Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-23
AMERICAN OFFICER SAYS PORTO
RICANs WERE NOT ABUSED.
THEIR TAXES LESS THAN OURS
THEY MAY EASILY BE WORSE OFF
AS AMERICANS.
Only Reconstruction by Men With
Disinterested Motives, He Says,
Can Make the Island . Cred
1t to the United
States.

WASHINGTON. Jan. Eff Porto Rico
Is to become credit to the United States"
says Captain Augustus p. Gardner, assist
ant adjutant general Of volunteers in an
interesting report to Assistant Secretary
Of War Meikeljohn upon the educational
and other affairs Of the island of Porto
Rico. "and not continual thorn in her
side. 1t is as certain as the rising OF the
sun that the work of reconstruction must
be done by men of disinterested motives"
In considering, says Captain Gardner.
the various elements which go to make up
the social system Of Porto Rico. the most
worthy of detailed examination is the
method OF education. 1t Is on this branch
that the fruits which 1t is hoped may be
gathered in the future must all ripen.
what purport5 to be a census of the
island Is taken every ten years. but the
only one ever published, apparently. was
that of 1857. In this the population was
given at sol, 10S, of whom Ill. $50, or 16 per
cent, could neither read nor write. A
comparison of these figures with those of a
| so-called rectification of the census for
1893 reveals gross blunder somewhere. as
according to the returns for that year 2sss.-
29i, or over twice as many. people as four
years later, could neither read nor write.
For the city Of Ponce there is an excel
lent census for the year 1887, well compiled
and to all appearances accurate. Accord
ing to that, the city Jurisdiction covers a
| population of 1900. The percentage who
could read and write was 29.31. Captain
Gardner believes this percentage IS very
much too high.
age the number of schools in the island at
6O0 at the outside, of which less than forty
are private or religious schools. The COM
mon schools are divided into superior, ele-
mentary. auxiliary and rural, with one
teacher to each school. whose salary
ranges from !. 200 pesos, or say !So9 per year;
pesos per year in rural school. The su-
perior schools exist only in the seven de-
partmental cities, In each OF which there
are supposed TO be two superior schools,
one for each sex
In the larger townships. there Is one school
to about every 1000 inhabitants. But edu-
cation is laid on a great deal thinner in
many parts of the island. large country dis
| tricts being entirely without schools. not
aW ese pags it's
own schools, it Is impossible to estimate
the amount spent on education annually
in the islands, But the states contribu-
tion amounts to about $1,000 pesos per year.
tions.
there exists on the island a fairly good
skeleton on which to construct q school
system. The difficulty arises @ from the
ers. In the nature of things. for the pres
ent, but little progress can be made by
Their sphere of usefulness will not include
Porto Rico until such time as a knowl-
edge of the English language has begun
to permeate all classes.
With regard to the religious question.
Captain Gardner says it does not appear
that the inhabitants Of the islands have
ever taken their religion with any degree
of seriousness. probably owing to the fact
that the church is regarded as one Of the
means by which Spain undertook 20 MAIN
I ~ sxI-
provide for the maintenance of such Of
her clergy as could not be supported at
home. Altogether; the clerical establish
sistants. the sum total of whose salaries
amounts to about 10000 pesos annually.
Since the invasion Of the American
sSGIa' ~Sieh have @ heretofore been paid By the
state. have been cut on. state Of af-
fairs which seems to be viewed with per-
feet eeuanimity by all except the PRIEST
Roman Catholicism has a better chance
in the island. in view of the condition of
the native mind. than any other form Of
That the population of Porto Rico. as a
account @ d Of excessive taxation is t not proved. d.
But that this taxation was 30 distributed
and administered as to seriously interfere
tive merchants or planters cannot Be
doubted The total amount raised by ma
sona os late ath
a little over AZ pesos per inhabitant To
Americans. who are accustomed to q ma
tional taxation Of some 9 per capita, the
small. Contrary y the belief which has
been strenuously engendered. the fact Is that
out OF this 100000 pesos but 10000 20 d.
rectly to Spain in the form of pensions AS
i'm ali governments. the expenses are large
iy for salaries. and the indignation OF the
Porto Ricans is vast that these salaries
are for the most part paid to citizens of
Spanish birth.
Concluding the report says:
1.-THE reorganization of all these various
elements in the Porto Rican social system
is an undertaking Of enormous dificulty.
the extent of which can not be appreci.
ated by anyone who has not seen the
d!fficulties attendant on establishing even
a temporary modus vivendf. The task OF
simply making laws which will conform
to American methods is simple. That can
be done in Washington. The task OF maxi
ing laws which will conform to those
of the United States. and yet work In prac-
tice. is undertaking for the greatest
minds. the knowledge requisite for which
can only be gained on the spot. Taking il
all In all. II the best men are not put
to this undertaking. but the island II aliot-
ted to become a political plaything, the
Porto Rican will be worse of than he was
under SPAIN