Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-15
A GLOOMY PICTURE
Porto Rican Conditions as Painted by
Santiago Iglesias.
PETITION GIVEN TO THE PRESIDENT
Building Of Government Roads
Suggested.
DEMAND FOR WORK

Santiago Iglesias, president of the FEEDER
alton of Workmen of Porto Rico, who came
to this country recently with petition
signed by 6000 Porto Ricans praying for
relief from distressing conditions alleged to
exist on the island, presented the petition
to the President today. He was accom-
panied by Frank R. Morrison, secretary of
the American Federation of Labor. Mr.
Iglesias told the President that the desti-
tuition could be relieved If the government
would eXpend liberal sums in the building
of roads. The President said he was much
interested in the welfare of the people of
the island and would look into the matter
The Petition.
The petition follows:
THE undersigned, workers of Porto Rico
without distinction of color, political or re-
ligious creed, have the honor to bring to
your attention the following facts: Misery.
with all it's horrible consequences, Is
spreading in our homes with wonderful ra-
pidity. 1t has already reached such an ex-
treme that many workers are starving to
death, while many others that have not the
courage to see their mothers, wives sisters
and children perish of hunger commit sui
eide by drowning themselves in the rivers
or hanging themselves from branches OF
trees.
"All this honorable sir. is due to the
scarcity of work, which keeps us in en-
forced ldleness, the mother of our misery.
Our beautiful estates are idle our lands
are not being cultivated, our shops remain
closed and chambers do absolutely
nothing to prevent misery on this once so
rich an island.
The government and the municipalitv
do not undertake any public works to keep
us out of idleness. The emigration of
workers, unknown on this island before
Increases day by day, in proportion as mis-
cry increases.
Under these trying conditions we are no
longer a happy and contented people. We
therefore beg of you, honorable sir to in
terest yourself in our cause, leading US, as
the father of our country, In the path that
Will bring us work, and with it the means
of subsistence.
1--WE want work; nothing but work. We
want to earn the means of subsistence by
the sweat of our brows, and nobody better
than our chief magistrate can help us by
lending ear to our appeals.
we, the workers of Porto Rico, will
never forget your kindness 20 us
Conditions on ts,e sslansi.
Mr. Iglesias. in convegfation with a Star
reporter, said:
Il have recently visited all portions of
Porto Rico and am in frequent communi-
cation with workers from every part of
the island, and 1 am in a position to know
fully the conditions prevailing there. Dis
guise it as one will, it is fact that the
conditions of the labor classes in Porto
Rico are worse today than they were at
any period during Spanish rule.
When the United States assumed con-
troll of the island the people gladly antici
pated an Amercanized insular policy which
would improve the industrial conditions and
bring prosperity to the people They con-
fidently hoped for the removal of those
legal restrictions which reduced large per
,f IL i1,, of
and which to a great extent prevented the
efforts of all classes of workers to organ
iZe for purpose Of improving their condi-
ton.
Notwithstanding the optimistic reports
given from time to time to the public it
is a fact that the laborers of Porto Rico
are in a more deplorable condition than
any others on the face of the earth. The
misery prevailing today in the country and
cities Is horrible. There are thousands of
working people crying for work or bread.
Emigration or suicide now appears to be
the only remedy for their misfortunes.
The working people of Porto Rico hope
that the American government, by the ex
ercise Of it's sovereign power, will alter
and improve the present unhappy situation.
THE workers of Porto Rico also demand
perfectly free institutions, under which
they will be endowed with full liberty and
enjoy the same. rights as the workers of
the United States to develop their labor
organizations and realize their natural and
oppression. That they shall be accorded
full freedom of assembly, freedom Of press
and speech, and that these laws be SIM
liar to those Of the United States; that
there shall be throughout the whole island
real and effective guarantee Of the right
of the workers to defend themselves
against the inhuman and oppressive rule
of the native officials, who detest Ameri-
can free institutions The men who are
now making strenuous efforts to organize
and enlghten the laborerS In that island
are being prosecuted and imprisoned. We
ask that the ordinance under which labor
ers employed on public work receive only
twenty-five or thirty cents per day be an
nulled. We also ask that the ordinance
stigmatiZng laborers as obnoxious and
dissolute persons who refuse to work for
twenty-five cents per day be likewise an
nuled
up to the present time the legislature
has done nothing to relieve the working
people of Porto Rico from the conditions
under which they suffer, and unless action
in the matter is taken by a higher author
ity than that body, the evils complained
of will continue. For that reason we APP
peal to President Mckinley with the hope
that through him We may at least be re-
heved to some extent from the miserable
conditions now existing in our island"