Puerto Rico History - 1886 The Ponce Program
With the completion of the preparatory papers in mid-November of 1886, the liberals from Ponce sent the program for the reorganization of the party to press. Article 7 of the plan contained the structure of government for Puerto Rico, one which specified municipal autonomy, incorporating the greatest degree of political and administrative power possible within the framework of national unity exactly the formula proposed by Baldorioty de Castro.
Meanwhile a number of speeches favoring autonomy were delivered in the Cortes by Cuban deputies, and served as a stimulus to the evolution of the autonomist position. Among the speakers were don Rafael Montoro, don Miguel Figueroa, don Alberto Ortiz, and don Rafael Fernandez de Castro, as well as the Marquis of Valdeterrazo who advocated administrative decentralization, and don Gerinan Gamazo Calvo who defended de- centralization and self-government. Don Segismundo Moret Prendergast, also went on record in favor of special legislation for the overseas territories, with emphasis on decentralization.
Additional stimuli to the Ponce liberals were the activities of such groups as the National Democratic Society, founded in Madrid by Rafael Maria de Labra and Julio Vizcarrondo Coronado, whose objective was the reform of the colonial regime toward the goal of autonomy, as well as the increasingly well-known work of the Cuban Autonomist Party, and that of the groups which favored autonomy for the Basque Provinces; the success of the autonomous system in Canada ; and the home rule measures for Ireland presented by Charles Stuart Parnell and Prime Minister Gladstone. Equally promising were the possibilities suggested by a coalition of liberal forces which took place in Spain on May 23, 1880, under the leadership of don Praxedes Mateo Sagasta and the banner of the Liberal Fusionist Party.
In late January 1887, in accordance with the Ponce program, Baldorioty cabled the Cuban deputies asking if they might be able to stop in Ponce en route to Madrid from Havana, to attend an assembly of the Liberal Party and to collaborate in the task of reorganization. The Cubans declined, however, stating among other reasons that although many Puerto Ricans supported the program of Cuban autonomy, many others had accepted the Plan of Ponce, "... which differs very much from our own."
On February 19, Baldorioty gave notice of the coming assembly to be held March 7-9. From this meeting emerged the Autonomous Puerto Rican Party with a program inspired by Rafael Maria deLabra and the San Juan delegation, in which it was determined that the formula of political identity and administrative autonomy was to be the aim of the party.
Aware of the importance of cooperative action, Baldorioty accepted the compromise, thus assuring the existence and unity of the new party. In the ensuing period, those Puerto Rican and Cuban deputies favoring autonomy undertook the presentation in the Cortes of a number of proposals containing the basic points of their common program. In the political order, the demands for reform included the extension to the island of the rights enjoyed by the citizens of the peninsula either an expansion of the electoral laws which governed the islands or application of those viable in Spain, as well as the separation of civil and military authorities on the island, according to the Spanish pattern.
In addition, a number of liberals continued their support of Baldorioty's concept of political autonomy, asking that it be incorporated by the party into its program. Numerous petitions were formulated by the autonomist deputies for the reform of the economic order. They advocated the establishment of a new financial arrangement between the metropolis and the colony since the basis of the existing relationship was contrary to sound principles regarding political rights, colonialism and taxation. On the one hand, the relationship was a contradiction of the principle of State unity ; on the other, in purely local matters, the islands were deprived of the necessary autonomy to develop their wealth and way of life. Finally the ratio between tax revenues and public obligations exceeded all rational and just proportion.
Another area of proposed reform was that of the tariff system of the islands, including free trade; reduction of taxes on imports; elimination or reduction of the taxes paid on insular sugar, honey, rum, tobacco, and coffee in Spanish markets; reduction in those budget items prepared by the National Cortes for the islands; and temporary authorization to introduce resources for industrial development into the island.
The question of improvements within the administrative order dealt principally with the establishment of an island government of an autonomous nature; such an arrangement would give the Puerto Ricans, represented in the provincial assembly, control over local and internal affairs, as well as the authority necessary to handle public works, public education, health, welfare, agriculture, seaports, water resources, local budgets, taxes, tariffs, and commercial treaties, with the latter subordinated to the national government.
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