The herald., 1898-10-02


belt the island. This time he has q rival
In the trolley man, who claims superior
advantages for his style Of loconnotion.
There can be no doubt but what this will
be rich neld for the trolley corporations.
At present the crops are transported by
slow teams or else by small craft from the
little ports to the large ones. 1t II the land
Of small plantations. and as yet there 10
none Of that cooperative or associative
action which we find among our own ogri-
culturdsts. At present concessions are cas-
lily secured, but already Puerto Ricans
have awakened to the fact that they are
valuable, and every now and then one
hears the question, How much do get
out Of it," or, what will you give me
for my trouble?'
In Porto Rico, as In Mexico the native
mind seems unable to comprehend COM
mercial principles on a large SCALE They
make good shopkeepers, good farmers and
good laborers, but when it comes to extern
sive operations the business Is transacted
by Americans. Englishmen. Germans.
Spaniards, French and Danes. 1t seems
strange that the Spaniards, who are such
corrupt, incompetent and dishonest OFF,
Gals should make successful, upright and
fact The commensurate is the soul of
honor, a model OF courtesy and at the same
time q model of business principles. He
never INDUCES in sharp practice, and In all
Of his transactions his word is as good as
his bond. Major General Miles has been
very wise in taking special precautions to
protect this large and important class of
the Porto Rican community. Under the
a., ~ v,,l1l t~a thn hos ri l.
zens in the new commonwealth.
1t was through this place that the first
American expedition passed which landed
under General Miles at Guanica, and the
people are still talking of the many sur
prises which the Americans brought with
them What impressed them most was the
size of the soldiers. Porto Ricans are as
a rule small people, while the troops con-
tanned probably more than the usual per-
centage of six-footers. The Illinois and
Massachusetts, men were particularly big
and fine specimens of American manhood.
and as If to make the contrast the more
marked the horses and mules which ac-
companied them were actually two and
three times as big as the native animals
The Porto Rican. horses Is really a pony.
He Is half-fed and neglected and presents
q sorry appearance alongside of the heavy.
well-groomed and magnificent animals of
the invading army. A Yauco sonora said
to me: Everything in your country seems
gigantic. When we saw the men we knew
that the Spaniards had no chance. and
when we saw the horses we were afraid
they would run against our horses and
knock them over"
Another source of endless establishment
was the playfulness of our soldiers when
not on duty When the Spanish soldier is
at leisure he tries to get hammock and a
cigarette, or If he has the requisite peseta.
a bottle of cheap wine In addition. He takes
no exercise unless commanded to by his su-
perior officer. When, therefore, they saw
the Americans wrestling and jumping. in
dulging in horse play, climbing trees and
performing such other boyish sports the
Porto Ricans looked upon them as strange
compounds of muscularity and madness.
The same sonora told me confidentially
that she saw twelve yellow-haired crazy
men who climbed trees and sat upon the
branches just like negro children or more
like monkeys"
A third surprise. was the fact that the
soldiers paid cashffor all they goNin the
little shops. and greatest of all surprises
was the uniform courtesy displayed by Of
ficers and men alike. The villagers had
been told that the Americans were half
naked. bloodthirsty and cowardly savages
who ran away from an inferior number OF
armed foes, but were merciless to the I'M
protected. and especially women and chill
dren. When therefore they found that
they were safer in the presence Of an Amer
lean brigade than in that Of Spanish one