BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-06-09
SAflJUAN, JUNO 9
Newspapers That
Help Not.

1t has always been contended on the
part of the Yellowist, that despite the
scandal of which it seems to make Il
speciality, that it is really the only
example of a modern twentieth century
newspaper in Porto Rico. While there
might be some objection to the unqua-
lifted acceptance of this statement: there
can be no doubt that if Yellowlsm IN
all it's phases means to be up-to-date
that Tetuan Street is entitled to that
credit.
But it certainly seems just that a
newspaper should be judged according
to its influences and power for doing
right or wrong, or according to the aid
it gives the community of which it
claims to form an important part
Judgi 1g the News from this basis and
considering what it has really done for
the island one must readily admit that
this sheet has really done much harm
to the island.
Throughout the West Indies, wher-
81 ever English papers are read the peo-
pie seem to labor under the idea that
the Island of Porto Rico is nothing less
than a sort of Moussilino infected por-
ton of the earth. "Oh' you come from
San Juan, Porto Rico. Say you must
have pretty bad people over there, a
good deal of murder and robbery, |
suppose everybody goes armed" This
remark was met with in every English
island visited
: And it all seemed to come from the
fact that the nei9hbors to the south
had been reading the San Juan News
accounts of street brawls and barroom
fights magnifed to the importance of a
rebellion, or attack by a horde of well
organized robbers The coming ex
ecution of five murderers also caused
a great deal of comment, and it seemed
almost impossible to make people uf1
derstand that these men were ordinary
murderers condemned to death by due
process of law, and that they were tc
be executed in the mode prescribed by
the laws in operation,
one merchant from New York who
has travelled in the other islands fo1
years was asked why he did not visit
Porto Rico when the island was SC
much more prosperous than any of the
West Indies, and he replied by saying
that his house had completed arrange
ments to compete for the Porto Rican
trade, but whea he was in St. Thomas
he happened to get hold of a copy of the
News which contained an editorial tc
the effect that business men did not
resort to the Courts here because they
kne V that justice could not be obtained
This man then went on to state that
there was no sense in selling goods, OF
doing business in any such country.
All through the West Indies the
newspapers which are published are
quiet newsgiving papers which never
make unusual spreads or scarecrow
headlines, and when a paper reaches
any of these places, saying for instance
t"Mauleon Again On the Rampage" it
means to those people that an armed
band of robbers has beseiged the city
of San Juan, and is abo1t to kill the
inhabitants. This is no exaggeration,
as one can readily find out by visiting
St. Thomas
We may have very little business
with the other islands, and commercial
intercourse between this island and the
smaller ones may all be to their advan-
tage, but will any one question that the
good opinion of our near neighbors is
worth great deal more to us than
their bad opinion Think it over, is
the News helping Porto Rico or its
people3