Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-02

vassals of half dozen men sent out from
the United States, who, without any con-
troll, rule the island at their will.
Mr.. Larrinaga talked with a Star re-
porter today in most interesting way
concerning present conditions in Porto
Rico, the result of the recent visit of
President Roosevelt to the island and the
hopes of the natives for the future.
Il will tell you the whole truth about
Porto Rico" said Mr.. Larrinaga.
with the recent visit of the President to
Porto Rico and his special message on the
question of granting American citizenship
to the Porto Rican, the press seems to
have taken up the matter and several
newspapers have published interesting arti-
cles on the subject.
Governor Winthrop in his report about
Porto Rico makes a glowing picture of the
prosperity of the island 1t is not only
by the figures showing the increasing in the
bulk Of business of the island that the act
ual prosperity of the island is to be Judged
By carefully collected informatio from
impartial visitors and the testimony of
many natives of high standing in the island
arrived at the conclusion that the pros
perity in the island is today a positive
fact. AS real and positive today it was
false and misrepresented persistently, even
in the official reports, during the first six
years of the occupation of the island by
our people.
When in 1901 and 1902 families were mi
grating to the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico
and Peru, and people in the mountainous
section of the country were starving and
often found dead in the trails of the coffee
districts, the American press and public
were served with long statements about
the prosperity, happiness, etc, in Porto
Rico. But today, although there is yet
some little suffering of the poor classes in
some of the coffee districts of the interior
where the coffee culture has not recovered
from the great 0eprpSSiOn pro1I,aad h,rt ba
hurricane and the low prices on account
of the loss of the markets of Spain.
France and Italy by the application of
the Dingley tariff-the prosperity in near
ly the whole island is a positive fact and
every poor family has a loaf of bread and
dollar for the other necessities of life.
Work for Every One.
Sugar and tobacco have been cultivated
on a large scale in the last two years and
almost every wage Garner in the island
finds readily where to make a living
Sugar is today the main staple of the
country and prices have been fair. so that
capital has found a good investment and
has at the same time furnished means
of living to the peon or laboring class of tho
island, which in Porto Rico is very large
But the profits of sugar go almost entirely
out of the country.
THE two largest planta lions of the island
the 'Guanica' and the 'Aguirre Central,
factories have been formed with American
capital and the next two largest ones are
french-the Fortuna in Ponce and the
Colosa' in Aguadilla. After these come in
the third rank some four or six others
nearly all belonging to foreigners-mostly
Spanards-eXcept one in the district of
MayagueZ, the Bianchi Central which he
longs to Porto Ricans. There are two more
plantations of real Importance, one in Bar
celoneta and the other, in the course of con-
struction, in Fajardo, in which both native
and foreign capital has been invested
The fourth rank of sugar plantations If
may be said, are equally divided between
foreign and native elements
mus 1t Will be seen that while the in
crease In bulk of the exports of the island
mas been very large this year the greater
part of the profits must have gone out of
the island, for nearly all foreigners interest
ed in these plantations either live abroad or
send their profits out of the country.
Tobacco Production Helps.
Tobacco has also had a considerable
development, and brought large share OF
the bulk of the exports, and as the great
er part of the crop is manufactured in
the country and only a relatively small
part of the work is done by machinery it
employs a considerable amount of labor
and, therefore in proportion is more bene'
fetal to the country.
Coffee production although greatly de-
pressed yet, on account of the low prices
and the considerable acreage that wac
abandoned. after the cyclone, comes next
after tobacco. And after coffee the export
of fruits is beginning to grow important.
"Against heavy odds the country has
struggled and is about to win the fight.
1t has paid its taxes. although many small
farms during past years have been chang
ing hands to pay for mortgage; many have
been sold at auction to pay for taxes
1T may be said that the battle is over
The damages have been nearly repaired:
the dead are buried; the f1ttest have sur.
vived. and, without looking back, that in
dustrious people on it's fertile soil have
kept on: have paid their taxes, built many
school houses, some roads and improved
almost every public service.
Demand Political Rights.
us the country happy? Is it satisfied?
By no means. Porto Ricans ask for their
political rights; they wish to be free men
and not the vassals of a half-dozen men
sent from the United States who without
any control, rule the island at their will,
without any regard to the will of the
people.
1.-THE house of delegates is useless
pack of fgureheads. They cannot appoint
a single policeman in the hurnblest towns
Those six men sent from here make the
laws; vote the taxes; collect them; ex-
pend money and appoint all the PERSONAL