BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-01-14
THE MESSAGE:

- vss ie.Ael ~ hy ~ rsp 4
Porte ktee
tack ekfsecs s.a,shtag .cuuui,
al1sfEaI l5,s. ..l .., ~ -,i'&.
- NsattailssStl ssaS Nlaussoa t'gI'al'g
sNiacgisnfas eflsss. souac fcoommvn-
asslen respecting fht lean fof oui.
Agricultural lntefesss Ssnt Plan toi
ne sc3uesson ~ geScrnmens cNycndi-
fufes.
They kopd - receive suEae iu,
preSsion regarding the Governor ~
svns vassi to The niica Ssstcs Some
~otd oi encouragement.
They have hoped IN vain,
Their ~aS nothing C. real. vissl im
porisnce - the island in the Message
isough !, Tehcc;s ;he Governor = PEI
Sonal good viii
We DO not care 10 discuss the Mes
sage. nor analyze i; COR readers can
peTuse !; Tor them selves. and will. a.
We. be quickly undeceived regarding
is beneficial suggo siions.
!; forms a dreary page in the book
oi brilliant promise opened before ihe
people by Governor Winthrop.
Upon finishing its reading. one can
bu, be filled with the profoundes, des-
pondency. The people have faith in
the Governor good intentions, but his
Message produces the impression that
his mission 10 Washington was a fruit
les one, snd that he has, returned as
respondent Of our future. AS are we
Our coffee interests must continue 10
languish without tariff protection,
without help or any sort And while
our hopes in that direction are cut off,
we are left also with no sort Of prom ise
of assistance in regaining the old
markets that once were ours, but which
now seem doomed TO be closed to US
forever.
The sadness and gloom which en-
velopes our island is darker and
deeper lthan ever and with greater
reason.
i. Heretofore the Governors amused
us with brilliant and epigrammatit
periods and figures! Of speech which
entertained while they deceived and
which at least kept us from falling in
to the: very depths of woe. Now we
have hot even this poor comfort.
Then came among us an honest
Governor, man who talked OF justice
who seemed to be a safeguard against
anarchy The people listened with
simple and enthusiastic delight to the
words of comfort that fell from his
lips.
The public believed them possible
of realization, as they still believe
them to have been sincere ::
And the people have suffered an
other defeat There is nothing to
hope for from Washington. 1t has
heard the, truth from Governor Win
throp a1ft has paid no heed.
So we ned no longer trust that just
ice will come by a change of Cover
nors. The guilty arc higher up, and
more powerful, and have now their
positions for long terms. j. ::
The august throne of Imperialism,
with wanton and pitiless irony, faunts
in the face of the world It's refusal to
listen to the appeal from its colony.
Our Governor S. fervent appeals for
the peace, welfare and happiness of
the colony finds no sympathetic hear
ing in the halls of there later Caesars.
More welcome then were the ad-
dresses of the former Governor,
speeches sublime in the skill with
which he twisted facts and spurned
and maligned the weak and unfortu-
nate and the defenseless.
1t is- well to know this at the begin
ming of the legislative session. Better
to understand the depths Of our misfor-
tune than to live in an atmosphere Of
ceaseless deception; than to be the
victims of vain and illusory opti-
miSm.
The break down has been complete
and we need no longer be the dupes
of funcies. The victims are twain -
the Governor who failed to realize his
hopes, and the people who have wit
messed his and their defeat To make
it worse, this awakening to the real
state of affairs has come just when
our hopes were highest, just when it
seemed as if we had safely weathered
the storm and passed the reefs that
threatened destruction.