West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-12-27
FROM PORTO RICO.
A Preston County Soldier Writes or His
Life In Our New Possessions.

foNcE, Porto Rico, Dec. 10, 1900.
Mr.. J. Slidell Brown,
Kingwood, w. Va.
Dear Sir I'll will endeavor TO pen Won
a few lines once more for your paper. re-
ceived copy of il a few days ago and am
glad to say its contents are always noted
with pleasure. I was transferred from Co.
{ to Co. ii when Co. & went to the States.
as the soldiers In this Island still get the
war pay which amounts to 20 cents on the
dollar and the service counts double time.
which amounts to quite a nice thing if one
would expect to remain in the army. Well
there is not many soldiers in Porto Rico a,
this time. The entire Fifth cavalry has
been sent to different parts of the States
and eight companies of the Eleventh Reg
iment OF Infantry. Only four companies
remain here. and two batteries of the Fifth
Artillery are all the American soldiers that
that are left. The Eighth company of foot
Infantry, four companies of mounted In
fantry OF natives enlisted. These will all
be mustered out of The service next Iune.
do not think we will 60 to the States be-
fore the native soldiers are recognized.
Well there is quite lot of improvement
being done on the Island, but il is hard to
please these people, for nearly a million
dollars has been appropriated for public
roads. When il came to CONSTRUCTING and
building the roads the very people that
asked Tor them and were going to give so
much to have them built, want more dam
ages for right of way than the money an.
proPriated for the roads. Then again. to
show you how liberal they are, soon after
the Galveston disaster the editor of the
San Juan News started relief fund for the
sufferers of the southern City. There was
a list OF names KEEP, and published every
rev days, as the money was received, and
there was little less than five hundred
dollars subscribed, and by the list it was
shown that mostly all that was given was by
Americans of the Island. Every paw dav
the Sisters of Charity are allowed permis.
sion to borrow and to beg money for their
charity institution. Most all of the Ameri-
can soldiers give them small sum, but the
natives never have anything TO give.
There is large crop of sugar cane to be
harvested and the planters have begun TO
advertise for men, and still they can not
find work, and their people are suffering,
simply because they do not want to earn
a living by work, when they can beg il
easily. They did not do anything but riot
and fight during the campaign. They have
gotten on to the scheme of keeping little
money ON hand in San Juan by arrestine
soldiers and blue jackets and 6nlng them
from five TO thirty dollars in the Police
Court. This scheme Is worked by native
insulting the soldiers, and II they undertake
to defend themselves, which any American
will do, they arrest the American and let
the native 60. The greater part of the
Americans doing business here went to the
States with the last lot Of soldiers.
Another instance, when the money vas
being changed the same people who had
nothing TO eat, no money and begged their
living, had hundred or 50 pasoes To be
changed on another case. Last winter
while was out in the interior dispensing
raiions TO the poor, knew an old gentle
man whose family go, their rations every
week. They had small coffee plantation
that contained about 10 acres, which was
said to produce as much coffee as any other
plantation of its size. This old gentleman
bad two sons, either one as old as am.
His daughter had gold watch, that an
American soldier had made her present
of. When the war was going on, the old
gentleman was trying to pawn il for thirty
dollars to get money to have the old plan
ia,ion cleaned up so Il woald bear coffee.
This Is what keeps the Porto Rican poor.
because II he controls as much as ten dol.
lars worth q property be wants 10 hire his
work done instead Of doing a part Of it him
self. have seen some fine writing slou,
the chances In the West Indie Islands
From my experience and seeing the way il
3 conducted, the people who have 10 work
for living are those who have money 10
invest. America IS the place TO take
chances and those who have learned Porto
Rico did not stay long enough and relied on
what somebody else said and not on their
own experience, and where Americans have
started IN any business, FIVE have failed
where one has succeeded Probably have
said too much sbou; the poor sufferers and
this letter may find us way 10 the waste
basket, instead Of the paper. will close
hoping to receive a few cOpys Of The Ar.
Gus and wishing IL and its many readers a
merry Xmas and happy New Year.