thus they taught to live a life of purest liberties and wise fulgurations, abominating men diminished by betrayal and demanding purity and wisdom from those who would guard the sacred dough of national independence. Sixty-four years of reactionary politics have passed, in which sacrilege, erected in the name of beatitudes, betrayed the sublime teaching of the liberators; sixty-four years of surreptitious hypocrisy in the market of dishonor. But the zeal of the illustrious dead arose in time. The birth of the nationalism of Puerto Rico vibrated in the sky of human redemptions, under whose flag, which is the flag of the Homeland, the sons of the liberators of ‘68 are protected; thus ensuring the precious custody of Puerto Rican liberties. The nationalism of Puerto Rico, depositary in America of the faith of the liberators, celebrates on September 23, 1932 the festival of patriotism in Lares, cradle of the first heroes of independence. To this festival of the spirit invites all Puerto Ricans who have not pledged their souls to betrayal, wishing to contribute with the devotion of good believers in the religion of the Homeland to the homage that is paid to the fathers of national history. Given in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on the twenty-first day of the month of September, sixty-fourth year of the proclamation of the Republic. P. ALBIZU CAMPOS President of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico Rafael Rivera Matos General Secretary THE NATIONALIST PARTY HELD YESTERDAY GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN THE MUNICIPAL THEATER OF SAN JUAN - ELECTORAL CANDIDACIES PROCLAIMED “In the name of the Almighty, creator and protector of nationalities, I declare this extraordinary assembly of nationalism in Puerto Rico constituted”. With these words pronounced by licenciado Pedro Albizu Campos, began yesterday, at ten in the morning, the works of the assembly of the Nationalist Party in the Municipal Theater of this city. The old coliseum appeared artistically decorated with the flags of the Hispanic American republics, floating in the center the mono-starred flag, and highlighting on the proscenium the portraits of Simón Bolívar and José de Diego. Standing, the assembly applauded at length Mrs. Amparo Díaz de Suárez, -mother of the young Manuel Suárez Díaz, who died tragically in the well-known event of the Insular Capitol-, upon being invited by Mr. Albizu Campos to take a seat next to him at the presidential table. Francisco Vincenty, Julio Medina González, Fernando Torregrosa, Luis F. Velázquez, J. Enamorado Cuesta, Dr. José G. Gardé and Miss Julia Carmen Marchand were applauded upon entering the hall. “It is,” said Mr. Albizu Campos addressing the assembly, “an extraordinary session of our party to deal exclusively with electoral matters. The lodged candidacies are divided into two groups: that of Resident Commissioner, represented by don Julio Medina González, and that of Member of the Board of Review and Equalization represented by don José Pascual Berríos and those of representatives and senators by accumulation represented by don Francisco Vincenty and by the one who speaks. The first two were candidacies approved in the last ordinary assembly of the party, and the other two approved by the National Board with a transient character for the purposes of the registration of the party. The National Board agreed to put at the disposal of the assembly all the lodged candidacies, so that this one chooses the candidates that it deems necessary and convenient. The selected candidate must be a candidate on trial. We cannot stimulate the desire for representation because it would constitute our movement into one of corruption of character. The performances must be taken into consideration, as well as the influence that the candidate has throughout the country. Until now, nationalism has maintained this criterion in an exemplary manner, all nationalists are willing to accept the candidacy that the party imposes on them. There is no room for resignation here because there is no room for pretensions. That is the criterion of Nationalism in this liberating movement, even if it costs life.” (Applause). Mr. Albizu Campos said that there were no names of women in the general candidacies even though they did appear in local candidacies. He stated that several women had been consulted to nominate them in candidacies and that all of them had refused. He alluded to the case of Dr. Margot Arce, who was nominated candidate for representative for Santurce in the last assembly, saying that the Nationalist Party was the first collectivity to nominate a lady for a representative position. He added that Miss Arce sent him a letter thanking him for the honor that was conferred on her but declining it because she held the criterion that the woman could cooperate in a wider field than in the legislature. He read a letter from La Hija del Caribe also renouncing a general candidacy, maintaining that she has always shunned everything related to politics and also exposing reasons of a personal nature that prevent her from accepting a nomination. Mr. Albizu Campos said that the assembly should be very conservative when dealing with the municipal and district candidacies already registered. ALBIZU CAMPOS SPEAKS At a quarter past ten in the morning, don Pedro Albizu Campos again took the floor, who, upon announcing the electoral situation, was greeted by the assembly standing with a warm ovation and enthusiastic cheers that lasted for five minutes. “I thank,” he said, “infinitely this greeting and I invite you to enter this assembly full of serenity. The nationalist movement, contrary to what its gratuitous detractors say, is the only serene one in Puerto Rico, because although it is a courageous movement and determined to do everything to defend the cause of which it is depositary in this land, it sustains it without treachery. The clashes that we have against brothers, the one that hurts the most is nationalism for one reason, because the invader lives, is sustained by the divisions among ourselves. If we nationalists are going to deepen these divisions, we would be one more instrument of the invader to impose his policy of penetration in Puerto Rico. In front of us is placed the Yankee power and its instruments that are our brothers, those who constitute a governing party, of what government?, of the only one in Puerto Rico: of the American government that exists by the will of Congress and of the courts of the United States. That political division is divided into three factions; liberals, socialists and union-republicans. Fundamentally, from the point of view of opposition to the regime of Puerto Rico, there are no differences between them. The three are governmental factions of the colonial government. The only faction that could discuss this is the Liberal party but it is in question for its program, for the declarations of its directors and for its actions. It celebrates an assembly in this same theater and approves a resolution to inform the Yankee Governor of its acts; appoints a commission of the most distinguished elements of its bosom presided over by Mr. Fernández García, the man who holds the highest representation of his party in the electoral ticket, to give an account to the resident of Fortaleza and offer him all kinds of allegiances and cooperation to his work of government. Let’s not talk about the head of the Party who is a governmentist since the times of Spain. He believes it is very important to be President of what he calls the Senate of Puerto Rico. This illusion borders on madness. Because of it he does not look at what he does nor does he worry about what he does. It is a madness that has done him grave damage and causes enormous harm to his country. The candidate for Commissioner to Washington of the Liberal party is a declared enemy of independence. From this same site he declared in the antepenultimate assembly of his collectivity, that Puerto Rico is not prepared to be free. The Liberal party, then, in its governmentist tendency, does not divorce itself in anything from the Republican Union that goes to Independence if statehood is denied to it by Congress. The Socialist party remains silent regarding independence. There also militate in the Liberal party men hostile to the ideal that we sustain. Mr. Travieso, whom I admire because he does not carry duplicity on his lips and is sincere in his convictions, is a declared enemy of independence and occupies, however, the honorary presidency of the aforementioned collectivity. This is a party that radiates to the elements that may disturb the accommodating policy with the government and seek elements akin to their budgetary games. It nominates for the Senate don Enrique Landrón and don Mateo Fajardo, very respectable people but republicans of all life. It also nominates for a senate by accumulation Mr. Mercado son, of yankophile ideas. It does not have, then, in its ticket, a single representative value capable of raising the problem of the independence of Puerto Rico. The new elements have been annulled. There are very dear brothers in that faction but postponed before the unbridled ambition for the fictitious power of the colony. What is the point of the Liberal party dreaming of independence if it does not find a man willing to risk his life for that cause? Nationalism does not encourage anyone to join its ranks. When someone comes to our side we tell them that our table is a clean slate, that it is empty, that not a single plate of the budget is placed on it, that it needs to be strong, healthy, vigorous, because peoples to redeem themselves need physical strength, that it has to be serene and above all possess great personal courage, not the courage of violence, but cold, that does not think about his estate, his wife, his children, the day he is called for a mission that may cost him his life. That he has to bring all the material resources that he possesses to offer them in the altar of the freedom of his Homeland. There are those who prefer to risk their lives to sacrifice a peseta. In this field we have to walk a lot, we have to place ourselves at the height at which all the liberating men of the world have placed themselves. (Applause). So were all the men of ‘68 in Lares, so was Dr. Betances and so was Rius Rivera, who represent the ideology and the action of nationalism. “With whom is the Liberal party liberal? Is there anyone who wants to say?” From the assembly voices arise that say: “With the Yankees”. Mr. Albizu continues speaking. “The word liberal is holy. It is close to the word independence, but the Liberal party has preferred to play with everything and is burning itself. “Nationalism renounces the budget because we do not want to be the executioners of our Homeland, paid with money from our Homeland, under instructions from the enemies of our Homeland. We are the most selfish men of the Homeland. We want the last piece of our land to be of Puerto Ricans, that commerce and industry be of the Puerto Ricans, that we be the only arbiters of our own destinies. That is the good of the individual and it is the good of the nationality. We are men of dignity. Right now the force of the United States can present itself to dissolve this act and here no one is going to run. (Applause). It is not that we have the sense of useless sacrifice. We do not ask the people to be suicidal. We do not lead them to sterile struggles but to the only effective and dignified one that can be conceived: the independence of our Homeland. It is not that we are bloodthirsty, but we are committed to something very sacred: to the restitution of peace in Puerto Rico. State of peace is the perfect state of individual consciousness, of national consciousness and of international consciousness. The state of peace is the perfect state of law and the absence of aggression. There can be no peace when the rights of others are not respected. We are in a state of perpetual war with the only difference that we do not defend ourselves from the attacks of the enemy. When a people is unconscious of the attack it receives, it is the most serious crime that is committed against that people. We are receiving the shots alone, until Nationalism arises and says: stop there, if you advance we shoot you, cost what it may! As Christian and civilized men we want the internal peace of law that is reflected in the relations of power to power and of equal to equal in international life. (Applause) Those who offer their cooperation to the government in this war against the interests are the liberals, the socialists and those of the Republican Union. The United States does not spend a peseta in sustaining this servitude, but on the contrary it uses our own money to perpetuate our slavery even though that money extracts it from the bodies and souls of our compatriots”. Mr. Albizu Campos was in the use of the word for three and a half hours. He made history of the origin of the Nationalist Party with its current organization. He alluded to Governor Reily, saying that Mr. Barceló “surrendered the flag of independence in exchange for the budget”. He then referred to the formation of the Alliance “with its political formula of sovereignty within sovereignty to deceive this people”. He said that the Electoral Law of 1924 had been “a conspiracy of the Alliance to prevent Nationalism from manifesting itself in the polls”. He stated that “the Yankee power had raised the Republican Party against the Federal Party despite the fact that both had the same program, being at the head of those parties Muñoz Rivera and Barbosa, two annexationists, and that when republicanism was divided, which was useless already for imperial purposes, unionism arose with its school of duplicity”. “The hatreds were deepened,” he said, “and these hatreds engendered the Socialist party, which gave the opportunity for a foreigner to be the instrument to deliver the working class into the hands of the intervening power.” “I do not know,” he said, “why Barceló denies Tous Soto so much. I have not seen anyone who divorces, marries and remarries with more ease than Barceló in politics. He suffers from a hallucination. It is a madness that is costing him his life and that of his Homeland”. The speaker began to relate all the incidents and details of the struggle that the Nationalist party sustained to get its right of registration by convention recognized. He said that Mr. Ortiz Toro rendered an opinion recognizing that right but that it was later revoked by Attorney General Winter. He then spoke of the efforts that were made near the legislature “to achieve amendments to the Electoral Law that would guarantee protection to the Nationalist party” and stated that “Barceló and Iglesias with Mr. Terry, by instructions of Governor Beverley, had managed to defeat a project that to that effect had been presented in the legislature”. When referring to the well-known incident of the Capitol, the assembly applauded Mrs. Amparo Díaz de Suárez. Mr. Albizu Campos said: “You have applauded the first martyr woman of this generation, when the inclite Suárez fell in defense of the flag that today profaning hands want to wrap themselves in it, I constituted myself trembling and worried in the home of this illustrious lady. I felt fear for the first time in my life when I found myself in front of the mother, fearful that she would reproach me about the death of her son. And this mother embraced me over the body of her son saying these words worthy of the Divine Master: “Don Pedro, may no revenge be raised on the corpse of my son”. Many lives depended on a word from my lips then. When certain men wanted to speculate with the death of that patriot, we kept silent and felt compassion”. Mr. Albizu Campos continued making history of “the sacrifices that nationalism had endured for its registration by petition”, and referred to the challenge by Mr. Barceló of said registration, as well as of the insignia of the party. He said that “his allegations lacked legal foundations”. That the liberal star, successor of the star of the Federal party, represents the annexationist idea. “Barceló,” he added, “is playing with fire.
We shall prepare ourselves for any emergency.” (Ovation). “We picked Her up when She was trampled by McClure in the plaza of San Juan. No one came to defend Her. We wish to know who it is who dares to trample Her now. We shall not permit anyone to trifle with the flag of the Homeland. A dangerous card is being played with our patience,” (Ovation). In the course of his peroration he extolled “the political and moral merits of don Julio Medina González and of don José Pascual Berrios.” He manifested that he made those declarations for the knowledge of the youth, saying “that the youth is worth nothing if it does not know how to value the