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

q people n Ia -ziiu- !; - he .Sar,e.
The oc0asiun = lhs .asflk ia Ponce |
illustrates that S4e 'fa'h.
Among the oifcis,s q the national
administrator there = ignorance re
g4rding Porto Rico whllS IN The de-
p.rsmcr, a he Interior the Secretary.
Mr.. Hnchcock. believes ,hs, the eoaa'
try is governed as ar the o;hcr tern
tories. only with more freedom sDd a
regimen more democratic. IN that Of
the Navy II is understood that the is
land is more Of a naval base than
political dependency. Mr.. Taft. the
Secretary OF War. thinks tha; Porto
Rico is a territory aud the territories
are under the jurisdiction Of the de-
partmeni OF the Interior.
And SO, by this style and hearing
commissioner Of the American FEEDER
alton of Labor visited the various
administrative offices without obtain
ing a specific declaration from any OF
the members Of the Cabinet, asking
in vain for inform alton as 10 whether
there was in the United States any
one who had any thing TO do with Porto
Rico and who was charged With the
management of affairs in the colony.
There. all is ignorance of what we
are and what we are to become; even
are they in ignorance of why We are
retained, or whether we are part of
America, or one of the islands Of the
PHILIPPINES.
All that knowledge which they had
of us before the war, has disa ppeared.
OF Porto Rico there is left nothing
but the name in the memory OF some
high functioaary of the nation, which
is recalled when:it is desired to find
place for some debutant functionary,
notwithstanding that the island is rather
more of naval base than political
dependency.
This divorce between reality and
the declarations of the official is capa-
bic of curing of wonder any one, no
matter how little accustomed to the
monume ntal surprises and innovations
which the american politicians use
towards us in the manner of jests.
Is not this political dependency
And then, why this sending of giodo-
mic functionaries, who no sooner put
their foot on land than they attempt
TO overwhelm us with their theories of
education and democracy; with their
new systems for destroying industries,
with their misbehavior. their igno-
RANGES and their impudence, with their
gidionic laughter, with all the
strange repetory that they bring for
our entertainment whether they believe
it to be good or not1
In this peregrination of the Com
missioner of the Federation Of Labor
from Herods to Pilates it has been
demonstrated that our criticisms Of the
system. the regimen, the function
aries and Of all Tie gidOnic con-
gregation, have not been unjust.
That We have been right in our
demand that we be relieved of the
selfish occupants of public posts, and
tia at we have from the national 60
verment definite statement at once
of the present political status Of Porto
Rico and what it is to be in the
future, in accordance with the interests
of the island and not with the mo
goebino" invasion Of continental para
sites
1t is necessary that this disrespectful
should cease, that the
insupportable mockery INDUCED in
toward the colony should come to an
end.
To that end it is necessary for us to
re mind the government of the promi-
ses of Miles, the articles in the ameri
can press, the supposed motives of the
war, with its sad epilogue of the occu-
patton of the island; to speak again of
he lost democracy, the gaver crisis; it
IS necessary that we should bring to
light the via crucis' of seven years,
which has brought us finally to
nournful calvary of exposure, with
misery, insults and degra da-
ioc and other trials whose sad details
md bitter and hard significance we
will not record,
After seven years of occupation,
nothing is known in government
centres regarding the status of Porto
Rico in International law and political
ife.
Well then; this incognito cannot
continue; we must emerge from our
it is necessary that it be
ended by all means
A million inhabitants cannot, with