Puerto Rican Independence - then and now

by Jose Cruz

This article was reprinted from the September 23, 1995 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

Today, September 23, all the political parties and organizations in Puerto Rico that favor independence will trek to the mountain town of Lares to commemorate the 127th anniversary of the armed revolt known as El Grito de Lares which attempted to free Puerto Rico from Spanish colonialism. It is a good time to take a look at the situation in Puerto Rico today and how it got to be that way over the last 127 years.

The revolt was led by coffee plantation owners from the mountainous region of the country in 1868. Spanish colonialism put up many barriers -- social, political and economic -- that hampered Puerto Rican economic development by native landowners and merchants. Spain collected taxes and failed to provide, as stated in a separatist leaflet at the time, "roads, railways, telegraph systems and steamships."

Leaders of the revolutionary section of the Puerto Rican merchants and landowners looked to the defeat of Spanish colonialism as a way to modernize Puerto Rico. They saw it as a way to abolish slavery and the passbook law (those without property could be arrested if they had no stated employer in the passbook), and other shackles to a modern democratic republic.

The revolt had originally been planned for September 29 but a government spy gave the colonial authorities the plans for the insurrection as well as a list of separatist leaders. When the insurrectionists captured the garrison in Lares they set up a provisional government. Unfortunately, the revolt was put down and its leaders either killed or arrested.

While the revolt did not succeed in gaining Puerto Rican independence, it did succeed in winning some changes in Puerto Rico. Among these was the abolition of slavery in 1871. Spain finally conceded more rights and powers to Puerto Rico under the Autonomous Charter of 1897. Puerto Rican business got what it wanted -- a greater share in the exploitation of Puerto Rican workers and peasants and control of its foreign trade.

Puerto Rico didn't get to enjoy these concessions for long. The United States invaded the island nation the following year during the Spanish-American War. The U.S. entered Puerto Rico with the announced intention of "freeing" the island from Spanish colonialism. What they did not say was that the U.S. was intent upon replacing Spain as the imperial power.

After the U.S. invasion, when it became clear that the U.S. had no intention of leaving the country to rule itself, the struggle for independence continued. U.S. corporations started replacing Puerto Rican businesses.

Besides the independence movement led by business elements, there also has been since early 20th century a working class tradition in the independence movement. This culminated in the founding of the Puerto Rican Communist Party (PCP) on the anniversary of El Grito de Lares: September 23, 1934. The PCP was the first organization that fought both for socialism and independence. Puerto Rican Marxists have always held that gaining independence is an indispensable precondition to winning a socialist society.

The fight for Puerto Rico's independence continues to this day. As a U.S. colony, Puerto Rico has no sovereign control of its own economic or political life. Any of its laws can be overturned by the U.S. Congress. The U.S. military controls 72,634 acres of Puerto Rican land.

The living conditions of the people in Puerto Rico are horrendous. Nearly two-thirds of the 3.5 million population of Puerto Rico is living under the poverty level. In 1992, per capita income was $6,360 annually. About 70 percent of families in Puerto Rico receive food stamps. Even according to Puerto Rican government figures, the unemployment rate rarely falls below 15 percent.

Over 500 manufacturing plants operate under Section 936 of the Internal Revenue Code, allowing corporations to operate in Puerto Rico and bring the profits back to their U.S. parent companies tax-free. Many of these companies also have tax abatements from the Puerto Rican government. Overall, 60 percent of all businesses are U.S. owned.

The pro-big business annexationist governor of Puerto Rico, Dr. Pedro Rossell, and his New Progressive Party, are attempting to gut Puerto Rican labor laws. This has prompted the labor movement, at a meeting of 1,250 delegates representing 50 unions, to set a general strike in the coming weeks. The strike would be under the direction of the Committee of Union Organizations, an umbrella group of AFL- CIO and independent Puerto Rican unions.

This has prompted the major opposition party, the Popular Democrats, to pledge to repeal any changes to the labor laws if they win the next national elections.

Having a low-wage colony for U.S. corporations to run to also works against the interests of workers in the U.S. The first step to correcting the situation, so that the Puerto Rican nation can solve its own problems, is independence. This is a fight that every worker and other progressive people must support.

-- Jose Cruz is a member of the Puerto Rican Equality Commission of the Communist Party USA.