The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-04-20
REPLIES TO ALLEN.
Com whatsoever Borda Takes Excep-
ton TO Some of the Public Utter
ances OF Governor of Porto Rico.

New York. April l2.-Replying to
the public utterances Of Gov. Allen
of Porto Rico since his arrival i'm
Washington, Wenceslao Borda, Porto
Rican commissioner. makes the fol-
lowing statement:
"The questions at issue between Gov.
Allen and the commissioners are two:
First, whether his administration OF Porto
Rico has been conducive to the prosperity
and welfare OF the island. and, second.
whether the Hollander revenue law was
such a measure as should have been hastily
and without hearing approved by the
chief executive of Porto Rico. Gov. Allen
has gone out OF his way to attack person.
ally the commissioners when he says that
the members Of the so-called commission
are foreigners-one Spaniard' one -
South American and one an Englishman.
We fall completely TO see how this asser-
ton. even were II true, could anect tho
merits OF our case.
Gov. Allen states Porto Rico has never
before. In Its history. been so prosperous.
that more persons are employed To-Day
than ever before. that the sugar crop Will
yield 100000 tons. He gives, however, no
facts or figures to substantiate these asser-
lions. They are, therefore. mere state
ments of an interested official. There Is no
more truth In them than In his hrst al
firmatlon that we were tax-dodgers. op-
5ecting to the payment OF our Just snare OF
taxation. and that the rest OF the Porto
Ricans were well satisfied with the situa-
ton,
Now comes a Porto Rican labor leader.
Santiago Igleslas, with petition signed
by 5000 workingmen which declares that
the condition of Porto Rico could not be
worse. These people certainly are not
tax dodgers. Gov. Allen Is apt to believe
that everybody who criticises his adminis-
tration 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 conciu-
sively shown by the customs statistics.
1t is misleading to compare the exports
and imports OF this ycar-that Is 10 say.
the production and consumption OF the Is
land-with that of the years of the war
and hurricane. The contrast should be
made, to be fair, with the fiscal year Just
previous to our occupation Of Porto RICO.
and with the present fiscal year, when.
according to Gov. Allen. Is also normal
one. The exports during the former year
amounted to about 1900 900 pesos. or sll,-
400. 900: the imports to about lS,O0O.VOo pesos,
or sl0.S00 000-a balance of trade In favor
of the island of 900 pesos or $b0oV0V.
The exports from May !, 1900 to February
49, 1901. were s5,S140s3. and the imports
IS. 10000 n balance of trade against the
island of s2.2S5.9l7. which Is wholly unsup-
portable and spells ruin when II Is re-
called that our circulation Is less than
s., 000. 900 and that Porto Rico has lost her
credits In the commercial world.
Gov. Allen states that never have there
been so many laborers employed as at
present. He fails to offer grounds for this
belief. He also says that the sugar crop
will amount to 100000 tons. He cannot
know this to be a fact, as 1t has not yet
been gathered The sugar planters OF the
island estimate the crop, II favorable
weather continues. not higher than 7O.OUo
TINS