BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-10-27
EDITORIAL

is making itself neaTo HUH LII" "
time ever since the new era OF reform
has been inaugurated, and the new
policv so different from the one IN
force until a short time ago, has as is
onite natural found some enemies.
A certain newspaper has hinted darkiy
at the possibility of bitter opposition
to the new government avowed tao
tics. and advertiseS and makes mucn
of a fanciful demon tratlon that is to|
be organized to show the dlssatlstac-
tion. which does not exist, and fears,
which are groundless on the part OF
the people, said to be current among
the great mass of voters, as though
there were men who were Tightly
enough to believe that they could
threaten the government with fantas-
tic and childish threats.
But where does this half suppressed
complaint come from7 From the news
papers of certain p>litical organiz-
alton, who however do not yet dare to
take bold stand in support OF It, But
the truth of the matter is that these
papers are edited and conducted by
hirelinss; they live On the advertise
ments they are fortunate enough to
get to publish Of property to be sold
for unpaid taxes to the 1nsular trea-
-sury. which is a sort of a monopoly,
from the tithes they exact from certain
,employ ees, and the subscriptions they
force tL ese same employees to give
them.
This is tie way these papers. which
are now telling us that we age living
in open anarchy, because the lnsular
police does not check disturbances and
rioting, are maintained they tell ssus
we are living in state of anarchy
because as a matter OF fact they see
the beginning of re establishment of
order, which dates from the arrival in
Puerto Rico of ore ) no seems to kave
adopted that superb inspiration of
Waldeck-Rousseau, who said on one
important occasion;
"In order to govern it is necessary
to know how to use force, and IN order
to have right to use force all other
means must have been first ex-
hauSted.'
And with just appreciation of how
far this precept reaches, he is putting
into practice without any of these
usurpations of power, or absolute
nonarchial breaches of the law with
Which Mr.. Hunt though indirectly so
much delighted some of those who are
now on the side of the opposition. We
cannot defend any such policy.
We hold that there Is chance for
reform in every one, especially SO
II 81 .1v
them the error Of their ways, and
this theory which covers the indivi-
dual can be as surely applied to the
masses.
Why should the American admins
tration be considered lnfallible7 And
if it is not, why should we dsprive
them of the sanity virtue of repen-
tance? For the work that it has &C
complished up to the present time has
been bad for the home country, and
bad fa Z he colony, bad for everyone.
Along the course it was following
discredit was all that the great
republic might expect to get from it,
while the worse consequences of ulti
mate ruin and political death were
the lot of the unhappy colony. This
was the road which events were fol-
lowing, and the only light from which
they could be viewed.
History has always defend invasion
and conquest, when advancement and
civilization were the result, or at least
the grade of civilization already at
tanned by the vanquished was respt G.
ted and not destroyed, WHEN the in
habitants of the invaded country W. 70
not enslaved, enslaved by hunger and
despair, which is the sadest Of all serf
dom, but ruthless conquest has never
been upheld, and a warning is gene
rally given. This is what has hap
pened with North America.
If Mr.. Roosevelt were a close OBJ
server he would discover in the jeal-
cusies of South America, in the rest
less inquiet of Central America, in
the expectant attitude of Cuba, and
the resentful aggressive stand of Santo
Domingo, that the trial of colonial
government at the ex 'enSe of Puerto
Rico has not been very we'll received,
has not given satisfaction; on the con-
trary, on al sides has been heard the
severest censure applied to the ruling
country, coupled with coincidence for
the colony. This sort of policy, the