The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-28


States, recently made study of the !
foods of the poorer classes of his coun- !
trymen, and has embodied some of the
results of his labor in an open letter
to Major General Brooke. His state
ments have tie ring of fact, and they
are Interesting, in that they give an
idea of what the island laborer is and
what can fairly be expected of him as
a citizen of the United States. In the
course of his letter, DR.. Amadeo says:
Five years ago, upon my return
from the United States, 1 began to
make certain comparisons between the
poor of Puerto Rico and the poorer
classes among Americans l noticed
physical inferiority among the Puerto
Ricans. The blame for this should be
laid at SPANS door, for she, by reason
Of excessive duties on the necessar1es
of life, always prevented the poor here
from obtaining proper nourishment.
1.-THE science of nourishment shows
that a man, in order to maintain his
health, should consume daily about 124
grammeS of nitrogeniZed matter, $40
grammes of matter containing starch,
and fifty-five grammeS containing
grease. Hence the indispensability of
meat; but the laborer of Puerto Rico
lived on carbonates of hydrogen only.
This largely explains the condition
of the laboring classes of Puerto Rico
the muscular system wasting away
from defective nourishment, and the
brain inactive and dull because de-
prived of phosphates. Moreover, ex-
elusive nourishment of this kind en-
genders severe organic troubles in the
end. a dangerous and common dis
ease of the liver is the direct result
among our people of a diet of tuliers
and bananas
I'VE cannot expect from men on such
diet that degree of intelligence and ac-
tivity which would be found in men
properly nurtured l am a country
| physician, and when my patients come
to me for relief from their many in
! firmities, I am obliged to say to them,
You do not need drugs and medicines,
! but you do need meat and fish and
nourishing foods These are very i'm
J 3OTtant facts to us, and we sincerely
hope, as source of possible relief, that
4 e--ere4 brooke viii do all in his power
! to secure the admission into this island
/ free from all custom duties of sailed
! fish and meats from the United States,
and of rice and flour.
ITO the man who works for so cents,
! silver, q day we should try to give a
market in which his 90 cents will buy
| him proper nourishment. l believe the
regeneration of this island should be-
gin by restoring the health of it's
people. Surely it would be pity if
] the inhabitants of part of the rich
American Union should be without
proper nourishment. Such a state of
affairs was comprehensive under the
! Spanish regime, but it would be hard
indeed to understand under the control
of a government whose first principle
is to care for its people. In Puerto
/
now into their proper nouriShment.
"A majority of the Puerto Ricans are
of European extraction. They cannot
support life in roofess huts and in the
open woods, as can the black races of
Africa We should make it possible
for them to obtain shelter and homes
at least as good as those of their fore
fathers. This could be done by permit
ting their entrance, free from all re-
strictions and duties, of the component
parts of simple houses, such as boards
joists, iron roofing and nails.
81 consider these recommendations
which l venture to submit, to be OF
prime necessity for the good of the
people. Humanity demands Their
adoption The people or classes in
Puerto Rico cannot be expected to ap-
preciate their obligations to the United
States, much less fulfill fntelligently
the duties of American citizens, because
their enfeebled mental and physica
condition, the direct result of NAL
nutrition, makes this impossible t.
them. We shall proceed with the work
Of social reconstruction Of this is
land, but in order to have healthy
minds to work upon, we must first Sc
cure healthy bodies. But we canno
look for healthy bodies in a, country
where excessive tariffs would continue
to prevent the poorer classes from eat
ing meat and bread, and to compe
them to resort for sustenance to root!
and bananas"
There is one feature of the future
tariffs of special interest to the island
which is apt to escape attention. Ger
tain products now imported from Spain
and chiefly consumed by the poore
classes, are not products of the United
States. These are principally cheal
2 oils and cheap wines, a certain whit,
bean that is a staple article Of fooC
among the poor; garlic, sandals, o
''alDargatas, much worn by the la
, boring classes, and, though these ar
l produced in the United States, olive
} and raisins.
? The islands consumption of thes
S articles amounts to about SO, 600 90
: worth a year, on which a duty Of abou
10 per cent was levied by Spain. Witt
. the possible exception OF olives AM
2 raisins, these things are necessaries il
the daily life of the common people
Y The duties today collected by the Unit
[ ed States on their importation fron
: Spain amount, on an average, to abou
a IS per cent, which means the paymen
!. | of nearly 81 600 annually on highl
z important articles of food The Unite
: States could allow these staples to en-
n ter from Spain at a reasonable tariff
J, without materially injuring the sale c
= American products here. At all events
r this might safely be done for a Will
d and the poorer Puerto RicanS Woul
: greatly profit by it.
/ A scheme of customs collection tina
: meets with favor among the most sa
# gacious is a system of tariff reform S
/, reducing the present rates that tn
payments would be only a slight bun
It den upon the people while keepin
1t them high enough to provide money fo
y island improvements. Those who fave
- this idea fully realize the advantage
n of free trade, but they also perceive
II would be a good thing for Puerto Ric
5, were she to pay all the expenses of he
p improvements, and to appear uoon t..
/ books of the United States as doing S,
7 Saved By q Cat.
n Port Townsend. Wash, Nov 27.-
n n During a heavy storm that prevailed
le the harbor last night, the steamt
g Wildwood sunk while lying at HI
IS dock A large hole was made in hi
II hull by a drifting log. A man, who We
= asleep on board, was saved fro