BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-08-26
SAN JUAN, AUGUST 26, 1901.
Editorial Comment.

Toe BOLETIN MERCANTIL has strongly
urged from the first the taking Of imme.
dlate measures for the protection of our
coffee trade through public action at home.
Our suggestion has been that meetings
should be called and the matter fully dis
eus>ed in all its bearings and that boards
Of trade and all orher commercial bodies
of the island should cooperate in the NOV
ement
We are glad to note that stong pub
] c. interest has been aroused and that our
prop p'sal to send a delegation to the states
t, properly place our needs before the
American people and their representatives
ia the congress aCill be followed. This is
the only effective way to secure the prot
ecton We seek and there can De no doubt
that snch cuorse of action will give us
the ear of the legislative authorities at the
capital and thus obtain early redress in our
behalf.
We may expect to encounter antagonis-
tic influences coming frcm coffee dealers
tch0 may wi III to have a free hand in
shipping the inferior products of other
countries into our ports aud there will be
the POI. .tical opposition of the r.dical free
traders against US but the argument is in
our favor. no deserving interest Can suffer
by the pacing of a small tax on the i'm
portation Of foreign coffees sufficient to
cover the difference in value, while such
a measure will be of vita, import to us
The strike continues to grow in power
as the various working bodies enter into
the movement and there is q growing pros
psct for the unions to he successful. k'Ies
iaent Shaffsr has signified his willingness
10 modify the demands that have beer
made on behalf of the strikers should the
men so decide in convention, but it is
probable that arbitration will soon be de
c'sively invoked and the controversy thus
settled.
There are signs that the steel trust is
losing ground and that many strong com
binatious are taking advantage of the situa-
ticn to entrench themselves and secure as
many advance orders as possible. 1t may
be that these opposing forces of the trust are
secretly lending aid to the unions.
Should the working men on the contrary
lose the points for which they are contending,
it will be years before organized laoor can
Recover from the blow. The practice LoU
throughout the non-union mills is to main
lain such a system of espionage that no
proselyt;ng can be Cone no matter how
secretly attempted. The question as to
whether the right to closely organize is all
on one side mag be very warmly challenged
but there appears for some reason to be q
hostile spirit shown to the unions by large
portion of the American press.
The outcome is one OF deep significance
10 the natiop
The fact ttat it is row known that the
famous Oalsverss skull, which few years
ago excited grave discussions in learned
bodies, vas buried in the piocene river wash
il California by party Of practical j,kers,
recalls Mr.. PickwicRs remarkable scoyery
of the prehistoric stone bearing tle ny site
legend Of sBilsykeshismark.D
The man who thinks that the United
States and either France, England or Ger
many are likely to 60 to war on account offhe
Columbia and Venezuela trouble has some
of the stuff on his brain that John ID Roc.
kafeller puts into stocks.
The garbage contracts in New York seem
just now to be in bad odor.
While the campaign is on for the destruc
{ on of the mosquito that hunted bird may
easily strike oil in any old swamp IN New
jersey.