BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-25

quire comfortable practice in about
one-fourth of the time USUALLY neces-
sary to build up practice in this
country.
Government of the Island.
"The present Chief Executive of the
island is Gov. William Hunt, formerly
of Montana. He was appointed byl
the President and is one OF the best
men imaginable for the place He lives
at San Juan. where the seat Of govern
ment is, and he has been able to keep
on perfect terms with the natives and
to prevent anything like a radical con
troversy. He has a regular cabinet
consisting of a Secretary of State,
Secretary of the Interior, Auditor and
Attorney General, and these, with three
native Puerto Ricans, make up what is
called the Executive Council. This
body exercises the same power as a
State Senate in one of our States, and
has exactly similar legislative powers
as the House of Delegates. which is
elected by the people. There is a
qualified suffrage. The Governor has
a power of veto, which enables him to
stop almost anything that he disapprov-
es of, but of course the lower House is
granted the fullest power in sending
measures up to him.
Society on the Island.
San Juan, where reside, is a city
of about 25,ooo also hold court twice
a year in Ponce, the largest city of the
island, and Mayaguez. The society in
these places is extremely pleasant. In
San Juan the army has post under
the command of Col. Buchanan, and
ships are always touching at the harbor
which gives the society of the town a
touch both of army and navy life. There
is the official colony, of which the Gov
ernor is the head, and the rapidly grow
ing colony of Americans. In addition
to these there are not only in the large
cities but all over the island, large
numbers of educated, intelligent and in
teresting Puerto Ricans. These mingle
freely in the society of Puerto Rico and
give to the society of the capital an ori.
: ginallty it could not have otherwise.
The Progress of Education.
The United States government has
: spent, and is still spending, large sums
in the cause of education. Public
:, schools are in progress all over the is
;, land, where English is taught, and all
the elementary branches taught in En-
glish, just as they are in Louisville
l Many of these teachers are young wo-
men from the United States, others are
native Puerto Ricans. who are proficient
in the English language. Under this
;, system the island is rapidly becoming
Americanized, and in the course of time
:. English, and 1iot Spanish, will be the
general tonge.
= Value of the Island.
"The longer l have lived in Puerto
Rico the more I have been convinced oi
its value to the United States. The sol
is wonderfully fertile, and four groups
can be raised every year. The Puerto
Ricans Oh the whole are amiable, polite
proud Of the fact that they are now
Americans, and anxious to draw CLOSER
to the people Of the States The chiet
| crops on the island are coffee, sugar
cane, tobacco fruits and vegetables
Is Thar aa Of it is either under cultivation ol
is used for pasturage.
Island Newspapers.
"There are number of newspapers
in the island, and two or three in Sar
Juan. They have good wire service
: with the United States, and we are able
to follow pretty closely what is going
S on in the United States. The usual
/ custom in San Juan is to print a paper
S with English used on one page and a
; reproduction of the page in Spanish or
| the next.
/ II believe this covers my impressions
; of Puerto Rico after residence of near
t ly three years. I am confident that the
: island will steadily grow in value, and
= that in the progress of time it will be-
come more and more like an American
' State.
Judge Holt is well equipped for the
l important position he holds and his re.
$ appointment by President Roosevelt is
; considered certain. Prior to going to
+ Puerto Rico. Judge Holt was one Of the
most prominent lawyers in the State of
5 Kentucky, and was formerly Chief Jus
tice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals
In this capacity he administered the
oath Of office to the members of the last
constitutional convention, and as Chief
Justice handed down the opinion decla-
| ring the new constitution according to
. law.
Judge Holt ad Mrs Holt will sail from
New York for San Juan September ~.
Miss Elizabeth Holt, their youngest
, daughter, who has been living with
them in Puerto Rico, will remain in
i Louisville for few months, visiting
her sisters, Mrs George Alexander and
Mrs A. J. Carroll.
|N0tOS H0S T0kgD Rim (1Di0D