Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1901-02-14
CENSUS OF PORTO RICO.
Comprehensive Review Of the
ri Islands Present State.
POPULATION NEARLY A MILLION.

a CS AASy GAAABA nue. Gh1l7
ed States Ownership-Percentnges
of I1~1iterates and Persons of Mixed
Blood.
AS soon as the census of Porto Rico
was completed last year the total popu-
lation OF the island was announced, to-
gether with one or two other leading
features of the work. The war depart
ment is now preparing to distribute
copies Of the full report in regard to
this census made by Lieutenant Colo
mel j. P. Sanger of the inspector gen
erals department. The report is in the
shape Of a well bound volume Of over
400 pages and contains between its
covers more reliable information in re-
gard to Porto Rico than has ever be
fore been given in such Intelligent form
to the American people, says the Wash
ington Star.
The figures Of population as given
out some time ago were approximately
correct, the total being 953,243. This
figure shows a decided increase over
that of the last census, which was TAX
en- in 1887. In fact, from the earliest
census, taken in 1865, the population
has steadily increased from about 49,
600 a century and a half ago to nearly
a million at the present time. Consid-
Iering that the island is only about So
miles wide and 100 miles long, it Is
Idensely populated. About g. per cent
of the people are white, the other 80
per cent being of colOred or mixed
blood. The percentage Of mixed blood
in the colored population of Porto Rico
is very much greater than in Cuba, for,
while so per cent of the colored Cubans
are ful bIooded negroes, SO per cent of
the colored Porto Ricans are Of mixed
blood, many of them nearly white.
A very large percentage of the popu-
'lation of Porto Rico is of the agricul-
Itural class, for only about $4,000 people
live in the three cities on the island.
The percentage of illiteracy is very
high. E~ighty-four per cent Of the peo-
Qle-which is but one in six of the
males and females over 10 years Of
AEGEAN neither read nor write. This
liz a higher percentage Of inf+eracy than
Prevails in any one of the United
States, or, in fact, in any other country
from which statistics are o~btainable,
except Guatemala. Much of this lack
ct schooling is apparently due to q
residence in the country. for IN the
three large cities over so per cent Of
the people can read and write.
The strategic Importance OF Porto
Rico was recognized at an early day,
for attempts were made by England.
Holland and France to wrest 1t from
fAIA aop4-oJ - Cno3n %h0a~h -ifhor1H
success. The attacking parties aid con-
siderable damage in their assaults
upon the city of San Juan, but owing
to the excellent natural defenses and
aided by yellow fever the natives were
able to drive off the invaders,
The Indian population Of Porto Rico
Mt the date OF it's colonization by Spain
4s said to have numbered a half million
souls. These Indians were copper col
cred and very similar IN character to
the Indians of southern Mexico. They
had little industry or enterprise and
the Spaniards gradually exterminated
them, reducing many to slavery. In
1543 1t was reported to the king OF
Spain by the bishop Of San Juan thai
there were but 60 native Indians on the
island. The recent census taken by the
United States did not discover a single
Indian of the aboriginal type. though
close observers report many people IL
the interior Of unmistakable Indian
descent.
The negro blood in Porto Rico comes
a. in other West India islands, thrOugl
the Importation Of slaves, which com
menced nearly 4GO years ago and cor
tinued until 1872, when slavery wa
abolished. This black labor was O
great consequence to the island in tn
cultivation Of sugar cane, n whe
the slaves were freed the condition wa
made that they should work a certai
number Of years at a stated salary t
prevent any disaster to large employ
ers Of labor. There are a few Chimes
in Porto Rico, none ever having bee
brought in under the coolie system a
in other West India islands. In Port
Rico their presence is entirely volul
tary.
Cuba and Porto Rico have a smalle
percentage of colored people in tt
population than any other West India
island, Cuba having SO per cent al
Porto Rico So In the other We
Indies the percentage Of negroes ruI
from 81 in the Bermudas to SO
Jamaica Each Of the American Goa
states, except North Carolina, has
smaller proportion Of whites tha
Porto Rico or Cuba. There are 2O1,0
males of voting age in Porto Rico. ar
over 90 per cent of these are natl
born. About 3 per cent of the pop
Iation is Spanish, these people bei1
concentrated in the commercial center
where they are engaged in business.
The conjugal condition in this islal
is very similar to that in Cuba, for lie
than II per cent of the adults are ma
ried. Seventy per cent Of the adul