BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-08-03

United against the police to warrant
the attitude they took IN this instance.
! Not one of the police was wounded.
| Of the seventeen in1ared by bullets,
only one belonged to tAe strikers.
Is not that good and convincing
proof that there was no formal aggres-
sion against the police1
The tumult, the panic. OF Tuesday
are due principally to the disorganiza-
tion, to the lack Of knowledge and to
the stupidity of the police.
And this could not be other than in
evitable once the jurisdi tion OF the
government, of the superier authorl-
ties, was invaded, the latter abdicating
their perogstives; and all this aug
mented, probably, by the newest me
thods which they are giving the colo
| ny, resulted in the affair of Tuesday.
When did legitimate authority res
| ign its command. that which would
have been respected by the rioters had
| it in the slightest degree been put in
contact with them. inquiring into the
cause of public protest.
The state Of siege surged here
abruptly, without previous warning to
the citizens, witheut declaration
from the government, before the oc-
currence of the lanentable disorders
of the last hours. The state Of siege
was improvised, grew with wonderful
celebrity. assaulting peaceable citizens,
6llisg the Hospitals with bruised and
| la Nf h q
died.
That is the cause of the disturbances
of Tuesday. The absolute failure on
the part of the government to exercise
tact, and the sad condncs Of certain
policemen who saw themselves con-
verted suddenly into authorities, Su-
preme and infallible.
From such a scnseless procedure
nothing else could have been hoped.
And it is fortunate that the instinct
of self preservation dictated to the
police the wisdom of pursuing course
Of great prudence, although this was a
little late and after the first bloody
tumults had passed.
When We saw Mr.. Post % the
streets. it was already late.
That exhibition, bnt with an aspect
of little less arrogance, the Secretary
of the government might have obser-
ve9 in the morning.
Thus it occurs in all countries that
have respect for the rights of citizens
and which restrict the measures OF
. government to the provisions of an in
violable Constitution.
But here everything is done with
limpunity, and it is not possible to
avoid on occasions such SOrruwfrl
spectacles as were seen during the last
hours Of Tuesday,
By every means possible the gov
ernment should Sec to it that the sad
events of that d,y are not repeated.
But to this end it is necessary that
each department should be restricted
to it's proper sphere, in order that
.om plications may not arise, nor bases
for protests be given
AS long as all pacific measures ha-
re moi been applied, while there still
remain concillatory methods unt-ied.
| it is possible without dlminution Of
prestige of the authorities, nor the su-
rrender of the sovereignty OF a people,
to avoid such mournful scenes as :" ere
Witnessed in San Juan on Tuesday.
Let us begin to hope that our streets
will not again be sprinkled with the
blood of honest workmen and unfor-
tunate children; let us invoke anew
he only intervention that il not dan
gerous IL these conflicts. the interven-
tion of the government, the direct
Intervention of our first authority in
order that every shadow of danger
may flee, that all threats of conflicts
and imminence of violence may be
thwarted. ~.