The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1900-05-04
PUERTO RICO TARIFF
IT INJURIES SPANISH. OPPRES-
SORS OF LABOR
Who Have Been PIiing Up Large stocks
OF Products Awaiting Free Trade
with This Country-A Clear State
mont OF Facts

An important point in the Puerto
Rican question still seems misunder-
stood by a large number OF people
Three quarters OF the land In Puerto
Rico is owned by Spanish grandees
and other European aliens, and who
live In Europe, where all OF the net
earnings from the products OF their
lands are sent. This is system that
has impoverished the islanders, and
brought them to their present unfor-
tunate industrial and social condition.
From Is to 20 cents a day is the aver
age pay of laborers in Puerto Rico,
and three quarters of the population
If not more-are laborers who cult
vate the lands and harvest the crops
for their European owners.
Two and a half years ago. when our
relations with Spain were becoming
acute, these Spanish and European
owners of the lands in Puerto Rico
foresaw probable war, the early with
drawal of Spanish authority, and
eventual free trade between the Unit
ed States and Puerto Rico. They there
fore have been warehousing their
staple crops of sugar and tobacco, SO
that now vast quantities are in store
and accommodating, ready for shipment
under free trade with the United
States. To some extent American
sugar and tobacco trusts have financial
interest in, or complete ownership OF,
these crops.
OF this there can be no doubt; the
Puerto Rican working people have
nothing to lose by the imposition of the
duty upon the products of their island
entering the United States. Their
work has been done and paid for at
the prevailing rates of wages for labor
from Is to 20 cents per day. The
protests against the tariff that come
from Puerto Ricans were from those
who represented the owners of the
lands and the warehoused crops. The
protests are not coming from the la
boring people of the islands who will
be the benefciaries of the act.
The imposition of this tariff creates
fund of several million dollars which
is drawn almost entirely from aliens
or American trusts. This money goes
back to Puerto Rico for the employment
of Puerto Rcans by our government in
the permanent Improvement of the is
land. The wages our government will
pay will be higher than those paid by
the land owners, and will tend to raise
therates of wages all over Puerto Rico.
This would be impossible under i'm
mediate free trade, so, it must be plain,
free trade would only benefit those
whose oppression of Puerto Rican labor
would remain undlsturbed, and who
could thus all the better compete with
the products of American labor in the
same articles. Immediate free trade
could only benefit aliens and trusts.
The temporary tariff benefits all Amer
leans and only Injuries aliens and
trusts.
A couple OF years of this, and the
Puerto Ricans will be in receipt of
wages approximating to those paid to
the laborers on the sugar and tobacco
plantations in the United States, from
rs cents to dollar day, and at the
end of the two years in which the
tariff is to remain in force the free adj
mission of Puerto Rican products into
the United States will not have a dis
turbing effect upon those products of
the mainland with which they will
compete.
1t is impossible, in view of these
facts, which are confirmed by official
reports from the officers of the United
States stationed in Puerto Rico, for any
sincere or informed person to point out
where the imposition of the tariff upon
the products Of Puerto Rico for two
years will injure either Puerto Ricans
or Americans. On the contrary, it is
a distinct benefit to all whom the Unit
ed States desires to benefit. The more
this subject is studied the more this
will become apparent. This is a case
where eXpediency is synonymous of
Justice to our fellow countrymen in
Puerto Rico and at home. That is our
first duty, and the tariff performs it.