The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-26

Industrial weaitl, In the island. The tax
| returns indicate GO.a5: rural estates and
80 1S3 owners The crops most generally
raised are, according to the census of 1896.
and in the order OF areas occupied. coffee,
12l116 acres; sugar cane. 60,sSi; tobacco,
4.222. Besides these there are minor pro-
ducts. including vegetables and bananas,
to the raising NJ which 9s.j,6 acres were
devoted. and other crops, including or,
anges, cocoanuts, and fruits In general.
covering 1915 acres. The daily wages OF
the ordinary field laborer range generally
from 35 to 50 cents per day, native money.
a few OF the more skilled get from " to
20 cents. Young boys and the few wo-
men employed receive about 25 or 30 cents
per day. "The house of the laborers,"
says MIR. Carroll, "is very small and poor.
| In the rural districts 1t is built usually OF
thatch OF the PALM leaves of the sugar
cane. or other vegetables fbers. 1t Is
placed on four posts. standing from one
TO three feet from the ground. The floor
Is very uneven and far from tight. 1t
generally has three rooms. sometime $
only two. Fortunately no sash Is needed
for the windows In that mild climate AL
most no furniture is visible. A kettle
serves as sort Of portable range IN
this, with little charcoal, or splinters OF
WOOD, whatever cooking Is necessary Is
done. Sometimes u scissors bedstead
without mattresses or pillows and with
q little covering, is seen: sometimes a
| sack or two. suspended from the roof,
does duty as a hammock. These houses
are often occupied by families of five or
more, who dispose themselves for sleep
In the Inherent corners OF the rooms,
| often on palm branches. For chairs. II
| box or two must do as substitutes; and
as for tables. 1t is not every man that
| can afford one.
The ordinary household utensils, not
numerous. consist of a tin case in which
Oil was imported, with a. bar of wood
across 1t to serve as handle a fire ket
tie, like plumbers; large and small
spoons and cups and ladies'. made of the
gourd; washtubs fashioned from the
sheath OF the royal palm. the ends being
drawn together; mills for coffee and corn.
| which are circular fiat stones. and NOR
| tars followed out of the trunks of trees,
with the machete to serve as ak, hatchet
and knife. and fingers as a substitute for
forks. The food OF the rural population
consists principally OF rice. salt Goldfish.
Jerked beef. fried plantains and sweet po-
tatoes. seldom fresh meat. The plan
tain largely takes the place OF bread, and
| they use coffee. Few of the laborlng
| classes are robust. They are small, thin
and decidedly anaemic. More nour-
ishing food may he said 10 be the univer-
| sal need, and a less destructive drink
little physical injury. The clothing of the
poor is of the cheapest description pos
sible, and Is very meager The young
children generally go naked. "rhose who
have two changes of clothing, usually
| thin cotton goods. consider themselves
fortunate. As to shoes. few wear them
at all. committee of business men OF
| Ponce made "a careful cacula ton of the
number of shoes required annually for
the people of the island. Their estima te
was as follows: Fifty thousand wear
four pairs a year: 10000 wear three pairs
a year. and 10000 wear one pair "a year.
According to this 10000 of the 100000 in
ha abitants wear shoes regularly, and 10000
irregularly, leaving 100000 as belonging
to the barefoot class
| The artisans. or mechanics of the cities
and towns are better educated, have bet
ter food and wear better clothes than
do the rural laborers Re presentatives OF
eleven labor unions. painters. tnsmiths,
silversmiths. bookbinders cigar makers.
printers, masons carpenters, bakers,
|shoemakers and boatmen. appeared be.
fore the commission. Nine of the eleven
we're colored men. who seem TO monopo-
ize the trades, at least in the capital.
They We're neatly dressed. well-appeac-
ing. intelligent men. The substance of
their complaints was that their yearly in
live comfortably and educate their chill
dren. In most cases their earnings were
from 81 to $l.25 and $3.50 per days of 10 or
1, hours Work in every line is scarce.
The carpenters and masons suffer he
cause there Is little building. even in the
cities; the bakers because there are so
many of them; the tailors and shoemak-
ers because SO many cheap shoes and
clothes are imported; the printers be-
cause there Is so little demand for news
papers. Some OF the masons make less
than 15 cents per day. One of them. in
lresponse to an inquiry. said the condi-
tions had been bad ever since he could
remember them.
Justice to the Puerto Ricans demands
that the conclusions OF the commissioner 4
as to their general characteristics should
be fully stated. 1.-The haDit of Obedience
is strong among them. Their respect for
law Is another notable characteristics.
They are not turbulent or violent. Riots
are almost unknown In the island; so is
organized resistance to law; brigandage
fourished only for short time after the
war, and Its object was revenge rather
than rapne. They are not a criminal
people. The more violent crimes are by
no means common. Burglary is almost
unknown. There are many cases OF
homicide, but the number In proportion
to the population is not SO large as in
the United States. Thievery Is the most
common offense, and petty cases make up
| a large part of this list. The people as q
whole are a moral. law-ab biding class,
mild in disposition. easy to govern. and
possess the possibilities of developing to
a high type of citizenship. The fact that
so many of them enter into the marital
relation without the sanction of state or
church Is. OF course, a serious reflection
upon their social morality Half or more
of their children are ilegitmate From
this stigma they cannot escape. But too
much to their disCredit may be easily
inferred from this scandalous state of al.
fairs. Their apparent defiance of social,
icivil and ecclesiastical law is not due to
immoral purposes. but to conditions OF
long standing. against which they have
deemed it useless to struggle. 1t Is the
general testimony that persons living to-
gether. without the obligations of mar
riage are as a rule faithful 10 each other,
and care for their offspring with true
parental love and devotion"
| Making every possible allowance for the
Puerto Ricans and charging up to condi-
uCns which they were unable 10 sur
mount much in which they are defective.
Is still does not seem that they are fitted
to become American citizens i'm all that
the term implies from the very time OF
the annexation of the island. Even if the
Democratic position be correct, and the
constitution took them within it's fun
provisions from the hour that the Span
ish flag was hauled down, it does not
appear practicable, for their best inter-
ests, as we'll as those of the people of the
United States. to extend TO them all the
rights and privileges Of citizenship. Ana,
moreover, II the Democratic contention
be wight. then the constitution extends to