Graham guardian., 1900-08-10
TRJE DEMOCRACY VS.. yoREY.
FEDERAL IMPERIALISM.
Horrible Treatment of the Pureto RicaNs
by the Imperialists.
A purK

by the Imperialists.
ny "A. buck.
Puerto Rico Is supposed to have
become part of our territory and
it has never before been intimated
that people who were citizens of
any territory belonging to the
United States could be subjected
to the payment to the government
oi' either import or export duties.
Only think of 1.-THE Puerto
Ricans who hailed our flag with
joy and welcomed our troops as
their deliverers from Spanish OPP
pression-who thought they were
becoming part and parcel Of this
great Republic people whose
markets in Spain and elsewhere
were closed to them-depression
and starvation staring them in the
face-controlled since the war
closed with the iron hand of milf
tary rule--were, by the very first
Legislation proposed by the So
called "divinely appointed trus-
tees" to be despoiled after the
manner of ancient British and
Spanish colonial rule. Such treat
ment is the same, in all respects,
as that contended for, at the time
of our revolution, by King George
the LII. 1t was then claimed by
the king and Lord Granville, the
kings right bower, that the
British parliament was absolute
sovereign in America and that
parliament had a right to impose
any tax that it might see fit upon
goods that entered or left Ameri
can ports. Lord Granville, in the
debate upon that subject, said:
''The object of the stamp act is to
establish the undoubte2 authority
of British legislation in all cases
whatsoever" This is precisely the
same reason giv>n by our modern
iEperialists in proposing to tax
and rule over the Puerto Ricans as
vosSal subjects. 1t has certainly
come toa pretty pass when pre-
tended American statesmen will
use a bill passed by British par
lament that precipitaed the war
of the revolution, as u prototype
for an iniquitous measure to OPP
press people who are citizens of
our own territory.
Why should Puerto Ricans be
thus treated? They are certainly
worthy of something better. More
than three fourths of them are of
Caucasion blood. They are brave
people and years ago they pro-
tected the Island successfully
against the attacks Of the British
navy. In 1872 there were about
10000 slaves on the island. In
1873 the slaves were all emanci-
pated without any convultion or
disturbance whatever. The peo-
pie of the island paid the owners
of the slaves Sl2,000,000, thus
showing their intelligence and
humanity. 1t is doubtful whether
as noble a record can be found
elsewhere in the annals of his
tory.
Previous to the advent of GEN
eral Miles upon the island they
were under Spanish dominion, but
the people had the same pro rata
representation in the Spanish cortes
as the citizens of Spain had. They |
had four members in the upper
house and sixteen members in the
lower house, and at home they had
local government with
suffrage. Every citizen
Of Puerto Rico had the same legal
rights as citizen of Spain had,
md it is said that The island never
lad dollar of Indebtedness ex-
,ept what the people borrowed to
)ay for and emancipate the slaves l
vi of which was paid in fourteen
years from the revenues of. the
title island only about 40 by 80
niles square. When the Ameri-
an flag was raised over the island
T had a surplus of sl,500,000 in
he treasury. But afterward the f
sland was swept by one of the h
lost terrible hurricans known to
istory and their houses and plan :
atoms almost ruined, rendering it =
ecessary to use the money in the Ii
to prevent the people |,
'om starving. While they were y
lbjects of Spain they had Il pre- J,
tariff between themselves y
nd Spain Of only 10 per cent, but u
| persuance of an act of the Span ii
h Cortes that tax was to have f.
Spired on the first day of Julyll,
S9S, and free trade to have eXI
ted thereafter between Puerto -
leo and Spain The bill passed n
owever, by the American Con- /
'css, provides for the collection L