BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-06-12
EDITORIAL

be anticipated 4 she pelnsoal parties
we're 10 take The mstter ga charge 0y |
utxl.c Il tAe Pfc>idc-i AT ssn@iion
of such = thorough character a. nigh
be necessary for one who asks fer 1;
in writing after listening 20 comp zints
I ended or convincing lugic.
nah ccsSion is serious.
: perhsp> Mr. Roosevelt still rcmem-
bers having asked memorial from
The repr, Se NATIVE Ct a people in order
20 BE- convinced that he has TO do
Justice.
Very well: that is confession which
the President kes of his bad me-
morv and of his want of retentiveness,
even Of matters the most serious. as
without doubt are the violated rights
CT people. the collective life afflicted
with a grievous loss of citizenship
which do. 5 not permit the portoricans
to make iha: Use of their rights which
citizens Of other nations fad it possible
to make of theirs; iu situation OF hun.
ger and secuted in their own land:
removed from their positions as if they
were useless men, reduced Ito con-
dltion more servile than slaves; that
onfession # the President, that he'is
ignorant Of all these things, or that he
readily forg, is them, ought to IN
duce the portoricans to refresh his
memory by putting theta in writing
as he wishes and in accordance with
his request made to Mr.. Larrinaga.
The political parties. the municipa =
lities, all the societies, the papers OF
the political groups. conld furnish the
President with the necessary informa
tion in order that he might be convin-
ced that cultured and civilized peo-
pie has inherent motives III their cul-
ture to reject the tutorship which is
imposed upon them with lack Of
consideration which is both insulting
and insuppoEtable.
There Is way of bringing 10 the
attention of the President ths protest
which is so general and SO firmly ro-
oted. A form of memorial. brief. con-
densed. energetic. signed by the resi-
dents of every city and town and sent
to the President in order to refresh
his memory.
In this memorial the people should
express their desires with laconic ar
mness: that they want an autonomous
form Of government like that of Mo-
ret. or of Canads, or Independence.
Mr.. Roosevelt knows what that
means.
In the unanimity expressed, the do
Cument would be absolutely convin-
cling. and it could not fail to bring to
the mind of the North American Pre-
sident the conviction that the colony
has a paramount necessity for getting
rid of the suffocating burden of the
bureaucracy of expectation.
In this concert the Ayuntamiento OF
San Juan has sounded discordant
note.
In regard to the two great festivals
which are approach ng, our municipa-
lity has assumed on attitude OF anti
pathy towards one which was hardly
expected and is unworthy Of our city
fathers.
For the festival of the Fourth Of
July, which commemoratcs the indie
pendence of the nation. our good Ma
yor has taken the initiative and the
municipa lity seconds the plans of the
FIRST municipal authority.
No provision has been made to sui
tably recognize the day Of the patron
saint Of San Juan. 1t is impossible to
do anything.
The Ayuntamiento has now the in
delicacy 10 confess that with commen-
dable @ foresight it nIaue no provi-
sion in the budget for the celebration
of the occasion.
The city fathers have sighted the
danes who took under their charge
the patronsl festival.
1t has. of a certainty. been strange
conduct which merits anything but
praise.
The festival OF ST. John is not
religious one: it is regional festival.
Porto Rican traditional and patriotic.
The Fourth of July. though glo-
rious day for the nation. very sacred
for the inhabitants of the United Sta
tes cannot have for Porto Ricans the
significance which our city fathers
accord it.
!. Ii is a lamentable thing that our
women have had to step in and pre-
serve the tradition from the abandon
ment given it by those men who have
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