BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-04-06
EDITORIAL.

No~ - - shfs4'cned 49, =
se-tkc IN she N,.sttu d.Nf.c {" -
Island
ghl 3 .s- t 0sr r'an.s.
Uals haAt sn e,aas fae> hoIgs'ee
seolk aaa thr A tA.ttH
shuagh ssc wsnS eis-no
IhuuAA - .hc wcscm, umr every
tking l. eelsi me hoas ssay p se 1t
ffs.art ~aen ,hr voirano ~lll l'nT>s
huihag luam as Cs.,cf aFtatcs ealsn
iiics @hsn- 4hose Which now hover
over ise pccplc
Tsc shfcatrnca Sfike nav pfcCip
tate a tremendous ,aia.clvSm.
We all lnos sow seEisas strikes are
n those countries where there IS 4
veri,sble crisis and pr o fou 4
uneaSineSs.
Once the fury. ise passions and ihe
sinister instincts Of ihe multitude arc
allowed 10 escape. the history - few
dayS may become chapter q horrors.
Afterwards comes the quieiuude
imposed by force. violently adminis,e-
red, ans the protests Of the laboreTS
have been stained with the blood OF
innocent victims and silenced by the
echos Of armed intervention.
Because al the moment there is no
diStur bance, the employers and the
government should not make the mis-
take Of supposing that the threatened
strike is only farce.
We all know what nappeued in Are
cibo and Rio. Grande. Hardly had the
strike begun. when the hungry horde
from the hills invaded the places va
Gated by the strikers and begged to
be allowed TO work at the pltifully
small and insufficient wages which the
strikers had rejected.
Now the trouble is more serious.
The workmen have been threatened by
the declared int n,ion TO bring laborers
from ST. Thomas and the adjacent
islands unless they change their at
titude of disafiection
This threat if carried out is likely
TO produce grave consequences.
The outlook is neither hopeful
nor encouraging, Resistance on cit
her side is apt TO cause fatal violence,
fact which we must not overlook and
it is this peril that pust be averted.
The present moment is inopportune
for strike.
There are plenty Of workers, but
there is very little work for their en-
ploynent.
How can the strikers remain calm
if their places are taken by men from
the hIlls~Qr. by those brought from
abroad?
1t is not necessary to be great
pesslmlst to prophesy an approaching
catastrophe which can only be averte d
by the exercise Of great tact and good
common sense in no other way can
further complications be prevented
If experience teaches any thing We
have the lesson of former strikes.
Let those who are not taking this
profound crisis into scccunt make a
study Of the total failure the strikers
TO sustain their claims; the crisis was
hostile TO the strike and exercised a
decisive influence over ii, equally as
il affects every aspect of the life OF
the Island and spreads its conta9lon
to everything which encompasses US.
Every where W hear of the strike
In the sugar district OF tnc SOutE as
something serious and which inspires
grave apprehe sion.
1t is not the natural anticipation
that procedes every collective movem-
ent but presen tlment OF something
lamentabe that prevades tAe mind
The exercise of patriotism and calm
ness was never more necessary than At
II. Al, 40
predominating virtue in the present
Instance may be because Of the in
nocence of some, of the perfdious
schemes Of enemies, cunningly dis
guised and Of the abnormal conditions
that prevail; serious crisis is i'm
minent which we are striving to avert,
but which single false step may
precipitate.