The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-01
POSSESSION OF PORTO RICO

New York Times: There can be no
question to perplex any reasonable
mind about the wisdom of taking pos
session of the island of Puerto Rico and
keeping it for all time. There has been
| the same depressing misrule there as in
Cuba, and the only reason why there
has not been the same revolt against
| it is that the case was hopeless. The
comparative weakness of the popula-
| ton have enabled Spain to crush out
| any attempt with mercilesS prompti-
| tude. At the same time she has taxed
| the little colony to help put down in
! surrection in Cuba, as well as to enrich
| the Spanish officials. There can be no
doubt that the people of the island,
very few of whom are Spanish by birth,
would rejoice to be relieved by the OPP
pressive and exhausting rule Of Spain,
| although they have been powerleSS to
resist it. and have hardly dared to
| give vent TO a desire TO be rid of it.
There is the same reason for driving
| the corrupt despotism of Spain out of
| Puerto Rico as for driving y out of
| Cuba. save for the melancholy differ
ence between a hopeless submission to
wrong and a hopeless struggle against
| it. The former condition is, indeed, the
worse. for the crueltieS practiced in
| trying to suppress chronic revolt excite
sympathy and provoke interference
PfTCrn which rescue may come, while the
deadening misery of hopeless submits
sion may be allowed TO go on forever.
1t is fortunate for Puerto Rico that
Spanish outrageS in Cuba have brought
about an intervention which will res
cue both , ands at once. we are under
a pledge to leave the fate of Cuba in the
keeping of her own peoplewhen the
Spanish sovereignty over them shall
have been destroyed. They have created
d claim to this by their own long and
costly struggles for independence, and
by their own part in achieving it. and
they have only to justify the claim by
proving themselves capable of self
government and worthy of their herit-
age in order to become a free and pros
porous nation. If they find themselves
unable to do this. they may yet call
upon the United States to take charge
of their future destiny, and that may,
in the long run, be better for them.
But we shall free Puerto Rico from
Spanish rule practically without any
effort on the part of it's own people,
and at our own proper cost as an incl
dent of the contest to eXDel it from
Cuba. This result is necessary to make
that expulsion complete and lasting,
for to be rid of the Spanish disturb
ance to civilization in the western
last foothold en- American soil. We are
not pledged to give Puerto Rico indie
pendence, and she will have done moth
ing to entitle her to it at our hands
Besides, it would be much better for
her to come at once under the benef-
cent sway of the United States than to
ngage in doubtful experiments at self
government, and there is reason to be-
lieve that her people would prefer it.
1t would be in accordance with the ge-
MUS of our institutions to accord them
self-government in local affairs as
soon and as far as they showed them
selves capable of it, and experience
would soon teach them how much they
had gained by their providential es-
cape from the cruel stepmOther coun-
try.
The circumstances of the, conflict for
the enfranchisement of Cuba and Puer
to Rico fully entitle US to retain the
latter as a permanent possession. Our
need of a foothold in the West Indies
for naval purposes has long been recog- |
nized, and it is now more obvious than
ever before. We have made efforts to
secure it on the island of San Domin-
go which were rendered futile by cir
cumstances that we need not now re-
call Once we secured it. so far as ne
gotiation and agreement went, in the
Danish island of st. Thomas, and lost
it again by the fatuous conduct of con-
gress in refusing to ratify the bargain, !
to the just resentment of Denmark and |
the humiliation off our government in |
the eyes of it's own people and of the |
world Now we have it within our
grasp in a far better form, with con-
gress and the people in a mood for TAX |
ing and keeping it, and with every just