The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-10
PROGRESS IN PORTO RICO
REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY .. or STATE V.4NDERLIP.
Authorities Getting Along
 Well With Customs ColIecting-$1OO,- to WoriS-Capturing Bandit Bands Agitators from Hayti Foment DiscOrd
 Conditions on the PIanta tons Fair
Treatment for Laborers.

AVT ANoVTVTbs
 Washington, Nov. 9.--Assistant Sec retary of State Vanderlip, who is ex- pected to arrive in the United States from Porto Rico next Monday, has made preliminary report to Secretary Gage of his observations in that island. Under date of the 27th ultimo he re- ports that the military authorities are getting along fairly well with the cus- toms collections. Everything received had been deposited with Deford 6 Co.,, financial agents of the government and the amount now on deposit aggregates more that $100,000. Spanish customs of- ficials have been put to work at the va rious ports and this system works satls- factorily The men, he writes, are hon. est, and it Is thought by prominent mill itary officials that the government is getting everything it should.
 The report that customs officers in Porto Rico were receiving only pesos and were declining to receive American dollars at San Juan is incorrect. That was the case for few days, the Span ish customs officials interpreting the United States to mean that only pesos should be received. As soon as this was discovered, however, dollars or pesos were ordered to be received with out prejudice, the rate being two pesos as against one American dollar. While that rate does not correspond with the rate of $1.65, it is a fact that about two- thirds of the customs at San Juan have been received in dollars. The cus- | toms officers are not allowed to ex- | change pesos back for dollars Military officers at San Juan contend that the | reports that have reached the United ! States concerning the outbreaks and disturbances of the peace on the island are without substantial foundation.
 During the evacuation there was more or less disturbance of rather personal { and private character, but the situation |. now, MT Vanderlip writes, is as peace able as it is in the United States. There i have been some troubles on the west end of the island by piratical agitators mainly among emigrants from Hayti, who are said to have special facility ] for fomenting discord, but at present | there is nothing serious even in that l district The military authorities have ! been especially active in capturing some organized bands of bandits and the natives are rendering aid in ferret ing out these people. A number oi bandits are confined in prison and they will receive civil trial Probably some of these cases may result in the execu- tion of the offenders.
 At Ponce, where there are, says MT Vanderlip, some specially sharp politi- clans, revived an obsolete autonomist scheme of municipal government. Gen. eral Brooke, however, found it of most rigorous and paternal character and declined to permit its adoption whereupon seventeen of the thirty members of the council resigned. The commanding general has just selected 1 their successors The American com manding officers have been withdraw. ing guards from the sugar plantations and they think this IS going to have g good effect. The condition of affairs if is stated, was worse than slavery al some of these plantations. The work was done by 'peons" who received if ty-flve pesetas a day on an average and were then subjected to the very worst type of country store" These stores gave short weights in everything sold. Our officers made the owners ot the plantations shove some sort of fail treatment to the 'peons, refused re
 quests for guards and have heard noth
 ing further about riots.