The herald., 1898-12-25
OUTLINED BY THE MILITARY
GOVERNOR
CIVIL AUTHORITY SUPREME
First Great Privileges of Free Men Are
to Clean Streets and Improve
the Roads
Associated Press Special Wire

SAN JUAN, Porto Rico, Dec. 24-(Cor-
respondence of the Associated Press.) Gen
eral Guy V. Henry, Military Governor, has
addressed two letters to the President of
the Insular Cabinet and its members, an
nouncing his future policy.
He declares that as far as possible he
wishes to give independence of action to the
Mayors and Councils in the various towns,
and to hold them responsible for the condl-
tions that follow. He lays special stress
upon the necessity OF cleaning the towns and
providing for them an adequate policy.
1t is his intention, he says, to appoint to
the Council only men who are selected by
the people or recommended by the Council
itself. In regard to the methods OF elec-
tons, he is as yet in doubt, but intimates
that the suffrage will not be restricted to
those who can read and write, as only IA
per cent of the people would be able to vote
under this rule.
A man in office, General Henry an
nounces, will not be removed except for
cause Should such removal become neces-
eary he expects the Council to effect it, and
will act himself only upon the failure of the
Council to do SO.
Gen. Henry asks the Mayors how many
instructors they can pay who can teach the
English language. He thinks that those
unable to teach in any other tongue than
English can do their work by object les
sons. American women for teaching. he
says, can be obtained at $50 a month in
gold and are we'll worth it.
The General declares it his purpose to
introduce a few American policemen to
teach native policemen their duty and to
encourage them to exercise some authority
(Which at present they do not seem desirous
of doing"
Gen. Henry announces that men should
not be put in jails unless charges are brought
against them.
"The injustice of holding men in Jail
without charges" he says, ''or putting them
in Jail and holding them there without trial,
which seems to be the custom in this coun-
try, cannot be too strongly impressed upon
the people and will not be allowed"
Regarding military rule, General Henry
says:
st is the intention that soldiers, so far as
possible, shall preserve law and order, but
only until the United States soldiers are
not needed, SO the idea now is to educate
the people to take care of themselves. This,
OF course, will take time, but every official
resorting to violence in order to protect
himself in the preference of his duty will
be upheld by me.
Soldiers who do not respect the civil au-
thority will be severely dealt with"
In his second letter, General Henry asks
that the mayors and councils of the various
towns send delegates each to San Juan to
meet him on December 49, His purpose, he
declares, is ''to give the people every lati-
tude consistent with discipline and good
order. | wish to know what their views are
and to grant their desires as far as possible.
while in Ponce, Gen. Henry attended
a meeting OF school children who were ad-
dressed on the subject of Christmas in the
United States and Christmas present. The
children. were asked what they would like
for their Christmas presents. They ans
wered they would prefer teachers to any
thing else. This occurrence has been re-
ported to Mr.. Mckinley. There is yet uo
evidence of opposition to this general idea,
but one already begins to hear Porto Rican
opinions against the desirabihty Of substi-
tuting English for Spanish in the schools.
General Henry reduces the budget for
next year from 100000 pesos, as under the
Spanish regime, to 100000 pesos. He asks
for authority to apply the custom house
revenue to the improvement OF roads and
the cleaning of cities.