Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1904-04-25
CONDITIONS IN PORTO RICO
AS viewed BY WILLIS SWEET
Letter From a Well Known Idaho Man to
Senator Hepburn Regarding Pros
perity of the Island

fair return, and the despair of the
coffee planters has given place to n
satisfied present and hopeful future
Sugar has been n most profitable pro-
duct for the year. and today saw cot
ton loaded aboard our vessels for ship
ment. This latter product with fruit
shipments. principally orangess will as
tonish even the natives in the near
future.
1T seems more than strange IL take
up the question OF road construction.
and the preparation OF land FOR culti
walton, in a country 400 years old, but
such Is the situation here, and the
progress being made Is wonderful
POLITICALLY matters are very quiet
There never was people more willing
To work and wait: or more willing to
comply With suggestions or requests
coming from the government. either to
withhold or promote legislation. The
Porto Ri0ans are as suspicious as
Jesuits until they give their confidence.
Their suspicious characteristics are the
result OF having been lied to by the
NRstutttuS cltNC tuV NtNtcT SteRHtu upon
the island. Your Porto Rican is slow
to answer you frankly relative to any
political matter. His experience with
the Spaniard Ia the reason for this, To
answer a question might cost him
position or send him to the Moro. so.
naturally. the Porto Rican became sus-
picious and evasive. but this fact has
made him all the more anxious to find
friend he can trust. and the net re-
suit Is that when he gives his conf
dence. ne Is as frank. direct simple
! and honest as child and as faithful
| to his promises as is the needle to the
pole.
| but this Porto Rican is by no means
child in politics. although four years
a.n the principles upon which our gov
ernment rest were unknown to him.
| He lonssd for our liberty OF action In
thought and life. he waited eagerly for
our political freedom and he prayed for
the little red school house" He had
no conception of the Individual resron-
sibility which our system OF govern
ment imposes upon the citizen. He has
been acquiring this knowledge rapidly
and has become anxious to demon
/ strate that he understands the differ
cnce between the standards OF public
morals practiced by SPAIN and those
required In the United States, IL he
says; I'VE would like to have GER
tain law" and We say that in our opin-
ion the law proposed Is premature. he
will say, An right. we will watt
so we have waited when in the
Judgment Of the Porto Rican he
thought some measure proposed by US
were pcsmatNre. Ii Is easy 70 bring
about NJ consnmn,a tion to he desired,
These Porto RicaA leaders are not chill
dren. but very astute men. trained Ia
some extent In the wrong school but
at the same time. In. school they
hated and they welcome the change,
Il N REALLY little short of amusing to
hear one 4 our learned srour explain
POLITICAL matters TO these Esassmasters
lin re,itieat craft. and To ncte how seri-
loasly the ,intcu,ation Is >rec<iv~d and
how hamnsy Il r. accepted by ns<n who
could give pointers to their Instructor
"Hut when IL comes to the practical
side az political works the gratitude 81
these people for any evidence Of a sin
cerc interest In their polsticai advance
n,eat almost passes comprehension
They are rejoicing today over the fact
that they have been given complete
civil court, They had hooked forward
10 the day when legal rrs,ce<s world hi
served by a nesghhor. duly elected. and
Who, for the iirss time in their h;ssor,
woald witness the papers ~ their
ceurts served by men in citizens
clothes and proceeding in the disehsrss
" their duties wi,hou, club or 3
nusSe,, We have constructed the for
nation ~ county yovernn,eat which
l they Sn desire, without alarming tbs
. mos, conservative by rc,>cisimins rad
iesl changes in their familiar practices
5 and YET. giving them whs, they most
ses,SAn E
II believe We ARE touching the Sc
eres srrtnS which opens the heart y.
every islander, and in this manner, III
the cs,samerc!sl " other contests 10
e>sssss Sn Auerssssn people may be es-
tsellsAexa hes~ among whom our rsS
viii rs>,eive the support and devotion
Of as loNsl people as ever gave alfeS,-
aace e. any country, have seem shen,
tested and fsem this I sgesk what I
know, IS sAs
Our Interests in the island are GER
IsAA 10 oc v<eysxrcSs We VIII neea the
Iieysl fssenash0 " the ISLANDERS and
should exercise -extvA erSaiNs rys care shAt
ne mistakes are n,sae in our ,reasnaea,