The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-05-01
MEAT OF one,
FOUL OF OTHERS.
Puerto Rico to Have Different
Treatment Than Hawaii
AND OTHER POSSESSIONS
Some Favored with the Best That Is Going
And Others Taxed to the Limit
Comment On the situa-


And Others Taxed to the Limit
Comment On the situa-
tion.
Special to News Democrat.
Washington, April 27-The peculiar
status of Puerto Rico with reference to |
the United States. Is certain to con-
tinue to land this country in all sorts |
of contradictions. The latest of these |
Is shown forth by a letter from Assis- |
tant Secretary Spaulding of the trea-
sury department, addressed to the |
surveyor of customs at Kansas City
Mo. The surveyor had written to ask |
whether a drawback to the amount of
duty collected could be allowed on salt
used in curing meat exported to
Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines.
Under existing laws of the United
States, when foreign materials are i'm
ported and combined with other materi
ais, into a manufactured product, which
| Is then exported, a drawback amount
| ing to the value of the duties paid on
| the components of the article is al
lowed, and the Kansas City people
naturally hoped to take advantage of
this. Secretary Spaulding, however,
replied as follows:
IT have to state that the department
| Is of opinion that Puerto Rico is not a
foreign country within the meaning of
the drawback law, and that. therefore,
no refund Of duty can be allowed by
way Of drawback on goods exported to
Puerto Rico. The department is furth-
er Of opinion that merchandise export
ed to Cuba and the Philippine islands
would be entitled to drawback"
Was there ever a more sapient con-
clusion? Puerto Rico, says the secre-
tary, is not foreign country and no
drawback can be allowed. But draw
back will be allowed in the case of
Cuba and the Philippines. There, it
must be inferred that both of these last
are foreign countries, in the opinion of
the department. Yet Puerto Rico and
the Philippines were acquired by the
same treaty under the same terms.
This is making fish of one and fowl of
the other with vengeance. While on
!, the subject of Puerto Rico, it may be
: said that plans are on foot by huge
corporations to gobble up the plan
; tations and other real estate in Puerto
, Rico, which are heavily mortgaged, and
: the owners of which are or may be
, unable to liquidate their Indebtedness
|
5 heavy interest payments prior to that
8 time fall due. This can only be pre-
5 vented, and our friends saved from ruin
D by the amendment to the Puerto Ric-
Z an act now proposed providing that "nc
Y corporation shall be authorized to con-
. duct the business Of buying or selling
t real estate, or Of engaging ir
( agriculture, or be permitted to hold OF
e own real estate except such as may HI
i reasonable necessary to enable it t
carry out the purposes to which it 1!
n created"
v Certain prominent Republicans, be i
e said to their credit, are urging thi
n amendment, but most of them ar
n apathetic or hostile, and the Demo
e Gratis alone cannot pass it. The govern
70 ment has already felt compelled to sus
= pend the foreclosure of the mortgages
The suspension will terminate on Jun
e 20, If not sooner. The total amour
/ of the mortgages is in the neighbor
'e hood of 2S,000,00 pesos, and the tota
y estimated valuation of all the planta
le ton farms and other real estate 4
a Puerto Rico, in 1897, year before tn
1t cane fields and the extensive an
lie fruitful coffee plantations were de
is stroyed by the hurricane, reducing tn
assessed valuation by millions G
re pesos, amounted to 7S,OO0,0OO pesos. Th
re total mortgage Indebtedness, therefore
p amounted to 36 per cent Of the tote
ye taxable valuation. The rate of interes
lg varies from per cent to 20 per cent
h. year, and in some cases is still highe
Id The average rate. according to tn
We estimate of General Davis. is 10 to
ne per cent. The interest is compounde
rs yearly-sometimes every six months
to 1t is understood that a large propol
Ia ton Of the total Indebtedness is no
held by capitalists in the United State
who are putting on the screws an
making preparations to acquire title
as corporations, to correspondir
proportion of the coffee, sugar and t
=, bacco lands and manufacturing plan
u In Puerto Rico, where wages are 10
and the lands exceedingly fertile ar
productive. and are holding out allu
ing prospects of enormous profits
prospective investors. With no r
oo strictions on the granting of corpora
~ rights and privileges in the island it
's believed that the gains of speculate
ia who went in on the ground foo
nd would far exceed the dreams Of avaric
,er The scheme to turn Puerto Rican coffe
he sugar and tobacco plantations into
I'M great corporation would fail Of succe
os IL the proposed franchise provision
shall be enacted into law. Thereto
u" the trusts and millionaire corporatio
Oh behind the scheme are fighting it too
ng and nail, and no one who understan
W. the intimate relationship between t
ed Republican party, the trusts, and car
les paign funds can doubt that they W
at succeed.