The Topeka state journal., 1898-12-10
ORDER OUT OF CHAOS.
Has Been Established in Porto Rico
by General Brooke.


Washington, Dec. 10-Assistant Sec
retary Vanderlip who is expected to
arrive in the United States from Porto
Rico next Monday, has made a prelin-
mary and informal report to Secretary
Gage of his observations in that island.
Under date of the 9th ultimo. he re-
ports that the military authorities are
getting along fairly we'll with customs
collections. Everything received has
been deposited with Deford & Co., fin
ancial agents of the government and
the amount now on deposit aggregates
more than $1OO,0 Spanish customs Of
hcials have been put to work at the
various ports, and this system works
satisfactorily; the men, he writes are
honest, and it is thought by prominent
military officials that the government is
getting everything it should.
Military officers at San Juan contend
that the reports that have reached the
United States concerning the outbreaks
and disturbances of the peace on the is
land are without substantial fOunda-
ton.
During the evacuation there were
more or less disturbances of a rather
personal and private character, but the
situation now, Mr.. Vanderlip writes, is
as peaceab Die as 1t IS in the United
States. Within a few days special re-
ports have been received from the may
orS of each municipality and they are
all unite IN Lne statement CnaI the con-
ditiOnS are entirely peaceable and the
people law abiding There have been
some troubles on the west end of the
island by political agitatOrs, mainly
among emigrants from Hayti, who are
said to have a special faculty for To-
menting diScOrd, but at the present time
there is nothing serious even in that
district. The military authorities have
been especially active in capturing
some organized bands of bandits. and it
is regarded as an especially good omen
that the natives are rendering their aid
in ferretlnS out these people. A num-
Der of bandits are confined in prison.
and will receive civil trial. Possibly
some of these cases may result in the
execution of the offenders, and, in fact,
our military authorities are inclined to
believe that if this sort of punishment
is ordered at the opening. trials little
more Of this kind of disturbance will
occur in the island.
The American troops on the whole
have been well behaved and have, ac-
cording to the testimony of command
ing officers, given practically no trouble
at all 1t has been a tremendous task,
getting the civil administration of af-
fairs into operation again. Practically
all civil administration was at a stand
still after the fall OF the island. An
endeavOr has been made to put the
Spanish officials, so far as could be
done, back into their places and have
the civil administration of affairs go on
as nearly as possible in the usual rOu-
tine. At Ponce, where there are, says
MI Nanderlip, some specially sharp
politicians, they revived an obsolete au-
tonOmist scheme of municipal govern
ment and We're all ready to put it into
force. Gen. Brooke, however, found it
of a most rigorous and paternal charac-
ter and declined to permit it's adoption,
whereupon II of the 80 mem bers of the
council resigned. The commanding gen
eral has just completed the selection Of
their successors, and municipal affairs
there will soon be adjusted.
The American commanding officers
have been Withdrawing guards from
the sugar plantations, and they think
this is going to have good effect. The
condition of affairs, it is stated, is
worse than slavery at some of these
plantations. The work was done by
''peOns,'' who receive 55 pesetas a day
on an average and were then subjected
to the very worst type Of company
store"
These stores give short weights in
everything sold. Among several hun
dred alleged pound packages of rice
weighed by American officials there
was not one which weighed over three
fOurths of pound. Our officers made
the owners of the plantation show some
sort of fair treatment of the poems"
refused the request for guards and have
heard nothing further about riots. It
is thought that the withdrawal of the
guards from the plantations will work
q great Improvement and that has now
been accomplished practically through
ont the island