The age-herald., 1901-04-12
GOVERNOR ALLEf
 GETS HOT ROAST
Porto Rican Commissioner 0ls-
 puteS His Statements
HOLLAND REVENUE BILL
Senor WensIao Rorda Declares Many of the Statements Made By the Governor To Be Abso-
 lutely False.

New York, April 11.-Repiying to the public utterances of Governor Allen of Porto Rico since his arrival in Washing ton, wenaiao Borda, Porto Rican com missioner. today made the following state- ment:
 The questions at issue between Cover nor Allen and the commissioners are merely the following:
 Whether his administration in Porto Rico has been conducive to the prosperity and welfare of the island; second, wheth- CT the Hollander revenue law was such a measure as should have been hastily and without hearing approved by the chief executive of Porto Rico.
 Governor Allen has gone out of his way to attack personally the commis- sioners when he says the members of the so-called commission are foreigners, one Spaniard one a South American and one an Englishman. We fail completely to see how this assertion. even were Ii true, could affect the merits of our case. but we do think that 1t shows that his arguments must be poor when he has to avail himself of one of this nature.
 Governor Allen states that Porto Rico has never before in Its history been So prosperous; that more persons are em- ployed today than before; that the sugar crop will yield 100000 tons. He gives, however, no facts or figures to substan- tiate these assertions. They are, tnere- fore, mere statements of an interested official. There Is no more truth In them than in his first affirmation that we are tax dodgers, objecting to the payment of our just share of taxation, and that the rest of the Porto Ricans are well satis- fled with the situation.
 Are Not Tax Dodgers.
 'Now comes a Porto Rican labor leader, Santiago Iglesias, with petition signed by 5000 workingmen, which de- olares that the condition of Porto Rico could not be worse. These people cer- tainly are not tax dodgers.
 Governor Allen is liable to believe that everybody who criticises his administra- ton is bad, but he cannot call his new critics tax dodgers, whatever else he may call them, since they have nothing that can be taxed.
 That Porto Rico Is not as prosperous as he would like the people of the United States to believe, is eloquently and con clusively shown by the customs statistics It Is misleading to compare the exports and imports Of this year-that IS 10 say the production and consumption of the islands with that of the years of the ws and hurricane, The contrast should oe made, to be fair. with the fiscal " ~%r just previous to American occupation of Por- to Rico, and with the present fiscal year which, according to Governor Allen. Is also normal one. The exports during the former year amounted to about 19,- 100000 pesos, or s11 400, ,0e9; the imports to about 1S,0o0,000 pesos, or about $10,So0. 0oo- a balance of trade in favor of the island of 100000 pesos, or s60000o. The exports from May 1, 1900, to February 2s. 1901. were $5, S14,083 and the imports $S100.000, a bal ance of trade against the island of B. 2S5.s17. which is wholly unsupportable and spells ruin when it is recalled that our circulation Is less than g ,000, 900, and that Porto Rico has lost her credit in the commercial world.
 Governor Allen states that never has there been the number of laborers em- ployed as at present. He falls to offer the grounds for this belief. The production of the island does not show 1t. The alarm ing emigration of laborers to Ecuador Cuba. Hawaii and Santo Domingo, which he admits Is taking place, emphatically belle the Governors assertion In this re- spect
 Why does not the Governor mention the other industries of the island besides sugar? We answer, because misgovern- ment has nearly wiped them out"