The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-20
The CASE OF GUY HENRY
"HIGH-HANDED" WAY IN WHICH HE
is CIVILIZING Porto RICO.
DiscOrdant and Corrupt Elements Sup
pressed and Cities Being Cow
erned by the People.
Hartford Courant.


Some of our "anti-imperialists" ought to
attend to the case of Gen. Guy " Henry.
1t looks as if he were going ahead recklessly
without the consent of the governed. He
is upsetting traditions that are centuries
old. lie pays no heed to the tears of women,
the sobs of children. And yet he dares to
continue to call himself an American.
General Henry is the military governor
Of Porto Rico. From Mayaguez to Huma-
Gao, from San Juan to Ponce he rules the
roost Even now his iron hand is making
itself felt and the prosecuted people know
not which way to turn. Mr.. Erving Wins
low, the secretary of the Anti Expansionist
League cannot have been tending to bust
ness, for surely, if he had been, General
Henry would never have Ventured so far.
For many, many years the children Of
Porto Rico have been accustomed to do
without the restraints of clothing until they
were six or eight years old. This custom
was both satisfactory to the children and
economical for the parents How mothers
were able to identify their children without
the ala of clothes will never be known. The
chances are that the thing was worked on
the grabbing principle, and that each day
1t was the luckieSt mother who took home
the pretteSt child. But now what problems
housewives of Porto Ricoi The children
must be clad, says General Henry, ana
not the slightest idea of how a child's
clothes ought to look. They have been &C
customed 10 seeing the sweet little darlings
wandering around clad only in their native
innocence. Are they now to be trussed up
In the style of little Lord Fauntleroy, or
Is 1t sailor suits that will please the greater
number? 1t seems as if it were incumbent
on General Henry to furnish fashion plates
to the anxious mothers. Something must
be done, and that quickly
The new regulation will be hard upon the
parents, but think of what it means to the
poor children! They, who have heretofore
rejOiced in the free and unrestricted use
of all the limbs that nature gave them.
must now be swathed in wooden, cotton or
other Objectionable impediments. Cruel Gen.
Henryi We see your finish.
But, to speak seriously on a serious mat
ter, General Henry is making a great record
as military governor in Porto Rico. His
recent order suspending for a wear the fore
closure of all farm mortgages is calling out
expressions of relief and thankfulness all
over the island. The alcalde of Utuado has
written to him: Such a saving measure was
hailed with indescribable enthusiasm and a
great demonstration took place in token Of
gratefulness to you The people of Adjuntas
Immediately telegraphed to him: You have
prevented great conflicts to (sic) Porto Rico
and deserve well of your powerful country.
IhlS island will remember with gratitude
and love the name of the illustrious ruler
who has done so much for its prosperity"
Concerning another of General Henrys re-
cent orders-the one prescribing the method
of Classifying lands for taXatiOn-the Porto
Rican secretary of finance testihes that no
such equitable measure has been known in
the island since the eighteenth century. ut
dispels all doubts" he says, f'and allows
no escape to those who, with their plants
and claims every year. endeaVor to elude
the payment of their taxes. They are always
the same individuals. There is to-day al
urgent necessity for regulating this tax
without its being burdensome to landholders,
and the most equitable way Of doing 1t is
the one ordered by Major General Henry"
AS another Illustration of this particular
''proconsuPs' ideas of his duty and manner
of performing it, we reprint from the cur
rent number of the Army and Navy Journal
the text of still a third order, issued last
month to Captain Mansfield at Aguadilla.
Here it is:
1T having been demonstrated to me for
some weeks that matters are generally
mismanaged at Aguadilla-that the council
men quarrel with one another, that they re-
fuse to act in the interest of the people, and
that money is corruptly used-you will noti-
fy the alcalde and the counciimen that they
are deposed from office and that the civil
authority is entirely suspended in the town
The above order will also apply to Moca
You will assume command of the town.
exercising the necessary civil functions
and use your troops as required by the cir
cumstances You will then call meeting Of
the representative men of the town and, as
soon as they agree upon reputable men to
govern the town in the interest of the
whole you will induct them into office and
report to me that they are desirable men,
From the report of the commission, COM
posed of one Radical and one Liberal. which
I sent from here L have concluded that the
Liberals are more TO blame than are the
Radicals so that I have no objection to a
Radical Council il good men of that party
are obtainable The jail is also reported as
dirty and overcrowded. You will release
therefrom all who are serving light SEN
fences and order the jailer to clean the pris-
on If the latter has neglected his duty, re-
place him with a capable man. If the
judges have failed to do their duty, report
them to me for removal In carrying out
these orders L assume that you will use
good Judgment and discretion. If any oppO-
sition is displayed, either through failure to
carry out your orders through disrespect
on the part of any one, you will cause the
offender to be placed in Jail and report the
case to me. You are authorized to call upon
several of the reputable men of the town
to investigate the accounts Of the city Off
Gals for report to me through you. / have
frequently warned the people of this island
that when they failed to govern themselves
as they should after having every oppor-
tunity to do so, / should take control.
hope this action with reference to Aguadilla
will be an object lesson TO the other towns
on the island"
IF this is tyrannous, a continuance Of
just such tyranny for a generation or two
would be the greatest boon a benevolent
Providence could possibly bestow upon the
people of our new dependencies. The longer
they are left under the firm, Just rule of
the leVel-headed, Clean-handed gentlemen
of the army, the better TIE more closely
their future governors from civil life re-
semble these army men in character and
competency the better. The people would
not look on well pleased while the good
work done by the Leonard Woods and Guy
Henrys was being undone by misfit APP
pontees with a hunger for salafted office
and a political pull. They would not look on
patiently.
WnshingtOn's birthday.