Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-03-03

cellent Cattle are RAISED. LII BeheIdi
Porto Rico may be described as exceed
ingly fertile, and its exports more than
double in value those of Jamaica. 1.-THE
Earth and Its Inhabitants" by Elisee
Reclus, D. Appleton & Co., 1893, says;
puerto Rico..ranks in size only as the /
fourth of the Great Antilles, but takes
the first place for density of population
general prosperity.
Having no inaccessible places of retreat
in the mountains the aborignes, not
withstanding their numbers, rapidly dis
appeared after the conquest by the
Spaniards
According to the early chroniclers
they numbered nearly a million, all sub
iects of single cacique.
As IN the other Antilles the aborigines
were replaced by the black race on the
plantations. The population of the
island, which numbered $4,000 in 1865,
now (1s91) exceeds $1,000 and has
doubled itself on an average every 30
years, rate almost as rapid as that of
the French Canadians.
Puerto Rico is one of the few countries
in tropical America where the whites
outnumber the other races. This was
not always so, in ITO there were $4,000
Spanards, nearly all Andalusan peasan-
try, to over so 900 pure and mixed blacks
Towards 1880 the two elements were
about balanced, and at the census of 1887
the whites exceeded the blacks by about
$50, O00-475 900 and $4,000 respect
lively"
As we understand, there is now no
tariff on products exported from Porto
Rico to the United States, or from the
United States to Porto Rico. This should
be satisfactory to Porto Rico, giving them
the best market in the world free of
duties. From the above facts in regard
to Porto Rico there would appear to be
no good reason why, with proper
ballot, that is. with a proper regulation
of the ballot, Porto Rico might not be
admitted as State, except her small
territory. In the case of Cuba there
would be no such objection.
Unfortunately, in the recent Cuban
complications with Spain there was no
one in authority to look after our inter-
ests. those who should have been active
in this direction being wholly engros-ed
in personal politics, how best they could
reinstate themselves in office. And any
makeshift which would accomplish this
answered their purpose The results
were the worst possible for the United
States We got into a war for which
there was no necessity. For the reor-
ganization of the beligerent rights of the
Cubans, and a little wise diplomacy,
would have accomplished everything
which the war could, for the Cubans or
ourselves.
And to make a bad matter worseat the
close of the war we annexed by force the
Philippines, who should nave been given
their freedom, and let Cuba go, which
should have been, and might have been,
! if the matter had been properly managed,
with their full assent, admitted as a
State. l find it stated in the British
} Encyclopedia that at one time the
United States offered Spain 5000, 200, 600
for Cuba, but when it could have been
had for the asking there was no one to
ask.
On the other hand the criminal blunder
: of conquering the Philippines has cost us
, thousands of lives and sum admitted
b., ali " ;Iv SEC, GCCoo 600, anu claimed by
many to be four or five times that Thus
in recent issue the London Times. in
an article on the Philippines contributed
by Mr.. Ireland, says:
The war between the Philippines and
, Tine United States commenced Feb. 4,
1900. Up tc the present time this war,
which was officially declared at an end
in 1901, but which has left the islands in
state differing very little from condi-
tion of warfare has cost the United States
SO &c thousands Of lives and more than
$500, 100000.
We ale glad to See that President
Roosevelt has expressed the hope that
} arrangements might be made to let the
Philippines govern themselves, for not
only will they continue to be indefinitely
, and always a very large bill of expense
requiring increased army and navy tc
hold them subdued, but also we will be
,, liable to get into complications with
other powers in striving to hold them
the same that Spain did with us. And
OF course the sympathies of the whole
world would be with the PHILIPPINES il
,, their attempts to get their liberties from
us, as ours were when they were striving
to get them from Spain.
l find with the many Americans that
meet travelling the feeling very universe
that retaining the Philippines was &
! blunder, and equally SO the failure tt