Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-30
LIFE IN PORTO RICO
Facts About the Government in Our
West Indian Island,
LOTS OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Uncle Sam Has Already Brought
About Many Changes.
REORGANIZINd THE COURTS

copyrighted 1890, by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.
SAN JUAN Porto Rico September 10. 1899.
/ want to tell you what Uncle Sam is do
ing in Porto Rico. When the Spaniards
gave us the island they gave 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 for them rather
than for the people. 1t is safe to say that
there was hardly an honest official on the
island at the time CONQUERED it. and ]
very much doubt whether class of honest
native Porto RiCan officials could be Sc
cured today. Every man who has an office
here expects to make something out Of it
and for the present generation, at least. 1t
will be hard to teach the Porto Rican any
thing to the contrary. The insular COM
mission which was sent down by the Presi-
dent last spring finds that 1t is now costing
more than 5000 600 in salaries to run Porto
Rico This is so notwithstanding the is
land is not larger than Connecticut. and
that 1t has 100000 people. as peaceable as
anv citizens of the United States. l don't
believe there is any more crime here than
in the United States. and there IS no rea-
son why the government should be expen-
Sive.
The officials have been feeding off OF
Porto Rico for years 1t is wonderful that
he stood
such steals Every officer worked his posi-
ton for all ii worth. IF he was 1a'i-
or he made money off of feeding the pr1s-
oners. If a Judge in many cases he soIh
out to the highest bidder. and if sheriff
or tax gatherer. he was subject 10 brlbeS.
All Sorts of Expenses.
have before estimate which the
reorganized officials of San Juan made for
the city expenses for the year ending June
80. 1899. San Juan is town of 10000 peo-
pie and the estimates provide for an ex-
pendture of more than s2'f. 900. Among
the queer items are those for writing ma
terials for certain officials. The city clerk
FOR instance. gets a salary of s1.2S'. and he
asked for $3.50 for writing materials. One
of the bookkeeners wanted $50 for writing
materials. and the secretary of the alcalde
or MAYOR asked 5000 for the reason
When YOU remember that pens cost one
cent each and lead pencils can be bought
for ten cents a dozen, you will see that
these officials expect to spend considerable
on blank paper. In the city hall expenses,
see that it costs $3.50 year to wind the
clock, and that $3.50 is set aside for tools to
clean the building. Anyone who has no.
ticed the extraordinary cleanliness of the
average Porto Rican pubic building. will
appreciate the sarcasm Of this item.
In the fire department 500 is set aside for
volunteer firemen in payment for the time
lost from work while at fires. The salaries
of the common school teachers Is set down
as sl2.GnO. while cleaning the schools cost
81. 700 almost half as much as the teachers
salaries. Two thousand dollars is set down
for pensions to the widows and orphans of
government officials, and there are other
EXPENSES equally strange.
Such items make up a large part of the
government accounts all over Porto Rico
Every town of any size has its clock
winder and this notwithstanding that In
many of the towns 1t is difficult to find the
clock ! venture that more money has
been spent from time to time for writing
materials for government clerks than has
been laid out upon the roads.
Porto Rican Courts.
President Mckinley expects to reorgan-
ize the courts There is no doubt but that
this should be done at once. Until 1t IS
done no foreigners life or property will
be safe in Porto Rico. At present any man
can be arrested upon the mere statement
of another without warming 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 on his tnveSttga-
ton without giving either the criminal or
his attorney chance to aid in or offset
them. There is 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
IT. jail for months without knowing why he
Is kept there.
leans who have come down here in the en-
ploy of the government is Maj A C.
Sharpe the judge advocate or the COVER
nor generals staff. He has been 1nVest-
eating the prisons and the courts. much to
the disgust of the Porto Rican judges. He
has already succeeded in reforming many
of the ias. lie found that there were
1900 prisoners in Jail awaiting trial. This
was at the time he began his Investigations
Many of these prisoners did not know
why they had been imprisoned and some
had been arrested for the most trivial Of
lenses. One man. for instance, who
charged with stealing an empty bag. had
been kept In prison for five months with
out a hearing. Another. who stole
chicken, had been sentenced for a year and
day. and a third. who was charged. with
stealing a hog, had been in Jail year.
waiting trial.
Costly Cock Fight.
One of the queerest cases was that of a
young man named Vegas. who was ar
rested in December. 1897 for having used
in cock fight a cock which did not be-
long to him. The facts OF the case were
that Vegas had loaned the owner of the
cock dollar and half and had taken the
cock as security. While holding 1t such
he had put the cock in the ring to fight
neighbours cock, and in the fight it was
killed. The owner of the cock then made
charges against Vegas. and succeeded in
having him arrested. He has already been
In jail fifteen months. asking the judges
that he be tried. Whether the owner of
the cock had bribed the judges or not do
not know. but Vegas at last accounts was
still in prison.
At present there are four classes of judges
In Porto Rico The first is sort of police
Judge. who IL paid by fee. He has juris-
diction over cases in which the amount
does not exceed $500. and he can hear such
things as fnfringements of police resula-
lions. in blocking the streets. picking flow
ers in the parks, &c. The next Judge is a
- sort of a notary and grand jury combined
He can issue orders for arrest, examine
witnesses and state that offenders must be
tried by the court. He can settle also
minor civil matters Above this is q third