BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-06-08
SAN JUAN, JUNE 3. 1901
The Porto RiCan Case.

So veluminous appears to be tie declSlon
in the Porto Rico cases tAat it has teen
dill ult even for the lawyers 10 slit the
separate rulings on each Of .he many points
involved cut OF the mass Of legal vtrhlage
With sufficient cleaTneSs TO enable tie general
public 10 understand them md the laieSl
issues Of the American press It land ID
dicate that uncertainty aud wide divergence
of opinion seems to exist as 10 tie 'chole
meaning Of the text aud what Will he tie
future operation and bearing of Tue law as
interpreted by the cOu.t
The reServing Of the decision until DC.
tober respecting the so-ca,led Dooley aud
the ~siyteen diamond ing cascS which
leaves in doubt tie validity ot the collec-
ton of duties on goods imported from The
United States into tie colonies in the ab
sence Of con gressional action, does not affect
present commercial conditions here as II
does in the Philippines aDd the status Of
our rel ati0uS is now so definitely settled
that plans for til future MAY be saie'! and
confidently made.
The future a Porto Il 20 lies largely IN
lie hands Of her o7n people, tie island IS.
n lie essence OF things An integral part
of the American union, virtually as much
50 as the territories have. been and are,
some of which have beet only recent!
l6raGded, as sovereign STATES, as Utah, Go
of which no doubt l68Ho; ielc.' ana I5Gf,S QUE.
homa and New Mexico III later y as iSsl-a..
Tie territorial Status hsS ever been vlrs
ed as probatiouat; the Colonial relation
cannot be differently regarded though ;tere
may he a somwhat slower psiiod cad pre-
cess of evolution
! cannot BE- ga'nSa'd Pat the minority
Of Ne cour5. heated by fliei jas Icc l'G'-
Ter and inc'Uipg sucI g .at n.als as jas
ties Harlan, Brewer, NJ Peekh IN, have
made strong sh0t ~ u: tie disseafl 2
opinion. their lew issau gccordarce With
that taken bEsInanf tf ~ greatest iaU els
and constitutional author ieS IN America.
among them ex-PTesidenl !iroyel Cleveland
and tie late Benjamin ! llauiso. TINS
aspect of the case woudt donhl.fSs have
f. med lhc decision tEat - teFal!l hap
ed for in l1orto RIco. }aW yeg the re
aSoning Of the lai0I} ~ re sc tui and
the conclusions Of law up l. Hh'ch tie hud.
lngs are based seem sau ! SO TAR rs can
be Judged in the se4c4 ilH report.
Cases Of kidnsppu- Increasing in
he United States au. le! lc beIf Z re-
c-1ed hy many weala} In threatening
thm with every from : Ire calamity -
cave they do not acccds u be demands f
lae writers aad PIE, iatg suIs Of mCnel
III places designated ly.iLeu
This may be believed 10 te the result Of
the Cudahy a. Sc III Om H. Nebr&s q. sherp
the sou Of a wealth men icss S,clen and
100000 were pald as the price ot be ~!
release.
Tue jury before whom the case lcas tried
failed 10 convict tie abaacL9IS ard wave
Of similar crime has fol'owjd IA m ~ pats
Of the country Some If tie states taee
adopted sever penalties as d punishment
for kidnapping and it is 10 be hoped taat THIS
class OF crimes ma be general S Sa.ama.
rdy dealt with as TO pa St P T. hem.
We present to dly rotaee column an
in etyew vita oue Gaan 10 Poty tateI
from a New Y0-k pap r. Ills g
teman takes a NEST ps. N SIC view Of
the situation in Porlo Il 90, lie p3u.s lhp
raSt present and fl;afe rs srInbpr cJl,rs
alike. Doubtless mach Of what Mr. poel
says is true, the hard>hps wrought b' he
change OF money, carried no effect SO
hurrledly, We're c0ns drable and might havr
been avoided by further exteDs on Of the
time, and III unsettled conditions or tie
tariff have done much TO disturb business,
but there is a more hopeful status Of If Z
tairs than is SO gloomlly set forth IN this
gentlemanis talk.
Probably the Hellander bll could and
will be improved uron IN some dstails, no
tax law was ever devised with "a psriect
scheme throughout, aud ii Is doubtless true
that it is hard flr some TO pay any tax al
all but the outlook would be far more DIS.
couraging If the decision # the Supreme +
Court bad set into action on the Island tie
whole system Of III federal revenue laWs, Il
with their heavy lmposIiions upon nany
articles Of vi j necessity here.
The crop outlook appears 0 te most eX-
cellent, business is gradually taking on
more fixed and permanent character ard
the influx of capital sure to iind lis way
here, now that tue ssatua OF tie island is
defined. will In the near future be certain
TO rapidly reYitaIize the conditions