Partido Republicano also ended up with a minority in Puerto Rico House of Representatives, though proportionally much stronger than its representation in the Senate. However, and seemingly encouraged in their annexation goals by the granting of US citizenship to Puerto Ricans, while a minority on both chambers, the members of Partido Republicano operated in a very combative fashion with their majority colleagues, the Unionists, whose main tenet was independence for Puerto Rico. Meanwhile there was also conflict inside the Union Party because some of its members (its most conservative) supported complete independence from the United States, while others (its more liberals) supported mere autonomy.[8] In 1924 statehood supporters in Partido Union de Puerto Rico joined the liberal faction in Partido Republicano to form a new party, La Alianza for the 1928 elections. The liberal faction in Partido Republicano had other priorities above becoming a state of the Union.
Foundation
The agreements that formed La Alianza left Partido Republicano with much lower prospects to win in the elections of 1924. As such the remaining members of the Partido Republicano (its most conservative wing) re-branded themselves as Partido Republicano Puro on 4 May 1924.[9] It subsequently joined Partido Socialista to form an electoral bloc called "Coalición".
Alliances
After the 1928 elections which despite the efforts of the Republicanos Puros and the Socialistas were still won by La Alianza, in 1932 Partido Republicano Puro joined the conservative wing of La Alianza to create a new party Union Republicana, bringing an end to Partido Republicano Puro that same year.
^The party was also known as "Partido Constitucional Histórico" (Historic Constitutional Party), see Historia de Puerto Rico: Unidad #6 (partidos políticos).
Further reading
José Trías Monge, Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World (Yale University Press, 1997) ISBN0-300-07618-5
