Evening star., 1898-10-22
PORTO RiCAN SITUATION
What an English Correspondent Has to Say
a. Of the Island
Obstacles to He Overcome During the
Transition Stage - Feeling
of the Natives.

Porto Rican Correspondence in London Times.
There is no room for doubt that the more
educated portion of the population who are
possess ors of real estate or other property
in Porto Rico apr eciate that the change
of ownership of the island is to their ma
terial benefit. 1t is also necessary to bear
iE mind that the Porto Rican has always
teen treated by the Spaniard as belonging
to an inferior caste, and the knowledge of
this fact has been most CALLING to the in
habitants here. Moreover, such treatment
has not been justified by circumstances a
considerable number of the more wealthy
families of the island being fully equal in
refinement culture and general intelligence
to the most arfstocratic representatives and
officials sent to this country from Madrid.
IN SO far as the Spaniards engaged in
commerce are concerned, | think they re-
gard the change of government with equa-
nlnity Spanish merchants in these coun-
tries are generally keen business men, who
do not allow their patriotism to interfere
with their pockets, and they quite realize
that in the present instance their interests
and rights will be fully protected An m
crease in the volt me of business to be
transacted will go far toward palliating
any harsh feelings that may exist today as
the result of recent occurrences. and the
United States government need have small
reason to fear that the Spanards who
main In the island will prove other than
law-abiding and Industrious citizens.
As regards foreign residents generally,
there can be no question that they will be
better off under United States than under
Spanish rule. They will enjoy sounder
security for life and property than mas
hitherto been the case; they will have
legal remedy In disputes connected with
commercial transactions or other matters
where they are unjustly treated-a remedy
which the intricaces of the Spanish courts
have debarred the great majority of injur-
ed persons from appealing to in the past.
But with the mass of the native inhab-
1tants other considerations crop up. and
trouble may occur in sequence. Among
the 100000 people comprising the lower
class of the population of Porto Rico the
code of morality is of a very low order.
Respect for law and order has never been
rigidIy enforced by the Spanish author
tiles, and this leniency has resulted in a
license as to all moral obligations becon-
ing almost an ingrained part of the native
character.
From the observations l have made in
the island | am inclined to think that the
country people are averse to steady work
and have snail respect for individual life
o. property. All this will have to suffer
alteration urder the new regime. The
rural population will have to work 10 live.
and the amount of the contributions they
VIII be called upon to pay in the shape of
taxation will assuredly he heavier tnan
hitherto. Crime of all kinds will meet aith
speedy and severe punishment and the peo-
pie will have to learn and fully appreciate
the lact thdt the justice meted out to them
is no easy mis- treSS to serve under.
The transition stage while this lesson is
being inculcated will, in all human proba-
bllty, be productive of many elements CT
discomfort. and the United States author
ltleS must expect to encounter some un-
pleasant difficulties when dealing With
these sources of mischief. In time the cf-
feet of just administration will solve the
problem, but during the process Of sold
ton the Americans must not forget that
they are dealing with a foreign race, alien
alike in language, religion and sentiment
to the dominant features of their own great
republic. and they will do well sometimes
to call to mind the old Italian proverD of
''He who goes slowly goes far
The ,pcpula ton of Porto Rico is OF so
mixed character as to make it difficult
to classify. Of the 100000 inhabitants of
the island. fully one-third are negroes an
other third are mulattoes the remainder N
many cases show marked traces of a mix
ture of African blood in their veins Iu-
deed. to draw hard-andfast line where
the pure white families end and those with
trace of the negro begin is almost impos-
sible
The number of foreigners in the island is
very limited. OF British subjects the total
Is stated not to exceed 800, including many
Eegro immigr2 hts from Jamaica ami other
West Indian colonies. France is more
strongly rerl esented. some 2GO0 persons
claiming French citizenship. Ponce being
their principal center. In most of the chef
tow ms Frenchnen are established in both
wholesale and retail business more espe-
ciaily in the latter branch of trade. The
German colony, although not very numcr-
Gus, has important interests both in iinan-
clal matters and in the import and export
t, ade of the island
The number of Americans resident in
Porto Rico before the war was very small
but here. as in Cuba, many of the natives
have taken out naturalization papers in
the United States for the purpose of claim
ing protection whenever they get into trou-
Bile. This abuse of the naturalization laws
OF the United States was not, however,
carried on to the same extent by the Porte
Ricans as by the Cubans.