Evening journal., 1898-08-26


hut constructed OF palm branches,
thatched with palm leaves, his only
clothing a cotton duck suit from the
New England looms, and surrounded
by numerous family, usually In a
state of nature, he passes his day
working in his patch OF corn or sugar
cane, and his evenings dancing the
native danzas to the sound OF the
guiro and tipie. He can neither read
nor write, and has not the facilities
afforded him for learning to do go. and
knows our country only by the dried
fish and rice 1t sends him for his con-
sumption. His bette noir is the Span
ish civil guard, who patrol the country
in mounted pairs, and whose boast is
that they never bring in a prisoner
alive. He pays direct tax to the gov
ernment in the form OF impuesto terri
torial, or assessment on the value OF
his farm, and the cedula, or internal
passport and it has been stated that
these taxes amount to about 60 per
cent. Of his net income. But ne is
ready for emancipation, and when
educated. will prove a valuable and
law-abiding citizen.
The internal administration OF the
island disposes CT budget OF about
$8,9O0,00O, and is woeful example of
corrupt onlcialism. OF this sum only
about s650,O00 is expended in the is
land, the remainder being applied to
payment of interest on public debt
salaries Of Spanish officials, army
navy and and other extra-insular eN-
penditure. But the whole of the reve-
nue. IS collected in the island This
u.s. indeed, absentee landlordism with a
vengeance. AS an example Of an OPP
presslve system OF taxation, nothing
can beat the levy made on the transfer
Of real estate, which IS per cent. or
the assessed value OF the property and
an equal amount on mortgages, to af-
ford the privilege Of inscription and
record on the civil register. The press
is nominally free, but articles attack
ing any branch of the public service
are not tolerated. ais being subverslve
of order and good citizenship CUES
tions OF general policy are discussed,
but within certain limitations well un-
derstood by the editors, who have 70
assume responsibility for all unsigned
communications, and frequently pay
the penalty for publishing news dis
tasteful to the government by impris.
onment and suspension Of their peri
odicals. Such censorship, however
has never been quietly submitted to
and it speaks we'll for the press OF th'
island that hardly a day passes bu
what some editor is fined or imprls
oned. The courts of justice, preside'
over by Spanish judges, are so only Il
name. and for two reasons. The frs
is that the judiciary is not indpendea
of the administration, and judges ca
be removed or transferred at the wi
of the executive. The second reaso
owes dts being to the fiction that tn
island is a province of Spain, and
therefore, the court OF last appeal i
situated in the peninsula. where vena
Spanish judges and prejudiced Span
ish juries are hardly likely to do jus
tice to the hated and downtrodden co
lonials.
with the removal OF the cancerou
growth Of absolute tyranny, and tn
implantation Of republican institutions
bright future awaits the unfortunat
isle. Whatever form Of government
be accorded. territorial, autonomous Q
colonial, the inalienable right Of man
kind to free speech. free press, and FIRE
, education cannot but, being practlce'
bear fruit. and add one more stone
the temple OF liberty which this natio
is building with materials gathere
from the four corners of the globe
Alfred Solomon. of the Porto Rica
Assembly, in the independent