Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-04-11
BCRDA TO GOV. kiiER.
Charges Misrepresentation as 10 The Actua
Conditions in Porto Rico.

Now York. April l0.-Eeplying to til,
public uttcranccs Of Governor Alien d
Porto Rico. since his arrival IN Washing
ton. Wcnceslao Borda of the prntcc!io.
commission, today. made the foIlowln.
statement:
The questions at Issue hctwccn Gov
Allen and the commissioners are merely
two:
"First-Whcthcr his administration "
Porto Rico has been conducive to IL.
prosperity and welfare Of the island and
''iSccondly-Whcthcr the fIo,iandcr rev.
cnuc law was such ms a asure as should
have been hastily and. without Il hearing
approved by the chief executive of Porte
RICO. Gov. Allen has gone out OF his W 4
10 attack personally the commissioner
when ne says that tho members of the so
called commission are foreigners; ono q
Spaniard. one a South American and on.
an EngliShUsan. We fail completely -
see how this assertion. even IL trIa, could
AFFECT the merits Of CGr case, but We d.
think that II shows that his arg Iment,
must 10 poor when hr las To avail him
self ~ one of this nature
Commissioner Halbass + a native POr
to Rican. Although born in London. Eng
iaud. I have been for tho last II years /:
member of the New York bar and c,.-:
sinc" m. majority. a ciiiZrn ot the Unit"
State. The charge or objection. there
tore. thIt thc commissioners arc foreign
crs ~ uu~ustainaiIc, unless ID ~ tru,
thIt those ouIt are Americans I'll PUrtt
Rio" who are plhlic officials.
CO.. Allen states that Porto Rico has
never before In II" history been 30 pros
porous. that more persons are cmployC l.
TODAY. than ever before. that the sugar
c.Up Witt ylcld lUHuJ tor 5 II. -iy = how
ever no facts ur figures to subStanuatt
,hosc assertions. They arc, therefor
mere statements of an interested official
Th'rc IS no moro truth in them than il!
his nrs. affirmation that we were tax
dodgers. ohJ' citing to payment Of our JUS
shar. pf taxation and that the rest Of the
P"rto Rcans were vel satisfied with "a,
situation.
Now comes a Porto Rican labor leader
Santiago ingicsias. with a petition signed
hy Gsl worllngm"u. which declares that
;hc coalition of Porto Rico could not b.
worse That Porto Rico is not as pros
pcruls aS hc would like the people of tn.
tut;oi States believe is c'ogucntlY and
,nncluslVcly shown by the customs sta
.istirS
TT is misleading to compare the ex-
ports ana imnorts cf this year-that is to
say the production and consumption of
the iSiauds-with that Cf the years of he
annual hurricane The contrast should
hc made, to be fair. with the fiscal year
Rico. and with the present fiscal year
which. according to Gov. Allen. is also
normal oHc. The exports during the for
meT year amounted TO about Al4g.e0
Of trade in favor OF the island of s5t.nu
The exports from May LIST. 1890. to Feb
2S 1871 were 5,MioS., and the imports
81. S.lW.iIn. a balance Of trade against tn
island of s22s5.gl7. which Is wholly un-
s1pportable and spells rIil when IL Is re-
called that orr circulation is less than
81 .tsa. 600 and that Porto Rico has lost her
credit in the commercial word
Gov. Allen states that never has there
been the number Of labcrers employed :
1t present lie fails to offer the ground
for this belief. The production OF the is
land docs not show IL. The alarming emit
srafion OF lahorcrs TO Ecuador. Cuba.
Hawaii and San Domingo. which he al
mits is taking place, cmphaticaly bellies
,.,--x- ion
Coy Allen also saws that the sugar
crop will amount to 10000 tons. He cam
not know this to he a fact. as II has no
vct been gathered. II is purely one of his
ontimistIc opinions. Tho sugar planters
of The island estimate tho crop. If favor
able weather continues. not higher {han
30.0p0 tons a very high estimate. WHY
docs not the governor mention the other
Industries of the island? We answer be
cause risgovcrnmcnt has nearly wipe.
them out.