New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-16

Undue Importance seems to be attached In
some quarters 10 the readoption by the govern
ment of Porto Rico of the coat of arms in use
under the Spanish regime. This coat Of arms,
identified for three centuries or more with the
islands history, discarded i've or SIX
years ago for an Anglo device, with
NO historical associations or heraldic value. The
wisdom of the innovation was challenged both
here and in Porto Rico, but in the hurry of our
first efforts to Americanize the dependencies we
had suddenly acquired from Spain the argu-
ment for remodelled and up to date coat of
arms found ready acceptance. The Porto
Ricans complained, however, that the new in
vention failed to meet either heraldc his
torical requirements; and a few days ago the
Insular Legislature passed a measure restoring
the Spanish arms, which have the merit, at
least Of keeping touch with the islands inter
esting and honorable past. The Hon. Robert
H. Todd, the Mayor of San Juan, who was in
Washington recently. has been quoted as con-
demning this abandonment of the new emblem
as a 'step backward" Mr. Todd holds that the
change will tend ito awaken the spirit OF the
old Spanish days. and that in this respect 1t
is regrettable and harmful
| 1t is difficult to see how Americanism in Porto
Rico is to be checked by the simple acknowl-
edgment that the ancient Spanish coat OF
arms is artistically and historically preferable
supplanted it. The idea Of restoring the Span
ish emblem originated with the American mem
bers of the insuar government, and the bill
| lust passed was introduced by Mr.. Regis Post,
! the insular secretary. 1t seems to have had the
| support also of Governor Winthrop and of the
whole Porto Rcap administration. We can
| discover therefore in the legislatures action
no subtle attack on American ideas. Nor can
| we imagine what harm can be done through
replacing q less appropriate insular coat of
| arms with more appropriate one. The new
| resident commissioner from Porto Rico, Mr..
| Tulio Larrnaga who is also in Washington,
disagrees wholly with Mayor Todd on this
| issue In a recent interview he dismissed the
controversy over the rival emblems as a mat
! ter of no political consequence, though he
! warmly defended both Secretary Post and
Governor Winthrop for their readiness to re-
pair what they considered an error of taste or
! Judgment on the part Of previous insular adj
ministratiOn.
This little breeze over g minor detail OF legis-
Iation serves chiefly to emphasize the real tran
guilty of conditions in Porto Rico Up to two
or three years ago the newspapers We're filed
with pessimistic pictures of Porto Rican life.
| For time after the American occupation the
| islanders doubtless suffered certain hardShips,
| due to the severance of old commercial ties and
the slowness with which Industry and business
! accommodated themselves to a new environ
ment. But recently the island seems to have
| entered an era of greater prosperity and con-
| tentment. It is living its own quiet life and
we hear no more complaints Of governmental
neglect or industrial stagnation. Mr.. Larrnaga
| himself reports a notable improvement under
the governorship of Mr.. Winthrop, and says
that the islands material future is now secure
enough to permit its people to turn their ener-
gies to securing a larger measure Of local self
government If mere change of emblems can
be heralded as the event of legislative session,
Porto Rico's lawmakers certainly have few
local problems of gravity left to wrestle with