The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-12-07
Porto .Ricans Need to be Fed.

San Juan de Porto Rico, Nov. 27.-
Dr.. Amadeo, Porto Rican, who has
passed much Of his life in the United
States. recently made a study of the
foods OF the poorer classes of his
countrymen, and has embodied some
OF the results Of his labor in an open
letter to Major Gen. Brooke. His
statements have the ring of fact, and
they are interesting in that they give
an idea of what the island laborer is,
and of what can be fairly expected Of
him as a acitizen Of the United States.
In the course of his letter DR.. Amadeo
says:
Five years ago, upon my return
from the United States, / began to
make certain comparisons between the
Door of Porto Rico and the poorer
classes among the Americans. | noted
a physical inferiority among the Porto
Ricans. The blame for this should
be laid atSpain s doors, for she, by
reason of excessive duties on the ne
eessaries Of life. always prevented the
poor man here from obtaining proper
nourishment.
THE scieuce of nourishment shows
us chat man. in order to maintain
his health, should consume daily about
I24 grammes Of nitrogenized matter,
40 grammes of matter containing
starch, and 55 grammes containing
grease. Hence the indispensability OF
meat. But the laborer of Porto Rico
lives on carbonases OF hydrogen alone
Meat is luxury he very rarely tastes
This largely explains the condl-
tion of the Iaboripg classes IN Porto
Rico-the muscular system wasting
away from defective nourishment, and
the brain inactive and dull because de-
priyed Of phosphate. Moreover, ex
elusive nourishment of this Sind en-
geuders severe organic troubles in the
end. a dangerous and common disease
of the liver is the direct result among
our people of a diet Of tubers and ba-
nanas.
s.1Ne cannot expect from men on
such diet that degree of intelligence
and activity which would be found In
men properly nurtured. ain country
physician, and when my patients come
tosm for relief from their many in
Ermities am Obliged to say to them:
Es You do notsneed drugs and medicine,
but you do need meat and fish and
nourishing foods. These are very
iimportant facts to US, aud we sincerely
hope, as source of possible relief,
that Gen. Brooke will do all in his
power to secure the admission into
this island, free from all custom duties,
gof saited fish and meats from the
United States, and Of rice and -four.
he man who works for fifty cents
silver day we should try to give a
market IN which his fifty cents will
buy him proper nourishment. | be
Eeve the regeneration of this island
should begin by restoring the health
of It's people. Surely it would be a
pity if the inhabitants of a part OF the
rich American Union should be with
cut proper nourishment. Such a state
ef affairs was comprehensive under
the Spanish regime, butit would be
hard, indeed, to understand under the
{ eontro. Of "a Government whose first
principle is to care for its people, and
IN Porto Rico care for the people re-
solves itself now into their proper
aourishment.
Al majority of the Porto Ricaps
are of European extraction. They can
not support life in rooAess huts and in
the open woods, as can the black race
Of Africa. We should make 1t possi-
bic for them to obtain sheltef. and
homes at leastas good as those Of their
forefathers. This could be done by
permitting the entrance, free from all
restrictions and duties, Of the compo-
nent parts of simple houses, such as
boards, sjoists, iron roofing and nails:
/ consider these recommendations,
which I venture TO submit, to be OF
prime necessity for the good Of the
people. Humanity demands their
adoption. The poorer classes Of Porto
Rico cannot be expected to appreciate
their Obligations to the United States.
much less to fulfill iutelIgently the
duties of American citizeus, because
their enfeebled mental aud physical
condition, makes this impossible to
them. We shall proceed with the work
of social reconstruction of this island,
butin order,to have healthy minds to
work upon we must first secure healthy
bodies. But we canlot look for heal
thy bodies in a country where excess
i've tariffs continue to prevent the
poorer classes from eating meat and
bread, and to compel them to resort
for snstenance to roots and bananas
CORRESPONDENCE Of the Associated
Press.
The Rev. lrl r. Hicks