BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-04-04
Reformation IN Porto Rlgl.

Editor of The Commercial Advertiser:
Sir-At an uptown hotel few even
ings ago several gentlemen who had
not met since they were companions in
arms in the invasion of Porto Rico
were talking of that island and its
people.
One of the party-Stephen S. Tuthill,
who served as soldier under the late
Brig.-Gen. Guy V. Henry. U. S: A., and
then as the civil secretary of Fighting
Guy during his term as military gov
ernor of the island-related the follow
ing anecdotes to show the uphill work
that the General had had in intoxicating
the principle that public Office is not a
private snap:
Soon after Gen., Henry had assumed
command of the island the headnen
from number of the towns came to him
with elaborate1y prepared memorials,
reciting the distressing poverty of their
respectiv sections, Que or two very
abject-looking crowds struggled from
the interior to the palace. clamoring for
bread. These so-called delegates were
fed and promised work on the roads if
they would return to their homes. The
new governor then summoned the
secretary in his cabinet, whose depart
ment had charge Of, the high Says, and
ordered him promptly to submit plan
for the improvement of certain roads,
at the same time setting aside por-
ton of the custom house receipts to
defray the cost of the work. For some
time the planters and the merchants
had been complaining that the condi-
ton of nearly all the roads was SO bad
that the cost of transportation between
the INTERIOR and the seaports practically
made the operation of the remote plan
tations prohibitive. This state of af-
fairs bore very heavily indeed on the
peon element, whose livelihood is most
l1y derived from agriculture.
The secretary meekly received his
orders, promised the report 'mlafana"
and bowed himself out. Hearing moth
ing from "e1 secretario" for two days.
the general sent for him again. That
gentleman strolled in during the morn
ing, his face wreathed in a smile, and
was s.ern1y called to account. He
glib1y pleaded much work, and when
pinned down stated that the desired re
port would be ready in about two
weeks. When asked how long it would
tak9 him to comply with his orders II
his force were doubled, he unblushingly
answered -four weeks The general
then called an interpreter, through
whom he received like information
Demanding an explanation, the cover
nor was srately told that it had been
customary during the Spanish regime
to retain ones friends in Office as long
as possible, and that he supposed there
was to be no change in that respect
The most hardened spokesman in this
country could not be expected to make
50 frank a confession 1t is hardly ne
cessary to say that an American engi
neer was forthwith placed in charge o.
this bureau, under orders to report tC
the governor only, and that very soor
afterwards thousands of destitute mer
and boys were working on roads in al
parts of the island.
In another case, this tendency tc
serve ones self and friends at the ex
pense of the public (Which is no
altogether Spanish was shown wher
Gen. Henry decided 10 rebuild the
lighthouse at Morro Castle that Rear
Admiral Sampson had destroyed in hi:
gun search of the splendidly protected
harbor of San Juan for the ships tina
Commodore Schley later dealt with of
Santiago The same native official was
ordered to submit an estimate of the
cost Of, and the length of time necessary
for doing the proposed work. Having
Learned that with the Americana gov
ernor time was always of the essence
he promptly reported that 5000 anc
three months time would make il
possible for him to restore the missing
link in the chain Of lights whose rays
nightly en- circled the island before the
war. Now thoroughly disguised with
this member of his cabinet, most o.
whose associates ultimately were founc
to be equally clever O. the genera
placed the matter in the hands of the
officer in command of the naval station
at the ca 9ital and before six weeks had
I passed the Moro light again shone
out, and the work cost the island only
$3.50
When We came north one man who
then believed in working for his Own
pocket all the time was out of job
and he and other of his class, now well
known to the Americans, are being
kept at distance from the well-f1lled
public trsasurey of the island.
From reports lately received from
friends ye; in Porto Rico. the present
system of government there is steadily
making for a standard of honesty in the
public service which already excels
that of many cities here.
| READER.
New York, March FL.