The evening times., 1900-10-11
AFFAIRS IN PORTO RICO.
Gen. George w. Davis Submits His
Annual Report.

3CSbSt8iiACt.A iLddy. ATEi1Ei a. JAWS hosal
that the only events OF Importance occur
ring during the year were the utilization
cf very large part of the military es-
Enlistment as a hurricane relief corps,
the holding of elections for local officials
! throughout the department, the transfer
to the civil authority of the control and
government of the island and the estab-
lishment OF native battalion of native in
fahtry. He says that some 2,TGG persons
peFished in the hurricane.
Tne relief conducted by the Army con-
sisted in the distribution Of some SO, 000,-
| 00o rations Zone pound each) to the fam
ishing natives of the island and extended
over period of almost a year. Besides.
relief work was provided for the Idle
worbInen so that self-supporting wages
! could be earned and the facilities for COM
| munication between the towns improved.
Upon this branch OF work nearly 81 .G0G.-
600 was allotted by the Secretary OF War
and the funds have been or are being ap-
| piled in road construction.
While the help given by the United
States has been the means OF saving many
| lives it did not reach every individual
who required it.
The amounts earned of the allotments
! by the Secretary OF War for relief work
on roads to June 80, 1900, aggregate 1892
131, leaving available for continued relief
work the sum of S557. .861, which is being
earned at the rate Of about $4,000 per
month
Regarding the elections, General Davis
says:
In September local oficfals were prop
erly elected at Adiuntas and before the
1
ellis. municipal judges. and boards of edu
cation had been chosen and installed in ali
the towns of Porto Rico.
The qualifications for voters were de-
termined by the military commander and
these, briefly stated, were the possession
of a reading and writing knowledge of
some language, the would-be voter
must have paid at least 81 in tax within
the preceding eighteen months. Under
such conditions, the number OF votes p0lled
reached an aggregate of 81. 179- which is
about 3-8 per cent of the population.
These elections were honestly held, ev-
cry man whe possessed the requisite qusI-
fication had no difficulty in depositing his
! ballot and every vote was properly count
ed. Either an officer or on-eommissioned
officer OF the Army was chairman Of each
board of registration, Of supervision. and
OF canVasse-s.
These elections conducted under strict
AILi5 SUPERVISION were the nrSL ever QGiG
in the island that gave honest returns and
there is no hazard in the statement that
there viii never be held a faIrer election.
There was never present at CT near
voting place an armed soldier The bayo-
net was conspicuous by its absence"
General Davis reports that the expert
nent o. utilizing the natives as soldiers
has proved marked success. They adopt
the ways of the business readily and gem
orally compare faVorably with the Ameri-
cans as respects health and availability
for duty General Davis gives some inter
esting information regarding the status of
the deseTfeFE IN the American Army. He
says;
Il have long been of the opinion that
the proportion of the deserters caught
and punished bears to the whole so small
a ratio that no influence whatever is pro-
duced upon military discipline in general
by the apprehension and punishment Of
the few men who are secured
Every soldier in the Regular Army is
actually volunteer. Upon enlistment he
subscribes to the oath which is in fact
nothing more nor less than a promise or
contract of future service and conduct
Public sentiment in America is inclined
10 regard the deserti6n Of soldier is
nothing more than a breach of contract.
! There is no strong public sentiment, ever
active, to discountenance and punish de-
sertion as there is in countries whose
armies are filled by conscription. In
France, Germany, Austria, and Russia
there are practically no deserters. while
in England and. the United States, whose
armies are filled by means of voluntary
enlistments, desertions are very common
and ever will be.
IF man is disgusted with his con-
tract with the Government and he reaches
a state of mind constraining him to de-
sert, the sooner the command is rid Of
that man the better. and his arrest and
apprehension IS an act without profit or
benefit to his regiment or to the military
service. Money paid for him is money
wasted
THE policy ever pursued by the United
States and England is to rely upon the
people to furnish armies for national de-
fence and other purposes Conscription
was resorted to by the URiced States in
1864 and a sorry lot of soldiers was the
result. The Beers have only volunteers
in their army and they seem to find no
difficulty in maintaining an effective force
in the field. and England is ccntending for
mastery IN the Transvaal, using in the
campaign her volunteers.
4 am Of the opinion that it is
waste of money to pay for rewards for
the apprehension and delivery CT desert
ers l would not arrest a deserter at ali
and / would not re-eniist him If the
deserteTs succeeded in passing the re-
cruiting officers and were afterward reg
ognized they should be stripped CT tEeir
uniforms. given cheap suit Of clothes,
and drummea out of camp. placerdtd DE-
serter.'
In conclusion General Davis calls at
tention to the condition of Porto Rico
when the military government was SUI
perseded by civil authority. He says:
ION April 80 the machinery CT civil
rienced public officers. and the organiza-
ton, with departments, bureaus, AID
other branches, both insular and M nj
ordered by Conugress to be ms itut sd
could the following day be launched and
carried forward in efficient and eco
nomical manner.
The courts of the island were all II
the discharge of their proper functions
The Gockets were not crowded as they
were a year before. The prisons and j4ils
we're we'll kept and were not overflow ng-
The public highways were in fine co n
dition, and were being rapidly extend d.
The amount that could be spared fr3m
the Treasury for education was being a >
piled in such manner as to give in cue
ton according to modern meth Gs ID
over sc, eco children. The laws of taza-
tion had been changed so that very
heavy and oneroGs burdens had been r.
moved from the poor.
in Office in very municipality were
officers who in every instance Wsra the
choice OF the electors, thus granting to
the municipalities almost c1mplate