The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-25

I
| either mulattoeS or pure negroes, who
| generally call themselves Spantards.
There is less race feeling there than in
the United States, because the Spaniards
| grantd their slaves a great many iber-
| ties. On certain holidays they all had a
! right to quit work and enjoy them
| selves, and slave always might buy his
| freedom from his master, a privilege
which was often taken advantage of.
The Puertoriquenos are very volatile
| and inprovident They will work very
| we'll until they get their wages. and then
| they will spend it all in one day. They
are starving now because they wait until
| their food and money are all gone. and
then depend upon digging wild roots. If
they would plant vegetables the rich soil
! would support them, as they do not need
/ to buy much and generally have no rent
! to pay When the emigrants 10 Hawaii
arrive at Ponce and Guanica, they are
! in a wretched condition. Their hair Is
/ matted and of great length: their cloth
! ing is in rags, and the children are en-
/ tirely naked. They enter the barracks
prepared for them, and a large force Of
BARRIERS Immediately goes to work. The
/ men are given two suits of clothing, and
/ the women are furnished with enough
! cloth 10 make garments for themselves
and for their children. They are very
! thin, pale and weak at present from lack
/ of nourishment, but when they have been
/ we'll fed, they will make good cheerful
/ and contented laborers. AS "a class, they
! are very respectful and courteous. They
| do not drink heavily IN Puerto Rico The
rum which they usually buy is excellent,
| and is distilled and sold on the sugar
plantations for Is cents a gallon (Amons
! the, poorer classes, So per cent of those
- fx-i,, rria
but this is mainly due to the excessive
| fees charged by the church The Amer
lean Government has lately provided a
civil marriage which is cheap enough for
any peaSant.) The Puertoriquenos are
/ not a long-lived race, the medlan age
being us years. The census shows that
a large proportion of the people die in
their childhood and youth, and there are
very few individuals over 60 years old.
There are 1880 children between the
ages of and 9. Zoo between 10 and a.
and 5000 between Is and Il. Now that
the law forbids aided Immigration from
foreign countries, the Puerto Ricans are
the most desirable laborers that can be
secured for the sugar. plantations of Ha-
wall
Puerto Rico was assc5vased by Column
bus November 1e, 1888. during his secons
voyage He took possession and nanea
it San Juan Bantista. Its naive name
was Borinquen and the Inhabitants were
called the Arawaks Ponce de Leon
founded the town of Caparra about three
miles from the bay of San Juan 1t was
afterwards named Puerto Rico or rich
port" and transferred to the present site
of the capital Subsequently the city and
the island exchanged names, and the
site of the first settlement is now known
as Pueblo vejo. Many attempts have
been made to wrest the island from
Spain. In 1897, Admiral Clifford an Eng
lish officer, gained possession, but being
forced to withdraw by an epidemic OF
yellow fever, he destroyed San Juan Sir
Francis Drake also sacked and burned
the city. II was invested In 16e5 By the
Dutch; in 1926, by the French, and in 1877
by the English. All of these attacking
expeditions were repulsed. On May L.
ls9S. Rear Admiral Sampson bon: barded
the MORO guarding the harbor of San
Juan, and on July q Major General
Niles occupied Ponce with 1900, men
Puerto Rico has, always been free from
serious civil disturbances, although in
1853 there We're hostile manifestations in
! Ponce. Bayamon and Arecibo. On Au-
gust Is. 1870, the island ceased to be a
colony and became a province of Spain,
although it, had been virtually so since
1903 The population increased very slow
~ at first, because the island was only a
military station with $50 residents in 1850
After that year. the number of settlers
increased. more. rapidly. 1900 coming in
the next hundred years. On the 22d of
March, 1873, slavery was abolished on
condition that freedmen should make.
contracts with their employers for not
less than three years.
The principal sources of revenue under
the Spanish, Government were export and
import duties, tithes. taxes on all sales
OF merchandise, alcoholic drinks. on the
importation and selling of negroes, on
mills, stamped paper and court fines. The
uthes We're established in 1901 by a bun
of Pope Alexander VI, and abolished by
Royal decree in 1918. In som. years all
these sources of revenue We're INSULT
cient to cover the expenses and the Cow
eminent had to receive aid from Spain.
The motheJr country demanded very little
from Puerto Rico. In the year 1898 the
budget showed an income of SO .9S9, 500 and
an expenditure of $3.50 $40 on the island.
For the same year $4,000 We're paid to
Spain. Another proof of good manage
ment is that no insular debt existed, al
though property throughout the island
was very heavily mortgaged, the debt
=
Conditions We're much better in Puerto
Rico than in Cuba, There We're fewer !
slaves in proportion to the free popula- |
ton than in Cuba, and the emigrants
from Spain We're much better, being !
cnlety Galatians and Bisayans who went !
to remain and We're devoted, to the mon
archy and church. The Spapiards in Gu
ba Were largely Castilians Andalusians !
and Asturians. who had no intention of
remaining and therefore We're little q in
terested in the; progress and welfare of
the island. While In Puerto Rice the '
proportion of farm owners to the total
number of farms is SO per cent, in Cuba
it is but IS per. cent. Fs 4g4
In 1897 Puerto Rico and, Cuba were CIV !
en- an autonomous government. which con
tinued in operation until tAe time of
American occupation. This government !
cots ID of a Governor General and
( az p and representative assembly
elee " universal suffrage.
On tetcber 49,, 1885, Major General !
BROOKE Wss appointed military Govern
or. tie w.s followed on December by
General 1;-fN Henry, who dissolved the
insplaT eoiHlqil and substituted the de- |