BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-06-28

our coffee exports represents an an
Inual loss of seven or eight million
dollars. or the loss to the country for
| the few years of American govern
ment of approximately $53 ooo,o 900.
In other words the change of govern
ment costs Porto Rico yearly The sum,
enormous for us, of from ten to twelve
million dollars or, in round numbres,
| $40. 900 900 up to date This is the
result of the double relation existing
between the two countries on which
We have enlarged.
How can the reports of our officials
be optimistic or enthusiastic! Imposs-
ible, for the prevalent discomfort is so
marked, so significant, as to admit OF
|no dissimulation or juggling with
facts.
Hunger and ruin-these things are
too difficult to conceal.
But even if it were not question
|of strict justice, are not the people OF
the United States able, ought they
not to pay for the privilege Of having
colonies, that role with which they
are still unfamiliar7 Our answer is,
Yes.
Now it is more natural that the
| Government sustain the colony dian
that the latter let itselft be strangled
Eby the mother country, The seventy
and odd million Americans can pay
1.-The 500 600 900 of taxes with little
trouble without thereby seeing them
selves forced to emigrate, to flee from
/ their land as from soil made Pesti-
| lent by an epidemic.
Before long, sooner, perhaps, than
the people of the United States imag1-
Inc. their Government may have need
of those seventy million dollars to
meet its expenses which go on increas
ling.
But, more than all this-is the pro-
misses made by General Miles should
be fulfilled or those which some of
the officials of the Administration
holding Office here make to sustain
the people in thei- prolonged fast,
and Porto Rico be declared a Terri
tory or State of the Great Republic,
would we have as title reason as now
to expect protection for our coffee7
In that case it would have to have
complete protection so that there
might be no State of the Republic
from which it's citizens would still be
compelled to migrate, in which hun
ger and ruin would prevail as chronic
Sufferings of the afflicted victims;
in that case protection would be fur
nished to avert the scandal OF any
State in the Union whose citizens are
weak anaemic. famishing, as IS the
case in Porto Rico to day without the
sleep of those who govern us being
disturbet thereby; in that case it
would be considered shame for
the proud Republic unrivalled in
the wealth of its resources to have
one of it's States converted into colo
ny of beggars-yet it is just as shame
| full, stain on its name, for that coura-
try to posses to-day colony, that was
so rich and prosperous under Spanish
rule, converted into an agglomeration
of beings condemned to die of hunger.
| We desire that The Sun inform
| Itself in regard to the actual condi-
tions in Porto Rico. The Republic,
mighty and powerful as it may be,
has no right to devastate, to crush, to
destroy q colony, Here Notwithstanding
| is being realized as everybody Knows.
something very similar to what we
have described.
Has The Sun no remedy to offer
| for the relief of our financial distress?
| If not, let it accept the one we
propose. For surely tina paper
would no 90 to the length of
pretending that we should resign our-
selves to the total loss Of our wealth
and prosperity, despite the puerile re-
hection that it would cost the people
/ of the United States sixty or seventy
million dollars to render a service that
Justice as well as humanity demands
of them. II the tax on coffee should
be more or less disagreeable for The
Suns countrymen, for Us it is ma
| tier of life or death.
| But if we have nothing to hope for
in the way of protection for our prin-
cipal industry. that last resource is
left us which, perhaps, "The Sun"
may find acceptable. Concede to
Porto Rico independence in all that
relates to her economies so that she
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