BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-12-17
SAN JUAN, DECEMBER u
Editorial Comment.

k.a |
.n;sh West Indies are becoming as re
non, as the news of the ending OF tue
~ nor war. and are denied quite as regularly:
For over year we have hao aoooSu tbesa
the negotiation. sale and transfer Vi '"''
al ands to the United States. :, 49,,
Glowing accounts Of the Danisn Aas
Las have made editorial writer's was elo4ue
and the little barren spot OF eartn si'IS.o ,osoo
somewhere on the map, If 1t Is real io,s
man. has been given the imporIanc.e "a %
continent, and its population the Gravy
4 doctrine making nation; 1es.eiury aS
Copenhagen dispatch is the stereo'' pa
one. giving the price as between ioui ano
Ave millions Of dollars, and bestowing no
and of praise upon the American Min.s.el
stfor his tact and perseverance" IN putting
the purchase through. me. ,o 20
After ranging from ten million down ~ ~
pne. the price has at last been flxfd, snu .ho =.
ssst remains is for Congress to close tne
deal. and make US the happy possess0rS VI
the Danish Antilles, most OF wnicn sie
unnamed. But unfortunately for tnis oss-
match and also unfortunately for tnat PER
aaverinp minister the announcement IL iol
lowed by q cable dispatch from washington
CONTAINING the news that the State depart
ment is 0somewhat discouraged" over tne
nm tlook. and that it now LOOKS as II ine
n. 0otiations would be indefinitely proiongeu'
Ana the failure to close the deal IS general
Iv Hooked mon as a cause for dipiomauC
cloom. a. a ALLURE on the part OF the Nallon
p .-.t .h.t -.,hieh ~ Uantad-
Antilles talk has any good reason Deen
given why the United States should seek to
complete the bargain. For unnum0ered
years these islands have been drain upon
their mother country and constant source
of outlay which Denmark has ill been able
to afford. And there is absolutely no doubt
that for this reason alone has the contem-
plated sale been agreed to, as the only op'
position in Denmark to the sale, that is the
opposition of the royal family and many Of
Denmark's leading men has only been
founded upon sentemintal grounds. That
the islands have been . source OF expense TO
the mother country no one doubts, but the
history that has been associated with II
furnishes much room for sentiment and
poesy.
The United States cannot place its desire
to have these islands upon any such claim.
especially in view Of the fact that the island
on which we live aud which is now part and
parcel of the Union is far richer in tradition
and sentiment than the object Of Denmark'i
lonely vigil. Why the United States should
covet or desire a few rocky unproductve
islands when the island of Porto Rico has
been declared territory of the United States
and when the island of Cuba is ready tt
enter into such treaties which will TO al
iutents and purposes make it part OF the
Union.
As an excuse for more troops, more
guns and more war ships there cannot bs
said that any good grounds exist. Iu Forte
Rico we have excellent hsrbors, and every
convenience for training and handling
troops, and are nearly tGo days nearer the
mainland. The island is fertile from one
end to the other, and the aspect Of rocky
bleak mountain rising out of the sea cannot
be seen here.
With Porto Rico United States territory,
with its we'll known. fertility, which rs eIcell.
ed no where in the West Indies, with Amer
lean capital becoming more and more in
terested in this island every day, and with
many harbo.s any one of which with little
expense could be made excellent naval sta
tions, it has long been q cause tor muct
contemplation as to what object the admin
istfation can have in desiring to acquire
these picturesque rocks. There are absol
utely no material benefits to be gained
from their acquisition, there is absolutely ne
doubt that they will in some way hur
nearer interests, and as an investment il
scenery our national law makers can remain
on the continent and do much better at q verl
much smaller cost. That We have wantet
the Danish Antilles there is no doubt, bu
for what we have wanted then has neve
yet been explained.
There IL nothing surprising in the repor
that Aguinaldo has been detected in carry
ing on correspondence with the Filipino
leaders who are still in arms against tn
United States. His loyalty would hav
been stranger thing. Oaly in the inverte'
morality Of ssanti-impenalism" can tbi
HFilipino Washington" pose as an homes
statesman. It was unreasonable to suppos
that he would deal more fairly with MS thai
be dealt with Spain. The proclamation b
put forth after his capture BY Gen. Funstol
was obviously not worth the paper It wa
written on. It Is said that Gen. Ohaffe
win recommend bis deportation to th
United States. But safer place for h n
vould be Tutuils or Guam. There are nj
ti.impsrislists in those remote AM
peaceful islands.
There Il 40 real reason why anybod
should smile deriuyely ct the unwillingnss
IT," i. - = -. =.