The Irish standard., 1901-04-20
REPLIES TO ALLEN.
Commissioners Bordn Takes Excep-
ton to Some of the Public Utter
ances Of Governor of Porto Rico.

New York. April 12.-Replying to
the public utterances of Gov. Allen
of Porto Rico since his arrival in
Washington, Wenceslao Borda, Porto
Rican commissioner, makes the fol-
lowing statement:
"The questions at issue between Gov.
Allen and the commissioners are two:
First, whether his administration of Porto
Rico has been conducive to the prosperity
and welfare of the island, and second,
whether the Hollander revenue law was
such measure as should have been hastily
and without hearing approved by the
chief executive Of Porto Rico. Gov. Allen
has gone out of his way to attack person.
ally the commissioners when he says that
the members of the so-called commission
are foreigners-one Spaniard, one
South American and one an Englishman
We fail completely to see how this asser-
ton, even were it true, could AFFECT the
merits of our case.
Gov. Allen states Porto Rico has never
before, in its history, been so prosperous,
that more persons are employed to-day
than ever before, that the sugar crop will
yield 100000 tons. He gives, however, no
facts or figures to substantiate these asser-
lions. They are, therefore, mere state-
ments of an interested official. There is no
more truth in them than in his first at
tirmation that we were taX-dodgers, OBJ
| jecting to the payment of our just share OF
taxation, and that the rest of the Porto
Ricans were we'll satisfied with the situa-
ton.
"Now comes Porto Rican labor leader,
Santiago Iglesias, with petition signed
by Go0O workingmen, which declares that
the condition of Porto Rico could not be
worse. These people certainly are not
tax-dodgers. Gov. Allen is apt to believe
i that everybody who criticises his admins
! tration is bad, but he cannot call his new
critics taX-dodgers, whatever else he may
call Them since they have nothing that
! can be taxed.
"That Porto Rico is not as prosperous as
! he would like the people of the United
| States to believe is eloquently and conclu-
/ sively shown by the customs statistics.
1t is misleading to compare the exports
and imports of this year-that is to say,
! the production and consumption of the Is
land-With that of the years of the war
and hurricane. The contrast should be
made, to be fair, with the fiscal year just
! previous to our occupation of Porto Rico,
and with the present fiscal year, which,
according to Gov. Allen, is also normal
one. The exports during the former year
amounted to about 100000 pesos. or Sill,
100000; the imports TO about 100000 pesos,
or $10S00, 000-a balance of trade in favor
! of the island of 100000 pesos, or 100000
/ The exports from May l, 1900, to February
| Is, 1901, were $5,S14,OS3, and the imports
| so,1U0,UUO, balance OIL trace against the
| island Of $2,2S59l7, which is wholly unsup.
portable and spells ruin when it is re-
called that our circulation is less than
$2,00o,00O and that Porto Rico has lost he,
credits in the commercial world.
Gov Allen states that never have there
! been so many laborers employed as al
present. He fails to offer grounds for this
belief. He also says that the sugar croT
will amount to 100000 tons. He cannot
know this to be a fact, as it has not yet
been gathered. The sugar planters of the
island estimate the crop, ii favorable
weather continues, not higher than 10000
Ao.,