Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-03-10

itaI, Direction and Intelligence
Needed TO Develop the Islands In
dustries-Interesting Picture of San
Juan City.
From whatever point Of view the city
Of San Juan, Porto Rico, is seen 1t Is
like an elaborate stage picture. The
houses as well as the Qualifications, gov
| eminent buildings, etc, rise In tiers one
behind another, and the embrasures
for the guns, the parapets and the
Moorish towers here and there add to
the effect. All the buildings are of
| brightly painted stone or brick, with
| marble tiled floors and stairs with iron
ratings The interior partitions and
roofs are also of masonry, so that the
town practically is incombustible and
needs no fire department. This applies
| to the poorest quarters of the city as
well as to the best, and the only excep-
! tions are few detached wooden
| houses and the negroes huts at the
south end. Looking out from the city
in any direction the same suggestion
of stage scenery strikes one. The blue
waters of the ocean on the one side and
the bay on the other, with the wooded
plains and the hills and mountains ris-
ing in the distance and the clear at
mosphere bringing everything appar
emily into such range, heighten the the
atrical appearance. The views in
every direction are beautiful Walking
through the city one is struck with the
smooth, clean, brick paved narrow
streets with their overhanging piazzas,
the arched entrances to the buildings
and the we'll stocked, busy and bust
nessiike stores.
We read of the dirt and poverty of
Cuba, but nothing of the sort is appar-
ent here, writes a San Juan CORE
spondent of the New York Sun. The
people Of all sorts and conditions look
well, are dressed clearly and brightly
and there are no dirty children or rag
ged negroes in any quarter such as we
see in our own southern cities. In
weeks walking through all parts l
have not seen beggar or any one who
looked as if he did not have enough TO
eat. Neither have l seen an intoxicated
person, though cafes and American
bars are plentiful and native rum is
cheap.
The American soldiers here are al
lowed to have almost every liberty,
and are to be met with everywhere
and are in appearance, manner and
action credit to their country and to
their officers. They have very little to
do, as the entire population is peace
able and friendly and satisfied to be
"Americanos" This feeling is especial
ly strong among the young men and
the rising generation of both sexes
from appearances will be as enthusi-
astic Yankees as our boys and girls in
the States The fact that there are less
than 1000 United States troops on the
entire island. with close to 100000
population, shows the friendliness of
the Porto Ricans.
AS regards comfort in living, of
course it Is warm, but there is re-
freshing breeze from the ocean or the
mountains almost always and with the
proper clothing one can be comfort
able. We have good drinking water
and there are four ice factories and
fifth is being built. Nearly everything
In the way of food supplies that can be
obtained in New York is obtainable
here, and many fruits. etc, in addi-
ton. The New Yorker feels the need
of American cookery. Though there
are some American" hotels here, so
called, grease and onions are still too
conspicuous.
The beef and milk cattle are of the
| best, fat and sleek as anywhere, but
American ways of killing and dressing
the beef would be big improvement.
Fish are excellent and plenty. There
is no game worth speaking of. but nei-
Their are there poisonous snakes c. in
sects, so we won't grunYble at that. OF
course we have summer vegetables,
| beans, tomatoes, lettuce, etc, all the
time, winter and summer.
With free trade and the general posi-
! ton of equality with the states that
Porto Rico is entitled to as American
territory, there will be an influx Of
American capital and enterprise that
will, before many years, make this one
of our states to be proud of. Labor is
cheap. industrious and abundant. Capt.
tai and direction are what is needed.
Sugar coffee, tobacco and oranges are
the crops to raise, and the soil and the
workers are here. Money and intelli-
gence are needed particularly in the
development of the tobacco and fruit
industry. There is a great future for
both of these crops here. Tobacco is
good now, but with improved handling
and curing will equal almost any Ha-
vana Oranges and pineapples of the
best variety flourish in all parts of the
island. and before long their produc-
ton in large quantities for the states
will be among the American enter
prlses here Sugar and coffee have
first place with the Porto Rican agri-
rulturists and will probably always be
their staple crops.
Convenient For Carrying stamps.