BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-04-07
SAN JUAN, APRIL 7
Buying In The States.
San Juan, April 9TH, 1902.
To the Editor,
BOLETIN MERCANIIL

Sir:
It has al vavs been a matter of grave
inquiry with me why the editors of our
local papers have never made a single
outcry against one Of the most danger
GUS practices against Porto Rican in
terests and industries that l have
heard of, and that is the practice
of purchasing food and cloth
ing, Of no mater what insignificant
quantity in the states of the Union,
DESPITE the fact tina. there are lner-
chants all over this city VINO receive
large quantities of goods from thes;ates
every month, wlo sell them at no in
crease, excepting possibly the cost of
freight, and who re-invest their money
Fin the island and the islands lntere is.
| am an American and have very little
sympathy with the alleged political
grievances of the would be patriot and
insular redennptionist, but in this matter
OF coming to Porto Rico, earning live
lihood here, and obtaining the needs of
existence and the clothing for ones
back direct from the States, there can
be no question but that the Porto Klcan
has an honest and well founded griev-
ance against the vast majority OF our
American population in Porto Rico.
Some weeks ago several local mer-
chants n ct at the house Of one OF their
number, and in the course of the even
ing the question of what benefit is de-
rived from tourists visiting the island
happened to come up. After ample
discussion Of this topic the talk led on
to the much discussed one of the Anne
rican habit of sending to the states for
shirt, collaI, pair of trous 7rs or
can of tomatoes. All the gentlemen
spoke with much anger and feeling,
and particularly so against the Insular
government, whom they GAINED led
The way, set the example and practi--
cal1y encouraged this sort of thing. [
was unable to make any defense for the
American people as l very well knew
that this statement was absolutely true
beyond the possibility of contradiction.
We all know that it is not so cry
long ago that many American residents
purchased all their groceries at the mil
itary connlissary stores.
OF course it was necessary to meet
certain requirements before goods could
be obtain, in this way; but this was
never found an obstacle, there being SO
many ways of overcoming these requi-
rements, More recently the military
authorities have put a stop to all of
this. ask could there be anything
more unfair to the local provision man
than to have the government act as his
z nOrr, =, a+i%r>1. -, tho Gonna 11f1ciroSc
There are in San Juan and many
other Porto Rican towns merchants
who pay large rents, and heavy
taxes md revenues on the goods that
they SELL and in spite of all this it is
the PREVAIL 1g custom 10 send to the
states for the very goods which can be
had from thu native merchant at
very small increase.
In my idea Of things just and unjust
this is by far a greate- injustice TO the
Porto Rican people than the many fan
cied wrongs which the papers are daily
believing about This is an injustice
which gets at the very roos of business
pros oerity and insular success. The
money which is sent to the States is
earned in the island, either from the
government, or else through the prod
ucts of the island, then why should it
not be spent here, where sucth is posi-
bic. OF course | can understand that
there are some things which cannot be
purchased in Porto Rico but by far the
greater amount of goods which are
purchased in the states by individuals
can be obtained right in Porto Rico
from the merchant.
For the past year many American
statesmen have invaded this island, with
thousand various classes of merchan-
A disc, and there is hardly one case
/ where their success has not been graft
fying. These men come here, put in
1arge quantities of goods, and take
away to the states the money of the
nsuIar merchant In the same wav
should not the American in Porto Rico
Datronizs the Porto Kican citizen A
air rule should work both ways, and we
hould learn to give as much as we re-
eive.
government opposition to private
Enterprise is ordinarily wrong, much
lore so can this be said to be true in
place like Porto Rico where every
tort is being made to recover from
X dire effects OF recent misfortunes
ls spending IN the United States of
onev earned is Porto Rico is wrong
inciple There is nothing fair in it
course It would be foolish to say
t man has no right to spend
ney earned by him IN any way he
9ses. but where possible every dol