The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-09
ISLAND OF PORTO RICO
SENTIMENT OF THE INHABITANTS
REGARDING SPANISH RULE.
American Occupation Welcomed ms "A
DeIiverance-Geogra Commerce
and History of the Island.

New York Evening Post.
In view of the fact that the feet under
the command of acting Rear Admiral
Sampson is supposed to be about to attack
Porto Rico. and, perhaps, open the way for
an invasion and occupation of the island by
United States forces. it becomes both i'm
portant and interesting to know what is the
temper of the inhabitants towards such a
movement. prominent and well-informed
member of the Porto Rican colony here
said to-day:
Il was born on the island, as was my
father before me, of pure Spanish blood. l
was educated in the United States; have
since been engaged in business with Porto
Rico, first the representative of house
in this city, and next upon my own account
L am, therefore. through birth and early
utilization, familiar with the condition and
sentiment of the typical Porto Rican, and
constant travelling from one end of the
island to the other since I engaged in BUSH
ness-particularly at the time l was repre-
senting the firm in this city--has given me
an extensive and accurate knowledge of the
opinion of the people as a whole. Hence |
feel that I speak with some authority when
say that the occupation of the island by
the United States will be welcomed by the
great majority of the Porto Ricans as de-
liverance, that thousands of them will take
up arms to overthrow Spanish dominion
that when this is accomplished they will
ask for annexation to the United States,
and that a large preponderance of those
who did not join in this request will acqui-
esce in it, and within a short time have all
the zeal of converts.
To-day there are in Porto Rico three po-
litical elements: Spaniards who prefer
continuance of the old regime of absolute
Spanish domination and oppression; sepa-
ratists and annexationsts There are no
autonomists. In the Spanish element there
are those who still pretend to accept au-
tonomy. because the attitude is deemed
still polite, Notwithstanding that autonomy
ton. Among those who are now uncom-
promising annexationists or separatists are
found those VINO were autonomlsts upon
the chance that Spain really meant to give
genuine self-government. OF these, the an
nexationists form the larger number, for
they preferred autonomy, If real, to the
hazard of revolution and especially of what
might follow successful revolution-that
failure in self-government which has pur-
was one of such autonomists: now with the
rest, / am heart and soul for annexation
There were thus. l say, for the moment
out-and-out separatists and annexationists;
they hoped against hope that Spain had at
last learned a lesson in modern govern
ment and would be henceforth enlightened
enough to let Porto Rico manage its own
affairs, under the crown, indeed, but with
a freedom equal to that of Canada. They
were incredulous and skeptical; they knew
Spain. and the Spanish spirit and the
worth of Spanish promises; they mad an
acute recollection of the reforms of the
seventies, when Porto Rico was advanced
from colony to province of Spain. and an
insular Parliament was instituted.
INDISCREET GOVERNOR.
THAT incident is worth recalling, for it
IF
Rican The insular chamber was hailed with
joy and enthusiasm as the harbinger and
palladium of liberty and prosperity. 1t as
sembled to welcome with due gratitude and
respect the first governor general of the
newly constituted province. Enter Captain
| General Laureano Saenz with troops at his
! back. You are nest of conspirators,' he
| cries. One of the astonished deputies at
| tempts protest Not a word shouts the
| governor general; I know that you are con-
! spiratOrs and traitors; you are depoSed.'
| They are driven out and men named by
| Saenz. tools of Spanish despotism, take the
! vacant places. Nevertheless, the autono-
| mists OF few months ago were willing to
| accept Spain's conversion, if such could be.
| But they were prepared to find carried out,
as the reform of the seventies, the fair
| promise of true autonomy, and they were
| not in the least surprised when they discov-
| cred that the election of the 9th of March.
| this year, was mere farce-an election at
| which Spanish bayonets presided, while the
| military power both dictated the nominees
| and counted the ballots. With this, the
! scales fell from their eyes forever, and 1t
| would in the future be impossible for Spain
| to convince the native people of the island
OR, for that matter, the Spanish people,
| either-that any promise of liberty was sim
| cere.
'The notion of Porto Rican loyalty to
SPAIN so far as 1t may have existed, has
| arisen from the fact that such pro-Spanish
sentiment as there is Is to be found along
| the littoral. The farther from the shore you
the prevalent the anti-SDaniSn
| feeling. In San Juan there is no doubt a very
J large Spanish element although even there
| 1t seems to be larger than 1t is. since the
circumstances of many men employed by the
| government or the municipality force them
| to disguise their real sentiments. and so APP
| pear to be loyal Spaniards. l am satisfied
| that even in San Juan at least half of its
| thirty-odd thousand population would be
| glad to see an American occupation. A lead
| ing merchant of that place, writing to me
| under date April IL, describes the situation
| as follows:
war at our doors; general discomfort in
| the interior caused by the frauds in the
election, and the bankruptcy to which we
are surely going with these exaggerated
rates of exchange 000 per cent?.
''And. he adds, desperately: L trust, how
ever, in favorable change on day not
very far off-change which will cost rivers
of blood, which at the end will enlarge our
commerce and raise this poor island from
the estate of poverty to which IT has been
brought by bad government ana mlSmdn-
agement.'
THE GEOGRAPHY.
The Spanish island of Porto Rico lies sew
enty miles east of Hayti, and is a trihe
smaller than Jamaica, being seventy-five
miles broad and ninety-five miles long
There are many small Islands and reefs
along the coast, making access difficult to
the harbors, which, in themselves, are ex-
cellent. The narrow strip of fiat land along
the coast is dry and sandy on the south
side. while on the north it is swampy, with
many lagoons. Small as the island is as
many as 1900 streams have been found in
it, forty-seven of which are large enough
to be called rivers. The largest of them
flow northward, owing to the slope of the
mountains. the highest of which, in the
northeast, rises to an altitude of $500 feet
In the northern lowlands the climate is
extremely damp, while on the south side
there is such a dearth OF moisture in the
air that droughts often occur, and artificial
irrigation is necessary to secure Satisfac-
tory agricultural results. During the rainy
season, from September to March. the gen
eral climate is enerVatng and unhealthful.
The higher mountains are generally COW
cred with dense growth of forests, in
which there are strange fern trees, varieties
of trees with large, beautiful flowers, and
many trees that yield valuable hard wood,
coloring matter, fibre, gums, etc. In the
cultivated regions cocoanuts, oranges and
mountains d special variety of rice. the
principal food of the aboring classes,
be grown without irrigation. In the low
| a nd a n