SENADO APRUEBA REFERENDUM

El Senado de Puerto Rico aprob el Sustitutivo al P. de la C. 1458 que dispone: la '\

celebracion de un referendum el primer domingo de nrnviembre

de 1973, en el c11al el pueblo de put:rto Rico exprese s u voluntad

en cuanto a si desea que se conceda el derecho a votar por los

cancidatos a la Presidencia y Vic epresidencia de los Estados

Unidos de .America '.

SERA EN 1973

tn el Articulo Pr imero se decreta lo siguiente:

~l primer domingo de novie~bre de 1973 se efect~ara un referendum en el cual el pueblo de Puerto Rico expresara su

voluntad en cua nto a si desea que se le conceda a los ciudedancs de Estados Unidos residentes en Puerto Rico el d '

erecno a votar por los

candidatos a la Presidencia y Vice Pres idemzia de los Estados Unidos.

SE COLOCA EL VOTO DENTRO DEL E.L.A.

El articulo numero dos indica que un 'loto a fa vor del "SI"

significara l a siguiente solicitud:

''El pl!cbJo de Puerro Pico solic i ret d21 Congreso de los E s tado s Un idos y de las i\ sambk :J s Lcgisi.'.lth_;i s de c2da uno de Jos Est.Jclos Micm bnJs c\c b U11in ,\y .. :.. :-i -cana que adopren una e nmienda a 1

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b- La concesjn de partic5p~ci6n en el Voto PrcsjcJencial no irnplicar la incorporacjn constitucional de Puerto Rico a los E!:.tldos Unidos ni, por consjgu icnte, la ;tpUcaciCm en Puerto Rjco, ni ahora ni rn[Js rn.rde, de las leyes contributivas f cderalcs.

e-. El voto a favor de la participacin ele Puerto Rico en el Voto Presidencial no se inteq1rcwr(i ni co1Ystitui r[t expresin alguna del pueblo de Puerto l\ico en apoyo de la admisin ele Puerto Rico a la cstadidad federada.

EN LA parte inferior de la columna que corres penda al n NO''

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separado de dicha columna por dos lineas horizontales gruesas

debera insertarse lo siguiente:

Un voto en la negativa sjgnificar que no se desea el voto presidcncil l como un modo de desarrolbr el Esrnclo Libre~ Asociado, pero dicho voto no se interprcwr

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este Senado. Lo hicimos con toda urgencia porque al apoyar . el refe- -

,_ .Tndurn que rfamos que se celebrara inmediatamente -- especficamente

, en diciembre 19 de 1971. . ..

: , ,_ : -_:_ .:. Con las tc t icas dilatorias usadas . h-asta ahora por _el gobierno

bl celebrar el referendum -en l 971~ . ...:- Ast lo inform6 -: ~ ya--no -.es -_pos1 e t :

_ ._ ._.. :: ::-.:a _e stas Conisione s el seor de Jes.s -- en re'presentaci6n. del ' grupo : ;_ . . -- -- -- ----

l... ~ ::. _-_:::,- deJ.cnicos que estuvo dispuesto a. .. trabajar. para que se celebrara .-. ._ ~- =- :::: : :. J :'e. 1 . : ::.~;.:::: ! -_-;;__:.-_ .f-.:~:.:.:.; .:;.~ : :..- .

. -,. ~ .. : en l 971 siempre que se actuara rpidamente. . - .......__.__:.

PORQUE NO DEBE SER EN 1972

No queremos que se mezcle el voto Presidencial con el proceso electoral

partidista del ao de las elecciones. Hacerlo sera adulterar el procedimiento y

confundir al pueblo .

LO QUE DIJO ROMERO

El 27 de septiembre el Hon. Alcalde de San Juan, Carlos Romero Barcel

en su -carcter de Primer Vicepresidente del Partido Nuevo Progresista por delega-

ci6n del Presidente, Hon. Luis A. Ferr y en representacin de dicha colectiv idad

poi tica compareci a las vistas pblicas del Senado para exponer la posicin

oficial de su partido. Al preguntrsele que si en el proceso de lograr la estadidad y

el de lograr e! voto Presidencial, si se cumplieran los deseos del Partido Nuevo

Progresista de lograr la victoria en el 1972, y se lleva la Estadidad a referendum y

nuevamente se cumplen sus deseos de que triunfe la Estadidad, si no habra una

inconsistencia entre seguir aspirando al logro del voto Presidenc ial separadamente

con la aspiracin a la Estadidad en esos momentos? La respuesta del seor

Romero Barcel fu la siguiente:

. ., R. "Oh, definitivamente, entonces t.e~dramos que ponernos luchar ... la Estadidad nada ms, hacer nfasis a porque seria y

en eso, oh, definitivamen te"

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Cuando mas adelante se le pregunt si partiendo de la base de

que triunfara el Partido Nuevo Progresfs-ta y la Estadidad en un refe-

rendum, si al comenzar a gestiona r la Es tadidad desistiran de la5 '.-

gestiones por el voto Presidencial si no .se ha logrado tod_ava, y que

todo ello podra ocurrir en e 1 ao de 1 973 o en el ao de 1974, e 1

Hon. Alcalde c ontest de la manera siguiente: --- -----

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R. "Efectivamente. Adems qu~ - entiendo que el Congreso tan

pronto le fuera, supiera, empezar fa a pedir la Estadidad y- si -

supiera que estn hacindose gestiones para el voto Presidencial

- en otros Estados, dira: Pero ven ac, esto lo mayor incluye

lo menor. Vamos a luchar con eso". ... -

EL CABLE DE CANCEL

,-En vista de estas declaraciones del Hon. Carlos Romero

Barcel, quien compareci ante nosotros por delegacin del Hon.

Luis A. Ferr y en representaci6n del Partido Nuevo Progresista,

eL.P.r.e.sidente de esta Comisin, dirigi6 un cable al Hon -Senador

Birch Byah y al Hon. Representante - Emanuel Celler, Presidentes

respectivamente de los Comits del Senado y de la Cmara del

-:_-Congreso .de los Estados Unidos que . habran de considerar. la propues-1

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ta de enmienda a la Constituci6n para conceder el voto Presidencial

_ a Puerto Rico. El texto de este cable es el siguiente:

"The Honorable Birch Byah Chairman, Constitutional

Amendments Subcommittee -,.,._,, .,,,, ,., . . -. - .-,. Judiciary Committee

,..

. ~. '- . Senate of the U. S. Washington, D. C.

The Honorable Emanuel Celler Chairman Judiciary Committee House of Representatives Washington, D. C.

--- '"' _,.: .. ,, . An ad hoc advisory group appointed by the President of the ....

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'; , ,"';', .. --.. -:-,f United: States and the Governor -of the Commonwealth of Pue-rto Rico ~ ~: - . - ---: -

-.. - - . ~ recommended that as a development in our Commonwealth status

.. . . .. . ... .. - . ~ citiz..ens .oL the United Sta tes residing .in Puerto Rico be granted the -- ... :-:':-:.t . ---

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- ::.-=;right to vote for P resident and V-ice Pre$i'dent of the. United . States. - . --- --

- - ~- --o-~ ::..: -- :-.:-~--.::_-__ _ .The 0ommittee al.so recommended that a ....referendum be held -; ; .. ..

_,_ --:....~ :--- to determine -whether a majority of the electorate in Puerto Rico

. ... _,._,_..:-, .wants to .:.vote within .Coinmonwealth status for candidates for President -

and Vice President.

The Committee recommended further that if a majority o

the electorate gives a mandate in favor of the right to vote or

President and Vice President, the Governor and the Legislative _ 1

\ -- -Assembly of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico pctition the- President 1 ---~ -----

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and the Congress of the United States to take whatever action rnay be

considered approp~iate for the excercise of that- right. -- - ----- -

l ' am sending this cable to you as Chairman of the Governrnent

Committee of the Senate of Puerto Rico which is presently studying .

-- a b111 submitted by the Administration providing for a referendum to

be held on the matter o whether the people o Puerto Rico want to '

vote within Commonwealth status for candidates for President and _

Vice President o the United States. The bill provides that the

re!erendum should be held on the 20th of February, .1972.

- _: As you know there has been a running controversy in Puerto

Rico !or many years as to whether Puerto Rico should continue to

be a Commonwealth to the United States or whether is should become

~ a State of the Union or an Independent Republic.

- -- A referendum on whether we _ ought to vote for . the. President .

--~ -and - Vice-President of the United Sta tes is only necessary . if. we: are .to /

-- remain a Commonwealth, since __ under .Statehood such a vote would_be ___ _

_ ::.automatic, and it would be incompatible \\-"'ith sta tus if \ve __ were ,;an ~ : -

Indepcndent Republic. .,, ... . - - . -1'-- -- - - -

. _ ...;_--~- ____ _The~-Party favoring statehood for Puerto Rico won the Governor-

ship and a majority in the House of Representatives in our 1968

. elections. . This Committee has heard testimony . from an .authorized

repre-sentative of that Party to the efect . that if - the Party should win

the Governorship the House and the Senate in the November 1972

elections, a plebiscite will be held to determine if the people of

Puerto Rico wish . to become a Sta te of tne Union and in the event

-. ~ . that a majority of the people should favor this proposal, then the 11

Government of Puerto Rico would . then petition the Congress on behalf

o! the people for statehood for Puerto Rico. They have testified that

this could occur in 1973 o r 1974.

- Inasm1ch as statehood entails voting for the President and

Vice President of the Unite d States this Committee is considering

the question of what would be the most appropriate date for a refer-

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---.....endum on the matter of vllting for the . President and the Vice P resident

within Commonwealth status.

As (Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House of

Representatives of the United States), (Chairman of the Constitutional

-:-Amendments Subcommittee of the : Senate of the United States), . if the

~. referendum were held in Febrary 20th, .lA72 and the results were .

. . . ~ :...~ . --- ..:: .;fayo)."_able - a bill calling for --Constitutional amendment to grant the.. : .. : - -- ---. . ~

J.. P.r..esidential. vote to Puerto Rico; _would be referred to ;our attention 1 . 1

~ L -during . the .month of Mar ch oL -.1972. - According to the work that you -

ha ve laid out for your Committee for 1972 and the effects which

- the Novembcr 1972 elections may have on the question statehood

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in Puerto Rico, wc would like to have your advise if you consider

this matter of such urgency that it would be preferable to hold this

referendum m Puerto Rico in February of 1972, or whether it would

~'-. be better to hold the same after the November 1972 elections in " ): . ... . t

Puerto Rico.

We would appreciate an early reply to this cable since we are

in a special legislative session which ends on October Sth, 1971.

(Signed) Juan J. Canee l Ros, Chairman

-Government Committee of the Senate Commonwealth of Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico"

CONGRESISTAS DICEN NO DEBE SER EN 1972 ..----

' '~~ La respuesta telegrfica del Hon. Birch Byah fue la siguiente:

"Juan ~J. Cancel Ros, Chairman -

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Government Committee of the Sena te

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico .. - l - -. .

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San Juan, Puerto Rico

1 share your conce r n for thc e.ectopl process affecting all

.: -~:- ~ american citize.ns and I ha ve publicly

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and . the .Virgin Is lands. However I do not believe that a referendum

{ In Puerto Rico would provide an appropriate step in this direction

-- until .afte.r the november 1972 . elections in Puerto Rico ha ve. be en .~ . l.

completed.

As I understand the facts presented in your cable the results

of the n'ovember elections may affect the entire guestion o Puerto

Rico's status because o the statehood partys commitment to a

plebiscite on the issue o statehood if they should win the governor-

-- . ship and contro1s the legislature . Since . statehood by definition

entails voting for the President and Vice President it is extremly

- doubtedly that the Congress would seriously consider before the

November 1972 election advancing a Constitutional amendment

exclusively to grant Puerto Rican citizens the right to vote for

the .President within Commonw=alth status while. the reasonable

'' probably exis ts that we might: soon be - petitioned for all the rights

of statehood for Puerto Rico. For these reasons I believe that

the Congress would ha ve a much better idea .of the clesires o

- the .>eople o Puerto Rico i: .the . referendum on the question of

voting for the - President and ~ Vice Pr.esident o the United within

'"'-'Commonwealth status were h-eld-in- Puerto.-Rico after . the November /

.. . - . .. ... -... __ ..:.1972 . e.lections Brch Byah; : Chairman .Subcommittee .n Constitutiorial

-Amendments United States Senate Washington DC". .. --- .. . - . - -----

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~ -- ---La re-spuesta telegrfica del Hon. Emanuel Celler fue la

siguiente:

"Honorable Juan J Cancel Ros, Chairman

Government Committee o the Senate

, - -Commonwealth o Puerto Rir:o

San Juan

Dear Senator Ros:

This replies to your cable dated september 30 reguesting . my

comments on the practicability o scheduling a referendum in

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!ebruary 1972 on whether to extend the. Presidential vote to the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico .

The Congres sional calendar for 1972 will include recesses for

: --:tfre : conventiops of the two national. po litical parties plus ,Jhe

possibility of a further recess . or adjournment befo re the november

elections. Accordingly, I be lieve there will not be adequate

time before the november 1972 elections for both houses of

-~~-- -- -,,. Congress to process and pass a proposed Cors titutional admendment

to extend the Presidential vote . to the Commonwealth. If such a

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