Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-05-18
GEN. GUY V. HENRY TALKS ABOUT
PORTO RICO.
WONDERFUL COUNTRY,HE SAYS
GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR INVEST
MENr OF CAPITAL.
children ThirstinE for Knowledge
aud There Is Need for Good
srhnois-rroplc Are Anxious
for Territorial Form of
Government.

NEW YORK. May lL-Major General
HENRY, uitrd States volunteers. until re-
,entl, military governor Of Porto Rico,
ArriNcd GA III" transport Mcpherson from
san .lusn He WAS accompanied by Mrs.
tirarN aud hts daughter, Mrs. Benton. The
ratty viii remain in this city until Mon
GaN rr>I. when they will leave for Wash
msInu.
Erarrnl Henry is enthusiastic about
Porto Rico. It's people and its possibilities
1t Is II wonderful country he said, but
We VIII have to so slow i'll bringing about
reforms. Capital invested will bring large
returns, More than 80 per cent of the value
ot the sugar cane is lost in the process of
grinding. The children are thirsting for
knowledge. and the great need is good
schools, General Eaton is doing fine work
In tins 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 Il reception in
the theatcr at San Jaun i'll 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 15.e0o men are at work on
public improvements and we are spending
over 100000 per month in this way. This
is more than the men received from Spain
all their lives. The Porto Ricans are
anxious for a territorial form of govern
ment, but the question Is how are they 60
ing to get money if the customs duties are
wiped out.
We are spending large sums, and | in
troduced a water supply in San Juan in
five weeks after | took hold. The Spanish
had been at work on the same thing for
fifty years. San Juan is as clean now as
any city of the South American republic
The people all look forward to being Amer
leans.
with the exception of Il few disgruatled
politicians the island is free from all i'll
will toward the United States.
"Of course, there is talk about an up
rising, but there is really no danger Of
such IA thing happening The Porto Ricans
lived for 400 years under Spanish rule and
never caused much trouble l Travelled all
over the island with my orderly when there
was talk of massacre.
ITO one man who came from Adjuntas
to tell me of an uprising | said: Go back
to Adjuntas and dig many graves. Rise
tomorrow and | shall order out the Amer
lean soldiers to shoot the Porto RiCans
down and ill those graves. He went home
and teleSraphed me later that there would
be no massacre
General Henry maintained that Porto
Rico has the loveliest winter climate in the
world and a great hotel there would pay
Porto Rico" he said. lis the place for
the capitalist rather than for the poor
man. At the present time there are thou
sands of the poor class without employ
ment. The average wage for unskilled labor
on plantations is sc cents per day. Amer
lean money. The fertility of the land and
the warmth of the climate make the de-
mand for labor very small.
81 consider that dur ing my administration
of over five months the routS to prosperity
i'll Porto Rico was surveyed. broad gauge
roadbed made. the rails laid. the rolling
stock furnished and the locomotive started
1t now remains. | believe for capital to
take and operate the road, benetiting the
Porto Ricans as well as increasing itself"