Arizona republican., 1902-12-23
Politics In Porto Rico.


 Washington Star does not paint very fiattering picture of the average poli- tician of Porto Rico. According to the writer. Porto Rico is cursed by poli- ties of the nastiest sort. hanging about her neck like the old man Of the sea. The biennial elections are simply a struggle for petty offices, and for q supremacy devoid of honor. There is no difference in the platforms of the parties. and both parties claim an Americanism that they neither under stand nor feel. judged from the stand point of the native American
 It is not clear. however. that the case made against the politicians of Porto Rico is any stronger than the case which can be made against the prores- sional politicians of most communities in this country. There is popular be- lief that platforms are made largely for the purpose of catching votes. eveh in the United States. It is probably true, as the correspondent claims. that Porto Ricans have not yet learned now to eliminate personalities and bitter ness from political fight. That lesson is not fully learned on the mainland. It is pointed out that the Porto Rican does not realize the virtues of American political laws. and the Porto Rican poi itician will. if he can by evasion or. perversion of the statutes, serve his party, do so without compunction. We are assured that to him party is para mount to all else. This is a persona, conclusion. drawn from close daily ob- servatiOn, while serving for two months as the independent chairman of dis trict election board.
 The administration, 1t is asserted, in sisted upon absolute fairness and diu its best to insure 1t. Every distric; board, numbering seven In the island, had an independent American chair man, whose associates were a repuo- lican and a federal. As the two latter rarely agreed, 1t became the duty of the American to decide impartially nearly every question. This attitude his native colleages either would or could not understand, They wanted Il republican or a federal law, and not a general or a fair one. and when they felt sore over an American decision they would appeal to their respective party leaders for protection" and for justice" Many members of precinct election boards did not hesitate to re- sort to any trick to gain advantage over opponents.
 One great injustice done to the island and to the administration during the campaign was the spreading of gar bled and exaggerated news in the press of the United States concerning eiec- tion disturbances. As matter of fact, there were very few, and on election day there but a few fragmentary clashes, such as are always likely to occur between opponents of the fiery Latin races. Yet stories were dissem- mated with the deliberate intention of giving an impression that the island VI WdS uicHNIcu MllIl lllt DlOOu LII DtTSc- cuted federals. and that anarchy reigned supreme. All these dispatches were sent from a single rabid federal newspaper office. This paper. stung by defeat, is now bowling for congress sional investigation.
 On Thanksgiving day the leaders of the federal party issued a protest which is to be sent to Washington, against the administration of Cover nor Hunt. The petitioners for justice style themselves "a noble band Of pa triots.' and indulge in much character istic fiowery language to show that the island is in a deplorable condition. This protest may in time find circula- tion in the United States and mislead some readers. As matter of fact no men could work harder or more intelli- gently for the spread of Americanism and the minimizing of partizanship than do Governor Hunt and his Ameri- can associates.