Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-03-30
WHATPORTORICOH NEEDS
A Statement Of the Case by an
Islander.
VIEWS OF DELEGATE LARRINAGA.
The Island Need. Ciyn Government,
lief or It VIII starye-Iiope. to See
Is Coffee Marketed In the United
states soon.

states Soon.
a clear and concise statement of the
attitude Uf the people of Porto Rico
with regard To the pending adjustment
of their affairs was given recently 10
Star Reporter 10y Mr.. TulO
Larrnasa Of San Juan, one of the fe,l-
eral delegates To Washington to atteud
to the insular interests at this Junctur'.
Mr.. l.arrinaga, who is staying at tie
Hotel Cochran, is a civil engineer and
through his professional work has be-
come thoroughly acquainted with ey-
cry phase of the islands affairs. He
speaks excellent English and expresses
himself plainly and without agitation.
yet with deep feeling. He said:
Let the American people and cOu-
gress understand us thoroughly. We
want, Of course, free trade with the
mainland. That is our chief desire as
regards the tariff situation. But we
need the civil government features of
the pending bill even more keenly. We
would be grateful for a reduction of
the tariff rates from 100 per cent "
course. Anything less than the full
Dingley rates would help us by adding
to our chances for finding a market
Our hope for free trade Is based, how
ever. upon the desire to see n principle
established, not necessarily that the
constitution applies to us of its own
force. hut to permit us TO feel that we
have become In tangible manner ct
tached to the American Union. We
want to feel that we belong to you and
are OF you, not that We are a mere de-
pendency. TO he treated precisely us
any political whim may dictate.
Perhaps It IS not fully understood
that we are almost exclusively an az
ricultural people. At least 81 per cent
of our Inhabitants depend directly upon
the plantations for their living. Tie
other 90 per cent thrive upon indus
tries and professions and other callin.s
which are themselves sustained by the
plantations and the trade OF the planta-
tion workers. So that the plantation
is the unit OF our prosperity. and any
thing that affects it unfavorably af-
fects the whole population as certainly
as any cause will produce its assured
effect
"Therefore industrially our great
need is for a market. We have 10
market today. There is the very slight
est profit possible upon any of our com
molities and upon those only which
are produced by improved methods.
Most OF the plantations are not equip
ped with labor saving machinery and
their owners cannot today sell save at
loss. The warehouses are filled with
harvested crops, while the fields lie
practically idle and the thousands Of
laborers who would otherwise be en-
ployed and prosperous are starving
and dying.
But il must not be thought that the
lessening Of the tariff rate will meet
our needs. That would be only TEN
porary relief. 1t would permit us to
market the stored crops and perhaps
to start the plantations again upon a
reduced scale. But it would not en-
courage capital to establish itself in
the island, nor would it draw workers
to us with labor and means. We need
guarantees Of stable government, civil
government The military govern
ment has been comparatively mild and
Just. but it is wrong in principle and is
of III 70 Of No
pie. who have been led to expect the
other kind. Whatever the form-we
do not haggle over forms-any kind Of
civil government to replace the mill
tary administration would settle af
fairs upon permanent basis and cap
ital would seek investment thus stimu-
lating the industries of the island.
80 We hope that the senate will not
divide the pending bill or table the
civil government proposition. We need
free trade measure with civil govern.
ment features, but we are willing in
our great distress to accept tariff
measure with the civil government
features. We must have the latter or
people and imbued with regard for
the sanctlty Of human life, we would
Willingly say to your congress: IF YOU
will not give us this relief. send an
army among us and kill us. We were
better dead. all Of us, than smtten, by
these conditions you have imposed
upon u.s.
There should be no hesita ton about
adopting the free trade proposition, for
there would be no trouble whatever
Tor Porto Rico to raise all necessary
revenue by internal taxation. We can
raise $l,5OO,O00 year on rum alone.
1--WE would need only about $1,000
600 year to run the insular govern
ment and give us plenty of chance tc
progress. Porto Rico has always beer
well to do. 1t was always able to re
spOnd to Spain's calls for money. Il
has always been a money lender. Ant
yet we have paid the army, the clergy
the pensions and the heavy drafts
from the Madrid ministries without s
strain. And when General Mile!
marched through the island there wa
a surplus of $1.500OO0 in the treasury
We have none Of those heavy charge
upon us now, and our task of self sup
port will be much easier than ever i
only we have the chance.
at has been urged that our croo
! would unsettle the trade balances ant
injurlOusly affect the prices Of suga
and coffee and tobacco. The absurG;:
Of this statement is to be appreciate
by mere glance at the map. shown
the small size Of the land and the tasig
nificance Of this little plantation CON