BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-04-22
SAN JUAN, APRIL D
Public Sentiment.

In all of its attacks on public officials,
the Tetuan Street Scandal-Monger, has
insisted that it was voicing public SEN
timent. Every attack made, from that
against the Supreme Court to the one
against the Insular officials for protect
ing insular rights against the steam
ship company, has found its excuse IN
the re;kle;s handling of the phrases
")lblic sentiment, and public opin-
ioa'. Mt for one moment would any.
one make the assertion that these attacks
originated within the brain of the chief
scands1monger, and voiced only his
private opinions, based on personal bit
terness and the desire for self aggran-
dizement.
Bit IN view of this rather free hand
ling of the term public sentiment, it
might throw some light on this subject
to hear what President Hadley of Yale
University has to say about public SEN
timent and public opinion, and to
judge the San Juan News represen-
tstions from the standard of DR. Had
1ey's utt terances His acknowledged
authority on topics on this kind and his
world wide reputation as one of Amer
icas most promising citizens would
surely render him free of the accusa-
ton of being a friend of Ramos or
Mauleon, or as being dictated to by the
insular authorities.
In a lecture entitled Government
By Public Opinion, which was deliver
ed before the University of California
on March %, 1901, DR.. I1adley says:
Whenever a large number of people
want thing we hear it said that there
is public sentiment in its favor. This
is not necessarily true. Even the fact
that majority would be willing to
vote for a measure does not prove that
it has this basis. The desire may be
simply the outcome Of widespread per-
sonal interest, and may not deserve in
any sense the name of public sentiment
or public spirit"
ut CANNOT BE TOO OFTEN
REPEATED THAT THOSE OPIN,
IONS WHICH A MAN IS PREP
AIRED TO MAINTAIN AT AN
OTHERS COST, BUT NOT AT HIS
OWN, COUNT FOR LITTLE IN
FORMING THE GENERAL SEN
TIMENT OF A COMMUNITY, OR
IN PRODUCING ANY EFF rECTIVE
PUBLIC MOVEMENT. THEY ARE
MANIFESTATIONS OF BOAST
FULNESS OR ENVY, OR SELF
ISHNESS, RATHER THAN THAT
PUBLIC SPIRIT WHICH is AN
ESSEN fIAL CONSTITUENT IN
ALL TRUE PUBLIC OPINION"
Is the San Juan News prepared
to maintain at its own cost the SEN
tinents which it has hurled into the
air? It it prepared to throw the
search1ight of publicity on its own
doings, deeds and promptings? All
these questions must be answered in
the affirmative before it can be said
that the scandalmonger represents
public sentiment which can truly be
called such.
Is the News pre- Jared to show that
its campaign of calumny is not the
result of what DR.. Hadley calls per
sonal interest'? Is it prepared to show
that this Ramos attack is simply and
purely an attack on Ramos for the
cleansing of the Judiciary? Is the
News prepared to deny the assertion
that it has time and time boasted of
its power over the minds of the popu-
lace2 This must be proven to establish
true public opinion, or else it can in
reason be said that instead of the News
voicing the opinion of the people, it |
simply compels its ignorant readers to
submit to its opinions All these ques-
tions must be answered satisfactorily
before there can be said to exist the
smallest atom of "pub1ic sentiment"
Continuing DR.. Hadley says "If will
be readily seen that public sentiment as
thus described" (meaning true public
sentiment) 4is a very different thing
from much that passes under that /
name. "If large number of people
want thing, we not infrequently hear
it said that there is public sentiment
In favor of it. 1t would be much more
correct to say that there is a wide
spread personal INTEREST in
securing it The term public sentiment
can only be applied to those feelings
and demands which people are willing
to enforce at their own cost, as well as
that of others The desire for better
municipal government on the part of
the man who is not willing to labor for
that end, the offusive patriotism of the
man who hopes thereby to lead others ,
to enter upon war Of which he fnayl
celebrate the glories and enjoy the
fruits, the denunciation Of trusts by the
man who has tried to do what they do |
and has not succeeded, can never be t
regarded as expressions of public SEN
iment il any tree sense. They are
'ul instances Of the SELF1SHNESS. i
lie VAINGLoRIQuSNESS AND d