BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-06-27
Autonomy for Porto Rico
Economical Reconstruction
Campaign

Unjust as it is gratuitouS the accusa-
tion which certain newspaper pre-
tends to makes against us. We who
are recommending concrete embo-
diment of political aspirations the
different economical plans the desires
of the people; We who preach with
veritable insistence the fusion, in one
supreme and mighty guide. of all the
signals that inprevision indicates and
the lack of conscientious analysis calls
to attention: we who repeat incesantly
the necessity of effecting a condensa-
tion of legitimate aspiration for which
the popular will inspires respect-it
can not be said of us that we are
causing in the political sphere disttr-
Dances Of any kind whatsoever.
Well knows the colleague, who is
the author Of the unjust charge, that
the present campaign of economical
reconstruction entered upon by the
country, though it has not been mark
ed by the necessary energy, is due to
our efforts.
When in delightful vision demo-
cracy and the American regime were
offered as the powerful attraction for
innocent colonies; when a political
future of a liberty that was hypothe-
tical and of prosperity that was
i1lusory was disclosed to the eyes of
the optimistic as fact admitting of
no discussion and indeed already pro
we'd, we, unmin 1fu1 of enmities and
braving dangers, took exactly the
same position that we are maintaining
now.
It is, then, our own work that has
brought about this result which, if not
brilliant or even satisfactory, yet is
the beginning OF a labor more consi :
~derable and worthy of more conside-
ration than that accomplished by the
country in those days.
We have been advocates of the i'm
pcrious necessity of undertaking and
sustaining with frmness that nothing
can shake campaign in behalf of the
economical interets of the Portoricans,
of our resources which are menaced
and already duply impaired. Ecoro-
nical questions first of all. Attention
ought not to be confined to the ques
Ttion of how great the amount of taxes
which the Treasury collects but to
the economical welfare of the country
which must satisfy the requirements
of the Treasury Department
Let not the taxpayers be compelled
to make sacrifice. do not force them
to rebel against that requirement Of
the State because of the absolute inn
possibility of complying with it.
The reform of the tax system, the
project of loan for agriculture, the
establishment of true free trade every
thing as far it has part or direct relation
with the method of renedying the cri
sis from which we are suffering has
been the object of assiduous defense
-on our part.
But it is logical that after following
the line of natural and evident deduc-
lions, and considering the problem in
all its aspects; we reach political con-
.clusions closely related to the econo-
mical reform which it is necessary b
undertake forthnith.
The Territory. The State. These
are not complete forms of government
for such an island as Porto RICO AS
the political form they ought not to
satisfy the highest aspirations of the
Portoricans, but in what concerns us
in the economical sense either one of
these two formulas would be q disaS-
ter for the country.
Moreover, the territorial fern of
government is little suited for US and
is besides, a very expensive thing
and must come with great siowness.
Within a hundred, two hundred years
when the PoHorican people may be
American In everything. American in
the sense of Yankee, that is 10 say,
when the Substitution Of the race has
been effected, then can come the Ter
1itory the Stated; no before Before
mo, and if such a regime should be de-
termiaed upon for us it would preci-
pitate our ruin. resulting IN total Ii
.quidation
The government necessary for Porto
Rico is one Of autonomy; and it is the
one that the new masters Of this land
yan most easily evolve.
3, With an autt mafic government