BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-01-11
EDITORIAL.

ntrhser has ~h4t - alfe.ts s~n~
Ia, s0.eAa .he fess
aaes nC' fAsef inan fhsf 'frnftls tht
easgs nanNfN
Wa aiHeivn,e ao1 s MAKE ;o'
ahasr a esals sua tmpis sees ~he
a~aw Nslafies -Nhe shsf he con0&naE
81 he eoantfy ! good ~ had 81 lorg
as ihey eei their moncs which comes
fran the iaAes collected from iac
I~ople
The d@v ,hesc sam, ciiicalS and
EMPLOYEES fall io receive thcif -
l~ries promptly because there Is no
morey II ,ae lnsular Treasury 10 p.y
hem. ises Will doubtless sing sno-
her iunc
The only opposition 70 "a sgricultu.
raj loan comcSirom the high salsrled
officials and employees and a superior
lev forming privileged coierie. who
are Supfemely inaiiieTcn; 10 any sacrl-
hces OF hardshlps suffered by ihe
coua;rv 50 long as hey are able 10
draw their fat salaries and enjoy the
luxuries Of life
Only the News with ridiculous
persisicncy pretencs 10 believe that
an agricultural loan would not be q
benefit, andwe all know the mental
calibre of the gentlemen who contri
butte 10 its columns.
Any one can understand, for il is
patent 10 the most ordinary intellect,
that it IS only preJudiced, unscrupu-
lous and ignorante men, who take no
real interest in the welfare of the
Island, who advance such views,
otherwise they would favor q policy
that would benefit the country and the
people who support them. 1t is absurd,
is incredible, it IS marvellous, that
they should oppose, attack, and cry
down a measure that would add TO
the material well being of the country
Suck a course is incompatible with
a sane mind.
Those selfish and narrow minded
officials who would willingly see from
three to FIVE million dollars expended
on roads, school houses and other
public improvement over which there
is departmental control are the. men
who are retarding the development of
the coffee industry Of Porto Rico, the
most productive and profitable on the
Island-the motive power OK cur eco
nomic orgauism-and h c crisis
through which the country is now
passing is due only to the stagnation
Of that industry, in which lies our,
principal source Of prosperity and
wealth.
That is what the News" should
say, instead Of trying to prove a
strange preference for most patent
absurdity, as that Of suggesting, WI Ia
manifest stupidity and mis- represen-
tation, that the tax payers would
. have to refund the money loaned to
the coffee planters.
Where does our contemporary get
such an ides2 Who has taught it such
a stupendous lesson Who has told it
that there is no other form of loan
than one guaranteed by the Treasury
and to be paid by the tax paying pu-
bile?
By what right does that paper pre-
sumo to insinuate that coffee loan
would be of that class1
And although it were so, is ii not
presumptuous for that paper to anti
cipate the unwlllinguess of the Porto
Rlcan taxpayers to approve TT
Does it know how much they are
interested in the coffee industry, and
why they would gladly repay the
loan2
The News" speakes for coterie
of officials who are responsible for the
tax on capital, as result of which We
today see the depressing spectacle
of many of our best and richest coffee
properties being sold ortaxes.
If that paper knows nothing about
economic questions, let ii remain
silent or at least cease its opposition
to the wishes of the country at large
and the necessities of the Island.
The writer of those articles, whoever
he may be, would do we'll to study or
consult authorities on subject OF
which the News is lamentably ig
norant; he might then with greater
success. and without provoking smiles
of compa passion, discuss the problems
arising from the present crisis and Of
fer some intelligent and reasonable
solution.
By an examination Of the underly-
fao.- - 80 V>~r r~r,t+ay, |