The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-01


Courts and Porto Rtcan Crime
Our Governor General and HIS
PaIaces-How Uncle Sans Mail Is
Carried.
Copyrighted 1S99 by Frank G. Carpenter.
SAN JUAN, Porto Rico, Sept 10
want to tell you what Uncle Sam is do
ing in Porto Rico. When the Spanlards
gave us the island they gave. us the big
gest Job of reorganization we have ever
had. Everything here is honeycombed
with Spanish corruption. The taxes have
been collected to support the officials and
the island has been run Tor them rather
than for the people. 1t is safe to say that
there was hardly an honest official on the
island at the time we conquered it, and L
very much doubt whether class OF hon
est native Porto Rican officials could be
secured today. Every man who has an
office here expects to make something out
OF it, and for the present generation, at
least, it will be hard TO teach the Porto
Rican anything to the contrary. The in
sular commission which was sent down by
the president last spring finds that 1t is
now costing more than 100000 in salaries
TO run Porto Rico. This is so notwith-
standing the island is not larger than
Connecticut, and that it has 100000 people,
as peaceable as any citizens of the United
States. 1 don't believe there is any more
crime here than in the United States, and
there is no reason why the government
should be expensive.
OFFICIALS EAT UP PORTO RICO.
The officials have been feeding off of
Porto Rico for years 1t is wonderful that
the natives have stood such oppression
and such steals. Every officer worked
his position for all it was worth If he
was a TAILOR he made money off of feed
ing the prisoners. If a judge in many
cases he sold out to the highest bidder,
and If a sheriff or tax gatherer, he was
subject to brides.
have before me an estimate which the
recognized officials of San Juan made
for the city expenses for the year end
Ing June so, 1899 San Juan is a town of
$4,000 people, and the estimates provide
for an expenditure of more than 1896, Oti0.
Among the queer items are those for
writing materials for certain officials. The
city clerk, for instance, gets a salary of
q ,2S3, and he asked for $3.50 for writing
materials. One of the bookkeepers want
ed see for writing materials, and the sec
rotary of the alcalde, or mayor, asked
$500 for the same reason. When you re-
member that pens cost. one cent each and
lead pencils can be bought for 10 cents
dozen, you will see that these officials ex-
pect to spend considerable on blank pa
per. In the city taitExpenses, I see that
ct q IN IItin he nd
that $3.50 is set aside for tools to clean
the building. Any one who has noticed
the extraordinary cleanliness of the aver
age Porto Rican public building will APP
pFeciate the sarcasm of this item.
In the fire department $500 is set aside
for volunteer fremen in payment for the
time lost from work while at fires. The
salaries of the common school teachers
is set down at $1,200, while cleaning the
schools cost $500, almost half as much
as the teachers salaries. Two thousand
faOliaHs Is set down for pensions to the
widows and orphans OF government off.
iCials and there are other expenses equal
~ strange.
Such items make up large part of the
government accounts all over Porto Rico.
Every town of any size has it's clock
winder, and this notwithstanding that in
many towns it is difficult to find the
eleek. venture that more money has
Deep, spent from time to time for writing
materials for government. clerks than has
been laid out upon, the reads.
PQRHO RICANfCoURTs
President. Mckinley iexpects to reorgan-
ize the courts There is no doubt but that
this should be done at once. Until it is
done no foreigners life or property will
be safe in Porto Rico. At present any
man can be arrested upon the mere state
ment of another without warning. He
can be thrown into prison and kept there
while his case is being investigated by
the judge. He may not know for what
he is imprisoned and the judge will carry
or his investigation without giving either
the criminal or his attorney a chance to
aid in or offset them. There is no cross.
examination of witnesses, and statements
do not require an oath to be credited
Trials are at the option of the judge, and
man may remain in Jail for months
without knowing why he is kept there
One of the most efficient of the Ameri-
cans who have come down here in the
employ of the government is Maj A. c.
Sharpe, the judge advocate of the gov
ernor generals staff. He has been inves-
hSating the prisons and the courts, much
10 the disgust of the Porto Rican judges
He has already succeeded in reforming
MANY of the jals He found that there
were 1900 prisoners in Jail awaiting trial.
This was at the time he began his inves-
legations.
Many Of these prisoners did not know