Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-03-29
An EDITORS VIEWS.
James ]. Roche, Of the Boston Pr
lot, Talks About Puerto Rico.
The ISLAND is OvER.POPULATED.
A Great Deal Of Poverty Owing to the Hur.
ricsns Last August aud Wsat Of Work
At Present-N0 Place for
Americans.

New York, March 24.-James Jeffry
Roche, editor of the Boston Pilot,
was a passenger aboard the United
States transport Mcclellan, which
reached port yesterday from San
Juan, Puerto Rico, and Santiago de
Cuba. Mr.. Roche spent three weeks
on the island of Puerto Rico observing
the people and their condition. From
his experiences while there Mr.. Roche
said that he was compelled to con-
fess "the United States is in the I'M
gracious position of having deprived
the islanders of their foreign trade
and given them nothing in place Of
it,"
"The feeling" he continued, "is
that It is cumbersome, uncertain and
unsatisfactory way of doing business
to collect revenue from them with one
hand and give it back with the other.
In other countries it. has happened
that some of the money adhered to
one of the other hands during the
process and with the best Of inten-
tions we cannot hope for much bet
ter results here.
"The absurd and contradictory GUS
tom prevailing, goods that come from
the United States from Puerto Rico
must be in American bottoms, pro.
vision which recognizes Puerto Rico
as part Of the United States and sub.
ject to our coasting trade law, but
when goods arrive they are not treat
ed as domestic goods, but purely as
foreign and the receiver must pay
duty accordingly. This peculiar con-
struction applies both to imports and
exports.
"The island is over-populated and
as the doctrine OF Nautilus has never
taken root there, further crowding
is inevitable. There is a great deal
Of poverty there, due to the results
OF the hurricane last August and the
want Of work at present. The peo-
pie are in q distressing state Of sus-
pense, which prevents all trade until
the tariff question is settled.
"The military government is well
administered for the most part and
under any conditions is likely to re-
main a necessity for some time to
come. ! have little respect for the
hackneyed, patronizing phrase, they
are fit for self-government, but If
you should say the Puerto Ricans are
not fit or ready for government such
as that of the United States, with all
of It's duties and responsibilities, while
| might agree with you, would not
like to be called upon to say how
many parts of our own country here
at home are to-day in like condi-
ton. The Puerto Ricans are not fit
for full independence, for they never
had the opportunity for qualifying
for 1t, but we must not treat them as
the Spaniards did, and give them per-
mission to swim, coupled with an
order not to go near the water. The
result Of Spain's misgovernment is
apparent everywhere. 1t is the origin
of all the evils in the island, igno-
rance, poverty and whatever lawless-
ness there may be.
puerto Rico Is no place for Amer
leans to go with a view to occupa-
ton, manual or otherwise. Labor is
too cheap, Unless all testimony be
untrue, it is no place either for our
smarter politicians, for the natives
can beat them in every phase of the
game.
"The work of one man in Puerto
Rico appealed to me particularly.
That man was Bishop Blenk, He is
prudent, courageous and far-seeng.
u thorough-going American in every
way, who will give Il much needed re-
organization to the chaos resulting
from the Spanish regime"