Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-28

railroad building and business Of various
kinds. Department stores would pay well
In San Juan and Ponce. AS to banks the
ward, although the legal rate is. think,
per cent Loans can be made on good
security. There are also opportunities to
buy lands for those who can command
ready cash."
Investments in Railways
1 asked Mr.. Degetau to tell me some
thing about the railway possibilities Of the
island. He replied:
AT present we are not well supplied
with railways. Some little additions have
been made to the line known as the
French concession, running from San Juan
with some breaks around the west coast.
This will some day be completed, and
We shall probably have railroad encir-
cling the island. movement is now un-
der way to build trolley line across Porto
Rico. following to some extent the line OF
the military road. connecting San Juan
and Ponce. This road should be immense
ly profitable. 1t would get Its power from
the streams. and could be operated at small
cost.
There is no more healthful country IN
the world than the interior of Porto Rico,
and l know of no country SO beautiful
"A short distance back from the coast
there are hills which rise into mountains.
These mountains are green all the year
around. 1t is never cold and never very not.
The trade winds from the North Atlanuc
wash them daily with ozone. and In time
they will be the great winter resort of the
United States. l understand that hotei
is to be built at San Juan and another at
some mineral springs near Ponce, high up
in the mountains. These hotels shouid Dc
full during the winter. and 1t may be that
Porto Rico will have a similar winter popu-
lation to what Florida has now.
How about your towns! Are they grow
mgr" ..r,.
largest are San Juan and Ponce, neither OF
which has $1,000 people. The next cry III
size Is Mayaguez on the west coast with
population Of from fifteen to twenty tho uo
sand. We have altogether about 1'Ooo,ooo
people but they live largely on the farms
and in comparatively small villages
Glad to Be Americans.
"rIow are your people satisfied with
American rule? Are they glad OF the
changer
.~They are glad to be Americans. replied
the commissioner from Porto RICO. az
thoush IT is undeniable that they are as
satisfied that they are not yet recognized
as such In other words, We are gao 10 oo
members of your great and glorious coh-
monwealth, although not saqsnea MIN ha r uIs
of Spain we had sixteen representatives
and four senators in the cortez or Spasisn
parliament Now we have only reslueHs
commissioner who has within the perloo
of two months only been granted the par
Iamentarv powers of a delegate in Con-
gress." n..., p,oo,,,
81 am sure that Porto Rico viii, wlthih
not many years be a state Of the American
Union. and that the Union Will De as p.ouu
of us as we are proud of being American
citizens. 49,
/ here asked Mr.. Degetau whether the
Porto Ricans would make good American
citizens. He replied
yes. They are naturally quiet and law
ic1a nd hos
as one without revolutions. The people
have high ideas of honor and justice. Ihey
are intelligent, and through the schools
which have been established since the oc-
cupation they are rapidly becoming edu-
Have YOU many colored people in Porto
Rico7"
Nothing like many as in most OF
the West Indies" replied Mr.. Degetau
1--WE have less than 10000 pure negroes
and about 100000 mulattoes. The balance
are whites, SO that about three-nfths OF
the whole population is white
Cur Porto Rican Visitors.
Tell me something about the school
teachers who are coming to the United
States"
You mean those who are to be brought
by the transports to spend the summer. I
suppose" said Mr.. Degetau. They are
very bright young men and women, and are
trip will be valuable to them and our
schools. We have bright teachers. In
some respects ! think they surpass tho
American teachers. They have good imagt-
nations and learn easily; but so far their
observative faculties and experience In ma
ture studies are not so cultivated as with
the American teachers. This trip to the
United States will greatly benefit the teach-
ers and give our children practical knowl-
edge of the United States. AS 1t Is, our
schools are rapidly improving. We have
three times as many pupils as we had before
the war There Is high school in opera
ton at San Juan, and we have number
of agricultural schools in different parts
of the island"
FRANK @. CARPENTER