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Documento historica del 1971 donde el entonces Presidente del Senado Rafael Hernandez Colon y el entonces Alcalde de San Juan Carlos Romero Barcelo, se unen por el Voto Presidencial.
Citation preview
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''
\ l
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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
. ... ..... .
-------- -~--- ----
. -3-
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"
'>
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: --- -----
1 1: l ; . , ,
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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
-
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 ....
,
'; , ,"';', .. --.. -:-,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 . ---
, . '
- ::.-=;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
l . i i :
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 -
. /
Government Committee of the Sena te
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico .. - l - -. .
. : .
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". .. --- .. . - . - -----
.: ~.::. .!--~: ~ .:_:. :: :'
~ -- ---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
~ =