The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-08-15


time, however, when some of the
causes which have produced it are
considered and they are very clearly
presented for consideration in a long
Indictment of the United States Gov
ernment in its dealings with the
island which was published in the
Diario de Puerto Rico ten days ago
aud has just come to hand
The protest is dignl6ed, specific
and forcible 1t asserts that the
United States Government has des
,royed the autonomy which the island
possessed, and which was more am
pie than that enjoyed by Canada; that
instead of three senators and sixteen
Representatives r IN the Spanish
Cortes, who helpsd to rule their own
island as we'll as the mother couotry,
Porto Pico is now given one dele
cate, without vote in the American
Congress; that instead of q council OF
secretaries, whose resolutions were
always sanctioned by the Governor,
there is now an executive council
composed mainly of "aliens, and
that ips,ead OF an insular chamber.
elected by the vote Of the people,
and having power to legislate con
cerning budgets, public works,
publlc education, charters, pubic
health, post offices and telcgrapbs,
there is now chamber Of Delegates,
"whose authority is nothing" as the
executive councii-composed mainly
of aliens-can approve or reject the
laws which 1t enects
These changes have not been in
the ilne of extended and enlarged
powers OF looa! self government. and
they certainly constitute sufficient
of dissatisfaction and complaint
But there are others
Uuder Spanish rule, we are remind
ed, the islanders chad a system of
education tolerably well organized
with sufficient room for the introduc.
ton of reforms leading to it's
perfection y Today, they boast of
an educational system through whose
errors the pupils have just lost one
full year and will probably lose the
successive ones if God does not come
to their rescue
TEey had daily mail communlca
ton with all the towns Of the island u
"Now the communication with quite
number of the towne has been re
duced to thrice week. while the
postal and telegraph rates have been
considerably increased, and the
stations closed at night and during
holidays. when formerly they were
kept open DAY and night
They chad budget that always
showed a surplus, despite the fac;
that the war and navy expenses, as
we'll as the pension fer the descend,
ants Of Christopher Columbus, were
paid from it :" Now they have a
bulge. with q deficit amounting to
a million dcilars y
Under Spanish rule, tley Tad
native employees exclusively il all
Government affairs, aud the money
coming from our purses thus found its
way into the purses of our country,
men - "Today all the Offices are
nearly exclusively held by Amer:-
cans, who have been assigned at fat
salaries And why not, if they them.
selves fix those salaries and they
themselves collect them?'
Uoder Spanish rule they had scs-
frage available by ell male persons
over 25 years Of age. without regard
to their being or not being taxpayers.
or their ability to read and write !"
To-day We have restricted and in-
coon nple,e Suffrage. which deprives the
masses Of that very right which self
government granted them
Besides all this, we see told that
uever uodsr Spanish :ule vas the
domicile of a Porto Rican violated /;
that DO newspaper vas ever suppressed,
a, has been done under Amerlcao
aduiuis,ratiou that 90 civil fopc.loo-
ary ever invaded the jurisdiction Of tbe
Judge, as the American Governor has
DOW done BY ordering the freedom OF a
policeman who fred bis revolver 90
defeuceless women !; :bat gambling
dene did DOT flourish as they COW Go !;
that soldiers did not kill laoorcrs aod
remaio uoponlshed that there was not
one law for the rulers and another for
the natives; that the island vas Got de-
nied the benefits OF the Constitution OF
the bone COUNTRY; that the people did
not have to cmigrase. famine stricken
aud ouac. so as not 10 perish. There
are many Other counts in the indlct-
meot. cot the leas, being that the death
rate 90 the is:apd has trebled since
th,f rho lori #