The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-24
A FREE MARKET FOR PUERTO RICO.
Reasons Why Congress Ought to he
Ashamed 10 shut tho Door.

ashamed 10 NHut W s'"o''
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUNNI When tho
President OF the United States proclaimed that
II was our plain duty to throw down the trade
barrier between the American island OF iuerto
Rico and the United States. the statement was
so thoroughly in accord with the eternai III.
ness OF things that to question II seemed
absurd.
TIE Suy, which so almost universally strikes
the right American keynote "a to be easily inc
most influential aud the truest exponent OF .
wise and just public opinion. Endorsed the
Presidents views heartily. and acquiescence Ia
them by Congress seemed 10 be q matter OF
course.
There IL no question that the consensus OF
Congressional opinion. at the time the freH.
dents message appeared. was a concurrence
with the Presidents common-sense views.
But since then there have been occult forces
at work. secretly canvassing for special inter.
ests. ignoring the good sense and the generos.
iy Of feeling of the masses OF the people.
1t is not the way Of the typical American to
do a cool turn or an act Of justice in n mig.
gardly fashion. when he does anything for
another II Is in a right royal manner. such 40
warns the recipients heart. and binds 1t with
hooks of steel to his Just and generous friend
or benefactor.
NNu u lIu' u u NHlfFiNhis ~ uh iAht'ru-
ual. is truc Of the American people. They do
not stop TO count pennies--or dollars-when an
act OF justice or wholc-souled beneticence Is to
be done. The smnll-souled creatures. who
have been doing the secret and underhanded
nibbling at the deed Of American Commercial
Freedom to the suffering Puerto Ricans. are
traversing the generous instincts and the
shirt OF justice OF the American people.
But what would these SINAI Americans havef
Are they afraid OF the productive energies OF
less than a million tropical people Just hailing
their delivcrance from centuries Of Spanish
domination? 1t would be interesting to haves
composite photograph Of the faces OF the men
who seek To thwart the will Of the American
people. Are they afraid OF the two or three
thousand tons OF tobacco raised in Puerto
Rico? That tobacco used to reach the United
States via Cuba as Havana tobacco. Under
commercial freedom IL will have to pay our
Is il the $4,000 tons OF sugar the islanders
raise-about : per cent OF The consumrtlon q
the United States As f. that; we long ago a.
out duty before those islands became American
territory. Cane sugar was a domestic produc.
ton. yet we aid not shy at admitting II iree
Perhaps it is the $1,000. 900. worth Of coffee
that stimulates the enemies OF Puerto Rico e
We not take q pride In having o moderate por.
ton OF our coffee CONSUMPTION produced on
American soil. and welcome i. instead q PAY:
ING out an enormous sum for II to be largely
expended in Europe2 For II Is a well-known
fact that but a moderate percentage OF the
money we pay 70 Brazil for coffee is spent again
And what about the thirty-odd thousand tons
Of honey which opI friends, the Puerto hiean
presently infrequent sweetness to our break.
fast table TO have that honey come to us I'M.
trammelled by an internal tariff
Iarhn ma IL IL trDpipal frnitS which distuFbthA
eqnanimity OF some OF these gentlemen But
will the common Ieople say they ever got fruit
Why Is it not a good thing to have a little
banana belt all our own on Puerto Rican soilS
Our fast steamers now scour the seas and
bring us bananas from many other islands and
from the Central American coasts. We never
seem to get too many OF, them. and we GER.
tainly have no banana industry on any other
American soil to be put in jeopardy.
As TO oranges and Lemons the nose OF Florida
projects lust out OF the region o; snow and ice,
boxes OF oranges per annum., Once the people
there were happy in the production OF 5000.
600 boxes, but tariff protection without
Jack Frost reclaimed the peninsula for his
very. own. SO now we must depend on Cali.
and l.OOO.0QO boxes Of lemons. all charged
with a six-thousand- m lie round trip by rail.
The amount is far too small. and other millions
the interregnum Of the California seasons.
Here is the niche for Puerto Rican citrus fruits,
Let us welcome ner 10 ". Let the discouraged
Florida citrus growers flock TO the new An eri.
can tropical soil!
In the delightful island Of Puerto Rico there
are 1900 watered valleys. Happy ~valleysl
American valleys OF the blest! There may
the FloridiAn fruit grower be happy and pros.
porous again in a climate where Jack Frost
never shows, his hoary face to make the Or
chardist afraid.
But il is further urged that 80 per cent. Of
the Puerto RlcanS cannot read or wrltel Well.
what OF III Would they not hail with Joyous
acclaim-haye they not already so hailed-the
advent OF the schoolmaster among themP Why
twit them with the results Of Spanish misrule-
with the consequences Of the robbery from
them of two-thirds their revenuesp A decade
Of the American schoolmistress will work
wonders among the younger people. Who that
has seen the kindling eyes OF the little Italian
children in American schools as they salute the
American banner. the flag Of the only country
that most OF them have ever known. can fail to
realize the potentiality OF American citizenship
in the tots Of any language and any country over
which floats the grand old flag OF the free2
You have well said that Puerto Ricans are a.
ready for commercial freedom as they are for
sunshine. The latter they have in glorious
measure: the former II is ours to bestow. Let
them have II In a royal. whole-souled American
way! Out upon the penny counters! Let
them go hide their heads the American people
are ashamed OF theml
Gpopor " DITRRrD0u