The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-11-23
PORTO RICO
LAZ|NESS
Everything Is Put Off
Until Tomorrow.
POWER OF THE ALCALDE
A Visitor Tells Of the Peculiar Poll
tics and Cpurtship Of the
Island.
San Juan, P. R.. october a. 1900.


San Juan. P. R., October q. 1900.
Having spent a number Of months on
this island during a so-called turbulent
period I give you few impressions of the
land and it's people as they appeared to
me.
] When left New York last April the in
dependent press. or rather Bryan papers.
were lavishly using red scare heads on the
riots in Porto Rico. Upon my arrival
here found things quiet as an Aexan-
dria Sunday. Beyond few small labor
riots nothing has occurred to destroy the
mcnotony of the even heat
The change was made from military to
civil government with as little excitement
as would occur in the transferring of a
crossroads postoffice. There was speech
making in plenty, but its spellbinding
quality was lost by the time it reached
the sweltering crowd, through Spanish
interpreter Governor Allen has made a
good impression on the people. but he has
a tremendous job on his hands to govern
the Porto Ricans satisfactory to them.
The wealthy land-holders are no doubt
satisfied, as their holdings are bringing in
more revenue at present than ever be-
fore. 1 know poor people here in San
Juan who are paying $40 per month rent
for one miserable room with q ground
floor. with no water or any improvements
, whatever. 1 often wonder how the poor
:, (who form 80 per cent of the population)
manage to exist.
The Government pays good wages to the
! few laborers it employs and these have
struck on a number Of occasions for $S
per day. This demand was all out of rea-
son and has repeatedly failed.
They have some first-class labor agita-
/, tors here VINO would hold their own up
even In the Coeur d'Alene country.
The trouble here is tremendous sur
plus population who are adverse to emf
grafton and the idleness of a vast terri
tory suitable for agriculture. They hud-
die together in the cities, thus making the
same mistake noticeable in our own
1 country. They are improvident to the
extreme and are absolutely Indifferent as
to the outcome of the morrow. Our noble
: red men are the personification of thrift
. In comparison, and the latter has the
n in the first two.
8 Their general poor physique Is due to
n immortality and ignorance Of nutritious
t foods. They stuff themselves with ba-
: nanas and sweet cakes instead of Guilt
waiting a taste for beans and rice The
cook stove is An unknown quantity ex-
cept in swelldom. and a few moments 10
sufficient to spend on their most elaborate
meal. on ono Of their little charcoal af-
. fairs.
Eighty per cent of the population are
\ under ten years. Of age. so you can imag-
inc the number of children crawling
around the streets They tell me that
woman's main ambition Is to help the
\ population of this island and 1 earnestly
u believe II. They are kind and loving with
their offspring, but not generous In the
matter of clothing for them the primitive
style being deemed sufficient until the
child has become large enough to make
individual protest.
We have all the tropical fruits in ahund-
ance, but yearn for the juicy apple, pear
u and peach. 1 have not seen one of tine
= latter two on the island. The Americans
have cultivated a taste for the cocoa dc
aqua, which Is the milk of a green cocoa.
nut These may be had at every turn
= The vender chops off the top with huge
knife. At first attempt the contents are
!. generally deposited on the shirt front.
There are large number of capitalist.
. seeking franchises Of all kinds at present
. and the board acting same are yer,
!. deliberate, the chances for wind promo
= ters are very slim. 1t will be Godsent
= to this country when they are all in oper
. alton. AT present there Is an electric light
= ing system under way here in San Juan
= and an electric road nearly completed Z
K
= track is now being laid on the principa
= business street, which is very narrow. an
= I fear that company has trouble ahead Il
= the way of law suits, unless they put Of
= lengthy cow-catchers covered with cush
/. ions. This street Is always crowded wit
= people, and as they have never seen
trolley in all its glory, I imagine thei
curiosity will be their undoing.
WORRYING ABOUT THE FEVER.
We are very anxious about yellow fe
yer epidemic, and all precautions are be
. ing taken in a sanitary way. The islam
has been free from this scourge since ou
. occupation, but the reports from Cub
have put the officials here on the aler
. San Juan is quite elevated and continual
. ly swept by ocean breezes, so think
will be hard to obtain a foothold. 1t ha
be flushed occasionally. as the odors es
. Gaping from the traps In the heart of tn
city are something unbearable.
The island is at present suffering fror
too much police" There are two KIND
of police, the insular and municipal Their
are two separate heads, with no connec,
ing link, and no piatonics love betwee
s~ them but 1 understand that treaty ha
been made by which they can act joint
in case of riots. In political disturbanc
in this city about three weeks ago tn
ul- former body stood idly by waiting Tor OF
al, ders, while the latter were impotentf
struggling to quiet the excited populac'
iu- 1t Is said that fully 500 shots We're IRE
sc. that night, and only one person hit-an OF
ers lady. A riot order has been issued b
an General Davis which prescribes the cor
has duct of the regulars in case OF trouble