BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-12-19
EDITORIAL

OF Porto K1CaQ coffee we nave DCCA
told by many of our American con-
temporaries that the amount of coffee
produced by Porto Rico is SO small IN
comparison with the total amount con
sumed annually in the United States
that it is useless for US to continue
agitating the imposition Of duty on
foreign coffee. That we need not ex-'
pect protection for Our product bacat1Se
we cannot produce sufficient to supply
the American market. We should
like to know if our worthy contempo-
raries are really in earnest when they
inform us that such a procedure is
impossible? They would certainly
not insinuate that the United States
can produce all of the sugar and to-
bacco consumed by the nation in the
course of the year? And are not these
two products sufficiently we'll protec-
ted by the imposition of a duty on all
such goods from foreign ports7 This
is not even legitimate reason for not
imposing discriminating duty on all
foreign coffee Our coffee industry is
worth infinitely more than the sugar
and tobacco crops of.the United States
combined, and why should il not be
protected
We are told that it is impossible
for the Congress of the United States
to impose duty on an article and the
reby increase the cost Of that which is
an actual necessity to every working
man in the United States. That the
workinsman must have cheap coftee
because he does not earn sufficient to
pay fancy price. That may all be
very true, but how about the country
man in Porto Rico, whose sole depcn-
dance is the coffee crop? Where is he
considered in this matter2 Is he not
just as much a human as his American
fellow man7 Is he not entitled to Just
as full measure of consideration, asd
perhaps, under the circumstances, just
little bit more, owing to the peculiar
manner IN which his present condition
has been brought about 1t may be
that he does not require cheap rice;
that he does not need cheap shoes;
that he will not call for cheap mate
rial for his clothing? Lsit just that he
should pay for American goods in Por.t
to Rico thirty per cent more than he
can buy those same goods for IN Eu-i
rope, simply because a protective
tariff imposes upon him the obligationi
,of buying athome at a price far in
excess Of real value, in order that the
American manufacturer may be able
to meet foreign competition in the
worlds markets. 1t does not seem
fair TO us.
There was time when We had q
market which was ever Teady 10 pur-
chase every grain Of coffee produced
in Porto Rico, and in exchange for our
money we could purchase tIs nece-
ssarjes of life at about one half of the
present prevailing price. Then there
came change, through the medium
of which we have beer first deprived
of market for our coffee and later
compelled to purchase our food from
source where it costs us much more
than formerly. The least that the
United States could have done for
us after having deprived us of Enro-
epan market for our coffee was to
allow US to retain the right of purcha-
sing our wearing apparel and commo-
dities of existence in those places
where we con1d purchase them to the
greatest advantage of ourselves.
We have practically had no money
In circulation in the interior of the
Island sincethe occupation. and there
are no indications that there will soon
be any.
1t is the duty of the United States
Congress to either place duty upon
foreign coffee or to allow uss dispose
of our products, free from the res
traint imposed by noxious ftariff,
and toEpurchase our supplies where we
choose, free from the same restraint. |
We prefer that we should be paid
in the same money in which we pay. |
Under the present circumstances we
are simply being exploited by the
American manufacturers who have us
at their mercy.
They are at liberty to charge us any
price they choose so long as they keopI
within a cent or two of the sum total |
of European goods plus the protective
tariff imposed upon same.
Formely the merchandise OF the |
world came into our ports and entered |
into competition and as result we
obtained our purcharse for nearly one
half less than we now pay. Prices |