BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-05-21

We do not WondNr that We never
can come 10 an agreement with The
sun, because il demands protection
70 our coffee as a favor and We de-
rnand il because we think that we
have right to that protection. if we
are protecting american products.
"rhe Sun" accepts as a fact that
free trade is running us. as it suggests
that coffee planters must be given a
premium.
In this state of affairs me again ask
the question which has not been ans
wered yet.
Why should we accept that running
economical regime, which makes. The
Sun" ask for premiums for the coffee
planters3
Because we are coloniSts9
BY reason of forceS
We are not convinced by THE
Sun s. argument that it is impossible
for the administration to protect our
coffee, by imposing taxes OF sixty
million dollars to the people of the
United States, if the production of
this country does not amount to five
millions.
If the mercantil relations between
the United States and Porto Rico are
free trade rela tions, why is it unjust
that coffee be protected if it is the
principal product of one of the two
countries?
If free trade is the regime esta-
blished by the great Republic for It's
mercantil relations with Porto Rico,
what means the disproportion be-
tween the new taxes and the amount
of our production
Within free trade, no matter what
the results are of the reciprocical pro-
lection of the products, there is no
thing more inicuous than the protec-
tion of all the products of one of the
two countries, and only some of the
other.
That is not free trade, that is no
system; that is ASSERTION; economical
exploitation, nothing else.
And we have already said but ''The
Sun" seems not to understand us. that
the burden on the people of the United
States in paying more for a product
which is not necessity of life is
not as great as that on these poor
people who must pay for American
products the home price, that is the
same prince paid by the citizens ofthet
United States who have means of sub
SiStence and are better off than the
L poor colonists, even if we did recover
our past wealth.
That is burden, and there can be
nothing worst than that.
And is it not just, is it not evident,
that if we have that burden, if we are
compelled TO accept all american pro-
ducts, we must be given an opportun-
ity to sale ours better and thus be bet
ter able to support it2
Is it not just that our coffee be pro-
tected, if that protection would mean
only a little reciprocity and even than
we would not be getting our just
dues?
And is it not unjust that country
having proper life without the barriers
of impossible free trade relations; a
country producing more than what it
consumes, and which has a principal
product that has privileges over all,
be overcome by misery, like those
countries consuming more than they
produce, and that its principal pro-
duct be left to complete abandonment
What does The Snn" answer to
that7
We insist upon this: the free trade
relations now existing between Porto
Rico and United States must be annul-
ed and in state of that we could sale
our sugar and tobacco in the markets
of the United States, provided we give
protection to some american products,
our coffee we could place in the
markets of Europe, protecting some
european products, or it must be
protected in the United States, within
that regime of free trade in name, if |
there is desire to maintain it.
1t is matter of justice and truth
for the great Republic TO decide, and
we have answered all of The Sun S
questions. Z