Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1899-01-26
ABOUT PORTO RICO.
Capt. Gardner Makes a Report Con-
corning the Island.
An ORDER RESENTED BY CUBANS.
The Mandate OF Gen. Brooke About tho
Customs Receipts ana Sanitary
Work Received with Poor
Grace at Santiago.

Washington, Jan. 90 SO "If Porto Rico
is to become credit TO the United
States" says Capt Augustus p. Gard
ner, assistant adjutant general of vol
unteers, in an interesting report to
Assistant Secretary of War Meikeljohn
upon the educational and other affairs
of the island OF Porto Rico, and not
a continual thorn in her side, it is as
certain as the rising of the sun that
the work of reconstruction must be
done by men ofdisinterested motives"
In considering, says Capt. Gardner,
the various elements which go to
make up the social system OF Porto
Rico the most worthy of a detailed
examination is the method OF educa-
ton. 1t is on this branch that the
fruits which it is hoped may be gather
ed in the future must all ripen.
Capt Gardner says it is safe to aver
age the number of schools in the island
az 600 at the outside, of which less
than 40 are private or religious schools.
The common schools are divided into
superior, elementary, auxiliary and
rural, with one teacher to each school,
whose salary ranges from !, zoo pesos,
or say 5000 per year, in superior
school of the first class to 300 pesos per
year in a rural school. The superior
schools exist only in the seven depart
mental cities, in each of which there
are supposed to be two superior
schools, one for each sex.
With regard to the religious ques-
tion, Capt Gardner says>it does not
appear that the inhabitants Of the is
lands have ever taken their religion
with any degree of seriousness, prob
ably owing to the fact that the church
is regarded as one of the means by
which Spain undertook to main tain
her sovereignty on the island and to
provide for the maintenance of such
of her clergy as could not be
supported at home. Altogether,
the clerical establishment main
tains about $40 priests and assistants,
the sum total of whose salaries
amounts to about 10000 pesos annu-
ally. Since the invasion of the Ameri-
can troops the salaries of all these
priests, which have heretofore been
paid by the state, have been cut off.
That the population of Porto Rico,
as a whole, has serious grounds of
complaint on account of excessive tax
alton is not proved. But that this
taxation was so distributed and adj
ministered as to seriously interfere
with the small, and especially with
native. merchants or planters cannot
be doubted. The total amount raised
by national taxation has been of late
years more than $500, 900 pesos, sum
equal to little over ~ pesos per in.
habitant. TO Americans, who are &C.
customed to a national taxation of
some 81 per capita, the Porto Rican
figures seem exceedingly small. Con-
Gliding, the report says:
The reorganization Of all these various ele-
ments in the Porto Ricau social system is an
undertaking Of enormous difficulty, the extent
} Of which cannot be appreciated by any one who
has not seen the difficulties attendant on eStab-
fishing even temporary modus vlvendi The
task of simply making laws which will con-
form 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 practice, is an
undertaking for the greatest minds, the linowl-
edge requisite for which can only be gain ID on
the spot Taking 1t all in all, II the best men
are not put to this undertaking, but the island
is allotted to become q political plaything, the
Porto Rlcan will be worse off than he was I'M
der Spain.
AN ORDER RESENTED BY CUBANs.
Santiago, Jan. 23. The order from
the United States military authorities
in Havana directing the authorities of
the Santiago military department not
to eXpend cent of the customs re-
ceipts without the permission of the
governor general and the order direct
J ing that hereafter the bulk of the san
itary work shall be done without
money pay and for rations merely,
were given to the local press for pub
LEGATION Saturday. Ell CubanO, in COM
menting upon the Instructions of the
governor general says: The feeling
is prevalent that the only course now
is to retire to the mountains"
AS showing how far the province has
drifted backward since the first an
nouncement that the customs were not
to be freely expended for provincial
improvements, the Santiago Heraldo
reports that a band of men are commit
ting wholesale depredations in the
Mayari district, where several people
have been murdered, and that another
band in the Guantanamo district have
burned all the cane prepared for
pressing on the Isabel plantation
'These outbreaks" says the Heraldo
fare the first fruits of the money cen
tralization system"
So far as the order regarding sani-
tary work is concerned, CuOan in
spector in the sanitary department
told Maj George M, Barbour, the
health commissioner of Santiago, yes
terday that the Cubans of the province
had at last regained their self-respect
and would not work again for rations
"They do good work." he said, land
deserve to be paid in money, If they
are ordered again to work for rations
most of them will go TO the mountains"
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Customs Receipts Ample.
Havana, Jan. 23. All the expenses