The age-herald., 1901-12-13
.|GLES|AS IS SENT ID PEN|TENT|ARY Porto Rico Labor Leader Given
 Three Years CONSPIREO WIH WORKMEN Charged With Forming an Illegal As. scciation to Raise the Price
 of Labor-Attempts
 On His Life.
CONSPIREO WITH W0RKMEN

San Juan, P. R., December H.-Santia- go Iglesias, president of the Federation of workmen of Porto Rico, together with nine companions, was tried in the district court of San Juan yesterday on a charge of conspiracy.
 Today Iglesias was sentenced to three years, four months and eight days inn prisonment Seven of his companions were sentenced to four months imprison- ment while two were acquitted of the charge of being the founders of an illegal association and conspiracy in August, 1900 to raise the price of labor in Porto Rico. Iglesias. as the founder of the con- spiracy gets the heaviest sentence. The other men were merely his associates in the crime. Under Spanish law, which is still in force. persons convicted of crime had to pay the maximum.
 The local federation of Porto Rico, which Is now part of the American Federation of Labor under the presidency of Samuel Gompers, has been ordered dis solved. as it has been adjudged illegal and a conspiracy against good insular government.
 At the time of the change of currency nearly all the employees and employers
 
 former through their labor agencies, de- manding higher wages.
 The case has been appealed to the supreme court of Porto Rico, where 1t probably will be heard next month.
 Pending this appeal Iglesias is at liber- ty.
 The mass meeting of the Federation of Labor called for next Sunday will prob- ably be called off, as the plans of the federation are temporarily deranged Iglesias says politics influenced the de- cision against him, as the judge belonged to the local Republican party, while Iglesias is a federalist. One of the ac- quilted men has turned Republican, it is said, since the time of the conspiracy.
 Since Iglesias has been here as the local organizer of the Federation of La bor he has been continually attacked in circulars and threatened by certain Re- publicans who oppose his plans. Last Tuesday night these Republicans fired several shots at the building of the fed eration The police searched the rooms of these men for arms but found noth- ing
 The men who fired these shots had not been arrested up to this morning. Igle- sias has petitioned Governor Hunt. citing reported assaults upon his men and ask ing for protection. Iglesias said;
 If the laws of Porto Rico are made quate to punish these offenders; If I can not continue my work of Americanizng Porto Rican laborers unmolested, please inform me so that 1 can return to the United States, abandoning my mission here"
 Scranton, Pa. December 12.-When the correspondent of the Associated Press showed the San Juan cable to Samuel Gompers, president of the American Fed eration. tonight he expressed great sur prise at the news. In answer as to what the Federation would do in the matter he said: }
 If MT Inglesias conviction is upon the charge that he has been guilty of con spiracy to increase the wages of Porto Rioan workmen. we shall leave no effort untried to secure his honorable release and also the necessary change in the laws of the island to conform to the American standard. The Porto Rican Jaw is evidently a relic of Spanish brutal code and regime, and the American people will not tolerate so gross violation of guaranteed rights"
 MT. Gompers said the convention would take up the matter before it ad1ourns.