The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-07
SPANS NEW DANGER.
PORTO RIco's EVOLUTIONARY
PARTY READY TO STRIKE
Plenty of Money for War With
Spain,s Forces Tied up in Cuba
and the Philippines, the Struggle
Is Expected TO Be Short-An Enor-
mousIy Rich Island.
Isnecial corresnondence.l


New York, Dec 2.-At any time now
the long threatened rebellion in Porto
Rico against the domination of Spain
is likely TO break out. The agents OF
the many secret societies existing in
this West Indian island have been
working, planning, plotting and wait
ing in this city for nearly a year, and
they say that the time is almost ripe to
strike the blow for independence. Spain
has known of this condition of affairs
from the beginning and has done every
thing within the limited force of her
crippled resources to meet the shock
when it comes. But these preparations
are insignificant and the lapse Of time
does not add to their efficiency.
! Delay is the policy of the men who
are engineering the Porto Rico rebel
lion. They know that every day weak
ems the aggressive power of Spain;
| that the war in Cuba and the insur-
rection in the Philippine Islands have
demoralized her finances; that the
fighting material of the mother country
has been drawn upon almost to the last
man, and that the navy is fully en-
| ployed in the wars on opposite sides
of the world.
| Long ago the Cuban leaders urged
the Porto Ricans to begin the strife
and incessant pressure has been ex-
erted upon them for more than a year,
but the Porto Ricans want to make
quick work of the struggle. They pre-
fer to wait until Cuba has completed
the decentralization of the Spanish
forces and then, they argue, the task
will be an easy one. The Cuban lead
ers claim they would have driven the
Spanish out of the island long ago had
Porto Rico began the contest at an
early date for the two rebellions would
have divided the fighting strength of
the enemy.
THE TIME NEAR AT HAND.
The repeated failures of the Spanish
leaders to accomplish anything in the
Philippine Islands or Cuba, and par
ticularly the showing made by General
Weyler in the Pinar del Rio campaign,
have had the effect of Fastening the
work of the Porto Rican struggle. The
leaders of the latter do not intend to
walt until the insurrection is ended III
either Cuba or the Philippines, their
policy being to strike when Spain is
at her greatest disadvantage This
time has now come, it is thought, so the
long threatened struggle may begin
before the end of the year.
Should Spain lose Cuba and Porto
RIGA it will be the absolute end OF her
once great dominion in the western
hemisphere. One by one she has lost
all of the countries which now make
up the South American republics, Cuba
and Porta RIGA being the only ones
left. Cuba has almost finished the task
of breaking the Spanish yoke and Por-
to RIGA counts upon a short struggle.
For it's size Porto Rica is one of the
richest islands of the world, and its
loss to Spain would be a serious mat
ter: It is the smallest and most easter
" of the Greater Antilles, being separ-
ated from Cuba by the Island of Hayt1,
whose people have for long enjoyed
the liberties of a republic.
A FERTILE COUNTRY.
It is rectangular in outline and n
somewhat under 100 miles long by 10
miles wide A low range Of mountains,
the Sierra Cayey, traverses the island
from east to west, eliminating IN
Mount Yunoue at an altitude of 1878
feet above the sea. Between the nu-
merous branches of the range lie fertile
and well watered valleys, While near
the coast are broad plains of equal fer
tility.
Almost the whole area is now under
cultivation. although q few mountains
are still covered with timber The pas
tllre lands of the northern and eastern
part are unequalled in the West Indies
Tropical fruits grow in perfection, out
the poverty of flora and fauna IS re-
markable No mines of importance
are worked Agriculture is largely IN
the hands Of the natives. Sugar, cor
fee tobacco and cabinet woods are the
chief exports; on smaller scale are
included molaSses, cattle and NOES
Maize is grown for home consumption,
while manufactures of cloth or iron are
imported
Is Tricky POPULATED.
The exports in 1887 were valued at
S1O.1S1. 291 of which this. country TOOK
the lions share; the imports, amount
ing to S1O,19S, COS, were divided chlehy
among Great Britain, Spain, the OhlISu
States, France and Germany. me
number of inhabitants on Dec 81, 1881,
was S13937. or about 216 to the square
mile. the island is, therefore, one OF
the most thickly populated regions oI
the western hemisphere. owing 10 Inc
salubrity of the climate, fully one-HdIA
of the population are Spanlaros VI Iol
eigners, leaving a smaller proportion VI
negroes and mulattoes than Obtains III
most of the neighboring islands.
The island was discovered by Column
hus in 1493 and has been held by Spain
since the campaign of Ponce de Leon
in t5O9-1S, in which the former natives
were practically extermlnated. Inc
present system of provincial govern
mont began in 1860 The language OF
the island is Spanish and the religion
Roman Catholic. Education is not
highly advanced at present The chle1
towns are San Juan, the capital, With
% 412 inhabitants: Ponce. 37,545; San
German. 30,146. The coast is we'll sup
nlied with bays and inlets, and thd
north shore is lined with navigable
lagoons.
The towns are connected by 4I0 miles
of telegraph, and of the projected rail-
way system to girdle the island a small
section is already completed. PUBLIC
improvements during the res were en-
tirelv arrested by the diversion of the
s,lrrlls revenue of the island for the
continuation of the first Cuban war.
Shipping has steadily increased. In
1899 the seaports cleared 1,0S5 vessels
of /. Ole, $50 tons. Spain has been unable
wholly to exclude other nations from
the islands commerce, and although
outra eeous duties have been imposed,
the bulk of the foreign trade is with
England, the commerce being carried
on in Spanish ships. Spain ranks secA /
ond as a customer and the United !
States third While the last census OF |
the island, taken nine years ago. !
showed a population of more than 800. |
600, it is believed that the number i9 /
now close to 100000.
Many people have wondered why they
are able TO keep on smoking good |
Havana cigars at the same price as be-
fore the war in Cuba. The reason Isl
tIa boct -obo ooo &c va lead in DO~fo