BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-04-07
EDITORIAL

fcosae ef Pro ksnn fas fss''ae o. i
s.sa~n - Vrfv sgs.- f.~e-esss is-sese - 4
sAs osacaAl irsnwAlgy .~nich a. snsi
Gates
Frankly. Il = unbeatable ~hcn ~c
have ir tAV O@psssl nsnv NaoAni
houses snr urts aarted io have tse /
Grand bare sncrS;s cf fhe oolony living I
nor o-ls IN cpcn defiance 81 he
Foraker lsw. bui con'rafy 20 i0Sioc
and cOmmon sense.
We are 90; given - eAsggcfsaonS.
nor do Va like &c ccnsurc unless we
have good ana powerful justification.
We would %; SPEAK OF this unpleasant,
matter were /; no; a Suhlcc; OF general
criticism and did Il not come So close
10 administrative immortality and OF
fetal iurpi,uds resulting from. ameri
can colonization
But that which follows is inSupor,
able and II 20 the constant require
ments OF the Board Of Health. the
steady increase OF the taxes on city
properties. we have 10 add the inlusii.
ce Of those officials whol live gra,
uitously and contrary 10 the rights OF
The people OF Porto Rico and OF
individuals. we have reached the time
10 call the attention OF all the world
10 this abuse, to accuse those
bureaucrats who are disoLeying the
Organic law, and 10 inaugurate an
active and energetic campaign in
defense OF the rights of our people.
The assurance OF those men who
give themselves perquisites which are
not permitted by law, is astounding.
who live in defiance of that strict
morality which officials should observe
and .who give the people the sad
example of living recklessly withou;
the faintest scruple.
The death knell of he abuses has
undoubtedly been sounded, now that
the public has begun 10 take alarm
at the effrontery and ostentation OF
those officials who have decreed the
socialism "sui generis for thelrs own
benefit
The Organic law, in the section that
refers to the salaries of the high Of
flcials. says /:
The governor, eight thousand
(Sooo) dollars; in addition thereto he
SHALL be entitled TO the occupancy of
the buildings heretofore used by
the chief executive of Porto Rico
with the furniture and effectssthereiD,
free of rental.
SO far as the other officials are
concerned, there is no: word IL the
Foraker law regarding dpmclle,
furniture and effects The salary is
stated, nothing more. \
But those that have reached the
belief that they owe obligations. to
nothing, nor to any one 1n-1he colony,
occupy edlhcesv and places which
should yield considerable revenue IN
the way of rents, leases etc TO the
Insular government.
It>>should he plainly understood
that public buildings ought to be used
for Offices and if there are buildings
20 spare, then for institutions Of a
public character and utility, but never
for the highly paid bureaucraIs who,
already receive more than they earn.
1t should be demanded that these
intruders upon buildings belonging toI
the public pay rent or vacate the
premises they occupy, that they live
not An other day defrauding the
treasury and that they repay what they
knowingly have saved for them
selves unscrupulously and without
consideration
The american functionarles in Por-
to Rico live inonparably better than
do similar officials anywhere in the
world
They discount nothing from their
salaries in critical situa tion such as
we are now passing through. These
men~are the only ones who remain
uninjured, although they have the
least right to be 50.
But at any rate let them pay rent,
because il is sad thing that there are
gathered together in Boarding hou-
ses" those who are not sufficiently
high in the category of ofhcialdom to
disobey the Foraker law and therefore
not cent of the three million dollar
budget returns to the people from
whom it was taken by cruel and viol
ent methods.
Allthe money that the baresucrats
ought to have paid as house rent must
be returned, because in this Island no
one but the governor has the right Of
free domicile, the others ought to pay
their living expenses and they must
he forced TO