The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-22
EAGER TO AMER|CAN|zE
Great Future in Store for the
Porto Ricans.
THEIR NEW ALLEGIANCE
Haste in Establishing Reforms Is Not
Wise Po1icy-An Interview With
General Henry Opportun-
ity for Capital.

Washington, May 21.--General Henry,
recently military governor of Porto
Rico. in an interview to-day, says:
TT is a wonderful country, but we
will have to go slow in bringing about
reforms. Capital invested will bring
large returns. More than so per cent
of the value of the sugar cane is lost
in the process of grinding. The chill
dren are thirsting for knowledge, and
the great need is good schools. Gen
respect There is an English teacher
in each Of the ten districts, and English
is taught in all of the schools of San
Juan.
when left San Juan ] was given
reception in the theater at San Juan in
which over 1000 school children took
part. They sang American patriotic
songs, and several of them delivered
addresses in English. The same thing
took place at Ponce, where there are
five English teachers.
THE general conditions are very en-
couraging. Over $4,000 men are at work
on public Improvements, and we are
spending over 100000 per month in this
way. This is more money than the
men received from Spain all their lives.
The road from Ponce to San Juan. the
military road, is we'll built but the
other roads are wretched. When we
have improved them all the natives in
the interior will be able to get their
produce to the coast at slight cost.
THE Porto Ricans are anxious for
territorial form of government, but
the question is how are they going to
get money if the customs duties are
wiped out We are spending large
sums, and ! introduced a water supply
in San Juan in five weeks after / took
hold. The Spanish had been at work
on the same thing for SO years. San
Juan is as clean now as any city of the
South American republics. The peo-
pie all look forward to being Ameri-
cans.
with the exception of a few dis
gruntled politicians, the island is free
from i'll will toward the United States.
One of these men, who is now in the
United States, has boasted that he was
the cause of my leaving my command.
His paper was suppressed, believe. At
any rate. if such an outrageous false
hood had been told about any prede-
cessor of mine, I should have taken
such measures.
"Of course, there is talk about an up
rising, but there is really no danger of
such a thing happening. The Porto Ri
cans lived for 400 years under Spanish
rule and never caused much trouble.
l have Travelled all over the island with
my orderly when there was talk of
massacre ......
ITO one man who came from Album
tas to tell me of an uprising, 1 said.
Go back to Adjuntas and dig many
graves Rise tomorrow, and 1 shall
order out the American soldiers to shoot
the Porto Ricans down and fill these
graves He went home, and tele-
graphed me later that there would be
no massacre
General Henry maintained that Porto
Rico has the lovelest winter climate
in the world, and great hotel there
would pay.
Porto Rico he said, sis the place
for the capitalist rather than for the
poor man. At the present time there
are thousands of the poor class without
employment. When I left there We're
$4,000 laborers employed on the roads
at 80 cents per day, American money,
under my direction. The average wage
for unskilled labor on plantations is 36
cents per day, American money. The
fertility of the land and the warmth Of
the climate make the demand for labor
very small.
II consider that during my admins
tration of over five months the route
to prosperity in Porto Rico was sur
veyed, a broad-guage roadbed made,
the rails laid, the rolling-stoc fur
nished, and the locomotive started. 1t
now remains, I believe, for capital to
take and operate the road, benefiting
the Porto Ricans as we'll as increasing
itself"