BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-06-05
EDITORIAL.

~ stI. fhCfN apprssh &nr @SNoAnR .
mater wAi.k a. canncd considerable
- seism an1 atsoa.skraent - The me
sfs sNs hai whick Is 4 such frtcuens
oocn frrntr in he colony ih2' u Faso-
90 - ~ surprise.
The uuplcsSAui discovery cHnses
paiusui conclusions 20 bc sossseo ~
Ia ameficsa puh,ic. whios now hnoS
she; Il as ot>poiic csestfisn and al
,ocfa,ic institute rs. institutions ihss
s-e ia aircc; con'raric;y 10 tie demo
ciatic preocpss q the constitution and
20 = republican form Of government.
The case IN qucs;ioa is identics
with those occurring IN our Cnsiom
Houses.
MeSsxrs W y. White and Compa-
nv. Of New Work. importers OF euro
pen fruits. made claim on the Gus
tom House for sum uniusily collec-
ted for tariff dues, basins their claim
on he fact tha, at other times less
amount had been collected for preci-
selv The same article Of merchsnGize
AS their claim was dlsallowed by
the Customs authorities. White and
Company appealed TO the Board of
General Appraisers, which upheld the
decision OF the Custom House. The
duties collected whether justly or
unius,ly, would have 10 remain in The
treasury of the Customs.
The house in question then referred
the natter 10 the Secretary Of the
Treasury. and in letter signed by
the secretary Of that ofticia, they were
informed that whether rightly or
wrongly imposed the amount collec-
ted could not be refunded. They were
further informed that the decisions OF
the Board of General Appraisers could
on'y be revised by an act OF Congress.
After that remarkable e declaration,
there was nothing left but to appeal
TO the tribunal of public opinion, the
press. And the New York daily re-
ferred 20 above, devoted two columns
of it's valuable space to giving an &C
count of this abnormal and surprising
proceeding
Such institutions cannot be tolerated
in democratic country, the cltlZeDs
of flee america cannot submit to an
organism claiming the attributes of
onnipotence.
And this. nevcrth eless. is what is
passing in all matters relating to pu-
bic and administrative life in the CO
lony
That which amazes Messrs White
and Company provoking the protests Of
the Evening Post, is of almost daily
occurrence in Porto Rico
What would the Nortn AmeTlcar
paper think were We to tell it that in
the Custom House Of San Juan duties
are collected on spanish boois, which
according to the treaty of Paris should
be admitted free Of duty
Well such surprising thing has
happened 49,.
The house of a. Lynn c Hijos de
Perez Morris, projectors of "IHE 30
LETIN MERCANTIL, were obliged 10 pay
duty on an importation of this kind,
they immediately appealed their claim
with the same result as that Of MeSsrs
White an Company.
But in their case there was viola
ton of international law, which is res
pected by all civiliznd countries; the
Customs authorities however, ignc red
this right Of international comfy.
AS we are familiar with the unedl-
flying spectacle Of officials who do
not recognize the law, neither have
respect for international treaties, the
surprise expressed by the New York
daily moves us more to compassion
than amaZement.
What complete and transcendental
tran sformation is needed by people |
that has had SO much unwarranted |
pride in the democracy OF its lnstl-
tutions!
A people that has constitution on
paper, but which in practice, imposes
the utmost tyranny and whose instl
tutions though having au appearance OF
democracy, are susceptible OF the
most into erable despotism.
Now they are coming to reallzat-
ion that there is marked difference
between theory and practice that the
road of imperialism leads to an abuse
of power, that its democratic inS,ltut-
ions are arriving at the point Of mon
opolizing a sovereignty that might
we'll be called imperial.
Nothing seems strange or surprising
to people that has to hear such re
mark be definitions of democracy as
these advanced by Mr.. Falkner.
w ~.o,,iJ i;1ya m add tO the com Dla. !