BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-03-20
EDITORIAL


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hWa psv ID a. sKsgc ci ihis
,,,,,, s.,ss~i' a - ~ n,t tar ihcv srs
entrusted 18th 4 nis>iea vt irSsccne
cn,sl impo'iancc
The s;rs'egc,ie D'-s. 20 nseQuence
~ car ration hrdfUg x w~ : IN internal
ional Affairs .ud IN compile sied pr
bl,ms pr graied wrh dangers, are
bound 20 be one 81 he most lncispen
sshle 'arznlics and - oi the pTin-
cip.l measures q safety.
The committee ~h.ch has had but q
bird eve view of the island. must
hav. had time 10 see ihst American
foresight has been bched here. for il
the six wears, since the iaking Of the
island. the government hiss not taken
the slightest measure which would in
dicate its much herslded activity;
and thcs could have seen still Sadd,r
things by listening to the complaints
of the abandoned c@lony aband me- d
lust like the h rborS and fritlhcations.
An en- nent writer whose ideas
were published n yesterdays paper
points out the dangers which are sure
to result from the comp ications sur
rounding tn UnitedSt ties and shows
how p rto Rico would be the target
of the first attacks in case that Germ
any was the nstI n charged with re-
pressing the progressive steps OF the
United StAteS
If such thing were TO happen, Porto
Rico would be at the mercy of all
fires without any mems of defense,
and i, wlud be useless. due to the
slowness of the American nation. eve
as refuge for the American warhips.
Perhaps, tlis statement may be
surprising to he members Of the COM
mission but with u, il is not thus,
we have already seen fhe same Grim
inal Indifference In all matters relat
ing to our interests.
We h I'VE already seen how every
thing is couuterfeitfd. how the sys-
TENS are ch pged when thy find i'm
perfect application b~twt en the colony
and the United States; W. have seen
how the tariff laws were fixed in or
der to make our situation more critical
We cannot there fore feel the least
surprise if the harburs Of the island
particularly San uan III uld become
malarial waters due to the abandone-
ment in which they arc siuce the
change of sovereignty.
This commission which passes by
here on the Sumner, ike rich tourists
might have heard our complaints con
firmed tht m ana convinced them
selves OF their justice, and thus take
TO Congress not Only he reports which
they must submit, III also something
necessary and which is of more i'm
portance to the Porto Rlcans.
Perhaps these pleasure seeking
men bers of ongress.. might have
convinced themsc. 5 that @e have not
the advantagc GUS tariff law which is
believed by the American press, and
which is also believed by me ma
tives who do not know the condition of
affairs nor study the probl, ms Of vital
interest to tn : public.
Is a tariff the reciprocal exchange
of products Of one country with an
other2
If a tariff were only this, then we
would ENJOY this with the United
States. but tariff Is reciprocal and
protecte eN,h &c. projected from
foreign Competluon and defended
against similar poducts of other
countries.
This second part of the tariff we
do not en- Y. 5 gar and tobacco re
ceive protec ion. but c,ffee which is
our princlpal product an4 This, We have
said m re than thousand times en-
ters the United States. The same as
the coffee Of Brazil, Nicaragua, Vene-
zuela and other countries.
Can we say therefore that we have
a tariff
There enters here from the United
States, rice, machinery and manufac
tured articles, all Of which are pro-
tected against European com petition
then why is it that our coffee which
signifies the highest ele ment of wealth
is abandoned BY the American Tariff
1t is necessary that those who be
lieve that we ha the advantage of an
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