The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-02

are easily ecured. but already Porto
hlcans have awakened to the fact that
they are valuable. and every now ana
then one hears the question. How
much do / get out Of it2" or. what
will you give me for my trouble?"
In Porto Rico. as in Mexico, the ma
tive seems unable to comprehend COM
merciai principles on a large scale.
They make good shop-keeDers. good
and good lsborers. but when "
comes To operations. the busi-
ness Is transacted by Americans, En-
glishmen. Germans. Spaniards. French
and Danes. II seems strange that the
Spanisrds. who are such corrupt. in
competent and dishonest officials. should
make successful. upright and broad
minded merchants. Yet. such is the
fact. The comerciante is the soul OF
honor, a model of courtesy. and at the
same time. a model OF business princi-
piles. He never INDUCES in sharp prac-
tice. and in all of his transactions his
word is as god as his bond. Major Gen
eral Miles has been very wise in taking
special precautions to protect this large
and important class Of the Porto RI
can community. Under the American
flag they will be the best citizens in the
new commonwealth.
IL was through this place that the
first American expedition passed. which
landed under Major General Miles at
Guanica. and the people are still talk
ing Of the many surprises 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
contained probably more than the usual
percentage of six-footers. The Illi-
nois and Massachusetts, men were par
ticularly big and fine specimens of
American manhood. and as IL TO make
the contrast the more marked. the
horses and mules which accompanied
them were actually two and three times
as big as the native animals. The Por-
to Rican horse Is really a pony. He is
a sorry appearance alongside of the
heavy, well-groomed and magnificent
animals of the invading army. A Yau-
co 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 h horses we were afraid they
would run against our horses and
knock them over"
Another source Of endless astonish-
ment was the plsyfulness of our SOL
diers when not on duty. When the
Spanish soldier is at leisure he tries to
get a hammock n a cigarette. or, IL
he has the requisite pesata. a bottle of
cheap wine in addition. He takes no ex-
ercise unless commanded by his SUPER
ior officer. When. therefore. they saw
the Americans wrestling and jumping.
indulging in horse play, climbing trees
and performing other boyish sports. the
Porto Ricans looked upon them as
TRANCE compounds of m~uscularity and
madness. The same Sonora told me
confidentially that she saw - 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 cash for all they got in
the little shops, and greatest OF all sur
prises was the uniform courtesy dis
played by officers and men alike. The
villagers had been told the Americans
were half-naked. bloodthirsty and cow
ardly savages. who ran away from an
inferior number OF armed foes, but were
merciless to the unprotected and espe-
cially women and children. When,
therefore. they found that they were
safer in the presence of an American
brigade than in that OF a Spanish one
their amazement was unbounded. The
result was quite funny. Such conduct.
the Porto Ricans argued. should be re-
warded. and man, woman and child
turned out to give something to smoke.
eat or drink to the buenos Americanos.