BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-05-12
EDITORIAL

Our s,a1tss wsl le ao.e io deiee'
fhN s2srn.,slaEee "a ih~ sA,s@tis whish
W. published yererdsy
The ,nkahitAn;~ oi The FrSnsvaall
wall have. lake ourselves. legislative
assembly wi;he nine members an-
pointed 10 Office aud isiriy or thirty
i've clcc;cd.
The acie of tho Legislators are sp
proved or otherwise by England. con-
vcrtiug the representative regimen IN
TO farce which has no more preoe-
den, IN the history Of colonies than
the Foraker Act.
But the perhdi US Albion. ss En-
gland has been styled by those Who
are in position TO speak. has with
rude frankness confessed that the re
simen which is 10 be imposed on the
south african colony is neither demo-
cratic nor sutonomic.
This is said by Mr. Lyttleton, the
Colonial Minister.
When the english and beers Get TO
know themselves better, and have
outgrown the i'll feeling engendered
by the war, the Transvasl will enjoy
aregimen of complete autonomy.
The confession is golden. Because
without those constant boasts that are
made by the north americans, that
they are the men and the people that
have monopolized democracy without
treackerous subterfuges, without cum
ming perhdies which place = mask
upon the mogrebIo aud unrestTained
tyranny, they declare that they will
not give greater liberty; because war
has engendered hatrcds which only
time can effscc.
And that constitution which the en-
glish think deficient in the Transvaal,
is the same that the americans have
announced with the ringing of bells in
Porto Rico believing that they were
giving us undeserved and unsupported
liberties.
In the south african colony liberty
is held in abeyance War has fomen-
ted i'll feeling. Naturally SO
And although this cannot abate the
english tyranny, exercised impiously
over that people who were free and
the arblteIs OF their own destinieS, it
says to North America something very
expressive which the perspicaclty Of
Our people will have been able to com
preheud. taking into account that there
is a greater spirit of liberty in En-
gland than in America, and a rude
bu. commendablc frankneSs in confess
sing the error and the irritating abuse
of force.
The minister for the english colon
les, can allege the fact Of this Ill feel
ing as an excuse for the deficiency of
that mogrebino constitution which the
mother country itself believes to be
imperfect, but North America has no
such pretexts, has no motives for what
il is doing with Porto Rico
Here there are no hatreds against
any one; here there has been no w,r
to engender them; the inhabitants of
Ponce threw flowers at the feet OF the
invading troops; the people received
them with palm branches and some
of our musicians played for their enter.
tainment.
How different from the way the
Beers welcomed the Englishl
Nevertheless the two mother coun-
tries assumed the same attitude; tyr.
ranized. oppressed in the same man
nGT, Out LuSia dCAuoWlcOSCS IL,
America dlssimulates it, talking
about liberty and Of the stars, assistant
for us IS those that shine in the i'm
mensity Of space.
England has undeceived her colo
MES. American has not.
The promises of General Miles Sou
nj as grateful music in the ears OF
Porto Ricans, offering brutal contrast
to the blunt words of Mr.. Lyttleton
The one offers liberty, speaks in
the name cf justice and democracy,
assumes mission of redemption in
the nane of a Republic; the other, as
representative Of monarchy, gives the
same. or even more than the first and |
says that it is little. that it would |
be more were there no hatreds in the |
midst, engendered in war which |
was cruel and bloody and during
which, more than once the severe
iqnty of Britain was threatened and
her pride humbled
Thinking upon this great and mar
ked contrast, we are disposed to envy
the Beers.
They can hope; to us not even that
remains, not even hope, the cheapest
of consultations