The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-16
CONDITIONS IN THE ISLAND.
4 Delegation Here From Porto Rico
10 Urge Legislation.


The Porto Rican delegates to the United
! States, who have been in Washington for
| several weeks furthering the interests OF
their island, win next Monday participate
| in the hearing. before the House Insular
Committee on the Payne bill for the reduce
! tion of the tariff on Porto Rican products.
| At this nearing the delegates will advance
the argument that the island is a Terri
| tory of the United States, and as such
is entitled to The privileges and immunities
of the other Territories of the Union.
The Senate Insular Committee. 1t il
stated, will consider the Foraker bill
early in March, and 1t is probable that the
two measures will be considered simultl-
neously in .he House and Senate and an
! early solution of the problem reached.
The delegates from the Chamber of
Commerce of Porto Rico include Manuel
Fernandez Juncos. George /. Finlay, and
Henly Luce; those of the agricultural
| delegation are Lucas Amadeo and Enrique
Gonzales; the Republican delegates are J
Ramon Latimer and Luis Sanchez Mo-
! rales and TIE Federal delegates are Azei
Ames and Tulio Larrinaga
Mr.. Finlay is n native of the United
States. but has been in Porto Rico for
the past thirty-hve years. The other
members are well known as financiers and
merchants of the island. Mr. FinIay said
the conditions since the war with Spain
were far beyond the comprehension of the
average American. ard could only be fully
understood after visit and thorough in
vestigation. He said that II had ever been
the wish of the people for a union with
the United States. but that while the ISL
gcE
far better off than IL is at present with a
Congress which does not seem to under
stand the necessity Of quick action for the
relief of the people.
The coffee crop. which was not lost by
the hurricane. itunsalable, said Mr. Fin
lay. There is no market in Europe and
the tariff prevents its disposal in the
United States. II Is the same thing with
our tobacco. The tariff of S1.65 per pound
on that product makes its expectation to
this country prohibitiye. What we want is
free trade. We do not want regulated
tariff. We are n part of the United States.
We are as much part of it as Arizona
OF Alaska. and if that is the case, we Ger
tainly ought not TO be legislated against
We produce about sixty thousand tons of
sugar, a trile which would hardly DO
noted by the other growers who do not
have 10 pay such an enormous tariff, vet
it is so heavily taxed that we have to
keep IL there, and for want of consumers
II spoils on our hands. A friend OF mine
lost an immense warehouse full when the
hurricane visited us. He could have had 1t
sold before. but the war prevented that.
and when the storm came it blew the roof
off the warehouse and the rain melted the
entire stock TO nothing in few hours.
81 am a born American. but | cannot
help but say that we were better repre-
sented in the Cortes of Spain than we are
here Porto Rico had sixteen Representa-
tives in the Cortes and three Senators.
We are not race OF negroes. The per
centage of full blacks is not more than
s. while the mixed population is about 81
per cent The proportion of negroes to
whites is far greater in Washington than |
Il is In Porto Rico. We hope TO get a |
favorable hearir< before Congress. We |
do not think we ask much OF our adopted |
country. All we ask is that We be placed |
upon equal footing commercially with the !