Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-01
LIKES PORTO RICO|
Post Office Department Official Warm
in Praise of the Island.
MONEY IN. FRUIT CULTIVATION
Natives Are Getting Accustomed
to American Ways.
WING IS CHI E A P

| Il can imagine no more beautiful sight
than the stars and stripes waving amid the
| luxurious vegetation of Porto Rico This
is what Director of Posts Elliott said this
| morning to Acting Postmaster General
Perry S. Heath in the beginning of his talk
on Porto Rico. Mr.. Elliott is the director
| general of posts of Porto Rico, and, as
| stated in The Star of yesterday, he comes
| to Washington for the purpose of con-
| ferring with post office officials concerning
| postal matters in Porto Rico Mr.. Elliott
| returned on the Caracas. and will leave
! the latter part of September with his fam
| lily for his new home at Santurce.
ITO a representative of The Star this
| morning Mr.. Elliott talked enthusiastically
! of the possession. He said: THE is
| land physically is one of the most beautiful
| it has ever been my privilege to see. 1t Is
| composed of low ranges OF mountains
| which run east and west, hiding beautiful!
| valleys and picturesque canyons. The SOIL
| is fertile to the peaks of the mountain tops,
| but under Spanish rule agriculture has
| been sadly neglected. Under Spanish rule
| l told the only thing that was permit
| ted in the way of cultivation was conee,
sugar and tobacco
Anything That Grows.
1.-The country will produce anything that
|
! wonderful degree. The country is full of
| wild oranges that have a superior flavor,
| and the pears and the pineapples are all
just a little better than anything know of.
| Porto Rico, in my estimation, is destined
| to become the great fruit supply country
| for the United States; all that is needed Is
cultivation, and the people are waking up to
| that every day.
There are two classes of people on the
island One is SpaniardS and the other
| Porto RjcanS The latter mixed SPAN
| ish and Indian and Spanish and negro; but
| the former predominant, and are easily dis
| tinguiShed by their long, straight hair and
| aQueline features.
| The Porto Ricans are delighted with the
| change which puts them under Uncle Sam
and the Spaniards. while not desiring it,
| are submitting gracefully. There is one
great trouble due to the protest of the
| Spaniards against the treatment we accord
| the Porto Ricans.
They are regarded as free and indie
| pendent, and the dons do not like this,
! since they have been holding them for
years in subsection and robbing them free
| ly, but they are realizing now that they
| cannot treat the natives as slaves.
Depressed Commercial Conditions.
81 Travelled all over the island. met all
| the alcaldes and the leading citizens. and
everywhere met with the most generous
| hospitality. The island is suffering now
from depressed commercial conditions. You
see, the laws have not been changed, and
| they have always been q hardship The
| establishment OF provisional courts by the
| United States authorities have worked
much good, and are a decided innovation.
THE coffee planters have had a hard time
| this year. The coffee grown on the island
has heretofore commanded an extra price
| in Europe, but Spain has entirely cut off
| this market by an eXorbitant tariff. The
sugar crop has been a considerable help
| on account of the good prices, and next
years crop will be a big one. You see,
business has been languishing for years
under Spanish rule, butt can see evidences
| of a general awakening. Take the tobacco
| crop, for illustration.
| "The finest tobacco is the world is grown
| on the island. out Spain compelled all its
| producers to ship the half-cured leaves to
| Cuba, where the cigars were manufactured
| No cigars were permitted to be manufac-
| tured in Porto Rico. and this is but an
| other evidence of how the islanders were
| tyrannized.
I Chance to Make Money.
| There is an abundance of opportunity
| in Porto Rico for young, energetic men to
make money The people who have been
| there and gone away disguised went upon
| the assumption that the Porto Ricans could
| be fooled. and that they would make a
| big stake in day The islanders are a
| most astute race, and learn about as quick
| ly a Yankee. The proper way to get
| alcng there is to become affiliated with the
| people They are generous and hospitable
and eager to help Americans. But they will
| not tolerate chicanery.
| 1T is not in digging gold, coal or copper
that opportunities present themselves, al
| though there are deposits of all of these
| on the island, but in the cultivation of fruit.
Labor is cheap: You can get common
| laborers at from 25 to 30 cents day. and
| they are a faithful class. Living is cheap
| and you would be surprised at the variety
| you can get In fact, there is everything to
| be had. Heretofore fresh meat has been
a n n <
| were unknown.
| Now they are building big cold storage
plant and we will have Ice all the time.
| Houses are cheap. A veritable paradise of
| . house. with large grounds and tropical
fruit growing in the back yard, may be
| had for $40 per month. Good cooks are
plentiful at from 80 to Sc per month; the
| best are from the Island of St. Thomas,
and they all speak English. L live just out
| side of San Juan, or the natives call 1t,
| Ell Capital" We have been eating en-
| balmed beef right along.
81 tell you it's good. 1 was introduced
! to it last summer at Guantanamo, and al
ways found it of the very best. They have
| fine cattle on the island, but for the want
| of refrigerating appliances not many of
| them are slaughtered, except for immediate
use. The razor-back hogs are curious little
| fellows, but produce the best pork chops
you ever tasted.
Postal matters on the island are boom
| ing. From positive chaos we have devel-
| oped first-rate system, which is working
well, to the eminent satisfaction of the
| people, who marvel at the honesty of the
Americans.
We established dead letter office some
| time ago and almost the first letter sent us
contained 81. II was directed to man
| In New York. and he could not be found
! The letter was opened and the sender dis
| closed. He was notified, and when he pre-
| scented himself and receivd the letter and
contents he looked bewildered, and ex-
claimed in Spanish: This is wonderful
Why under Spain l would never have got
even the letter" The newspapers got hold
of the story, and the result was the sys-
tenn was praised extensively.
Private Letter Carriers.
cat San Juan. Mananguez and at Ponce
we have a carrier system which works
well. The merchants also have a private
carrier called Cartiero who gets from
them one-sixth of a cent in our money for
collecting and delivering their letters. We
do not recognize these. however and do
not deliver mail to them until they have
| filed letters from the people to wohm they
are directed authorizing 1t.
gu would be astoniShed to see how
rapidly the people are adapting themselves
to our ways. They picking up Eng
fish very rapidly, and you hear spatterings
of it everywhere you go. The street arabs
have learned TO cuss with the proficiency