BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-04-25
EDITORIAL.

Nat Ns fstfI So SASH t..k wNttt
- o., sss.4s ID ..lsais -esl.si ss aua
haA sa.sS~Nu4,a ta tt..A sa ae.- 81
oa she :. aer ,iss 81 the Auacsacsn
rcoYie.
Thc american people q says
~ould rcvei iHfglNe the President
wsfc Ae io Be- aasthiug wh1eh lnNf.&
SD lhc pflcc 81 etttc above va; is
a. the pfcseni uac.
$Cshei newspapers. ihe majority 81
;hem in las, almost all. defend thN
necessity q . reform q! he i4fisf. .sd-
vocaung the imp Siiion Oi a tax on
foreign gram With the object 81 mere
aSing by thss means Inc funds IA isc
Treasury and thus make good The de
scii IN the badgc;.
Under the circumstances. we may
excuse the brasque expression Of The
daily which says ihai the President S
action would be objectionable were
congress TO impose a TX on coffee.
We admit that what has been said
expresses the reason for our comments.
because it implies a censure Of the
doctrine OF expansionism. which IS the
cause of the unsatisfactory condition
of the budget, of rhe deficit which
must by all means be made good and
has caused The american economists
to consider the advisability Of putting
stop to the free entry coffee into
the markets Of the United States.
But until now the American idea
has been expansionism, the people
have lived enamUred with that ideal
and even were the sentiment 10 chan
ge it would be too late tor a rectific4
tion which is not in their hands to
impose.
Had that paper spoken to the anne
rjcan people Of justice, legality and
honesty, instead of covering the deficit
in the budget, it would not have dared
TO say that the american people would
never forgive the President for inere :
asing the price of coffee.
That statement is absolutely mad
rlissable as inadmssable and absurd as
it would be to say that the republican
party would not dare 70 face the unpo-
pularity which would fall llupon 1t should
it advocate in congress the placing Of
a duty on foreign coffee.
Why do they not dare?. Are they
afraid?.
If by it they could prevent the con-
summation Of great crime, II by it
they could save the colonies from a
crisis and make good the deficit in the
Nation. Are those who are opposed
to such just measure, 10 the honora-
Bile and necessary revision of the ia
riff, looking for a more just and rea
sonable method to more acceptable
means?
They would certainly lose time if
they took 10 arguing over better re
courses than that of duty on foreign
coffee and they would have to retrace
their steps in order TO impose as
high a duty as is necessary, when the
people would hear The complaining
voice of the colonists and they might
learn what is here d matter Of life and
death, and that is what some p pers
dare to characterize as unfUrglvabIe.
If Mr.. Roosevelt and the Congress
would impose tariff duty of five
cents pound on foreign coffee. tar
from deserving the slightest censure
they would gain an enduring title to
the consideration of all, the people of
the colony, as well as hose Of the
Nation, bot more particularly the lat
ter, because the former a. the sover
eign has the responsibility for what
governments do, and neither govern
ments nor honest people Can consent
to have Other people perish IN misery
and ruin especially when they are un
der the yoke of another power.
There is no use arguing over the
legality Of the tax. 1t Is essentially
just, it is rreprCachs BILE.
Moreover if it is est ,blished, ii
should be made beneficial for the
american pc pie as well as for those
of Porto Rico
The tariff should be FIVE cents a
pound.
The american citizen ca culating
with practical eXactness fir m the
amount Of coffee he consumes, will
pay approximately from seventy to
seventy cents, not necessarily in our
favor since the greater part Of the
benefit of tariff reform is for the Ma
tional government. as well as to in
crease the national prestige; so that it
may not continue a strangIer of colo
nies, nor have TO place upon its pre-
cent exDansiOnist program an irnmc