The Washington herald., 1907-04-20
'.Deep Affeetlon', for Porto Rico.

Secretary Taft is quoted In newspaper
dispatches as giving utterance TO some
queer expressions in Porto Rico apper-
tanning 10 the hybrid political state of the
inhabitants Of that island. In response TO
the pleading requests of the Porto Ricans
for fun citizenship and the right 10 par
ticipate in the government that rules
them, Secretary Taft said:
Il beg Of sou, do not think Of those things you
do not have. You have what is desired by the
Philippines and Cuba. the unsurpassed markets Of
the United States.
True it is that Porto Rico has "the IN
surpassed markets Of the United States.
Likewise is it true that in extending to
the Porto Ricans free access to our mar
kets we have shut them out from the
principal market for their chief product.
While Judge Taft was talking to them
so soothingly. France was preparing 10
impose upon Porto Rican coffee its maxi
mum tariff. which is virtually prohibitive
Of further fmpoTtatiOns Of that commodity
from the island. The action of France
is due 10 the retaliatory spirit that IS
asserting itself all over Europe against
our standpat policy. In this particular
case Porto Rico is the sole sufferer. as
We produce no coffee in what is known
in the pleasing phraseOlogy Of the times
as the continental United States" Had
not the Dingley tariff wall been thrown
around Porto Rico. the market Of France
still would be open to Porto Rican coffee.
And the Porto Ricans. under the pres
ent queer status established by the For
al T. L. IL.
ton at Washington, nor will they ever
have. if Secretary Taft has forecast the
future. England destroyed Ireland
great linen industry by almost exactly
the same policy which our course in re-
gard 10 Porto Rico is threatening that
islands chief industry.
In further efforts to soothe the simple
minded Porto Ricans, Secretary Taft
said:
Il can only invoke your attention 10 the fact
that President Roosevelt has visited Porto Rico,
and the island has been visited by Mr.. Root. the
Secretary Of state. and by Mr.. Cannon, Speaker
Of the House Of Representatives. and in some re-
spects the most powerful man in the country. What
these visits mean is this: That the people Of the
United states have a deep affection for the people
Of Porto Rico, and feel mote kindly toward them
and have greater interest in them than in the
people Of Cuba and the Philippines"
He further assured them that I'VE have
given you the markets and the prosperity
you enjoy to-day" What a mockery this
must be to the Porto Ricans. now that
their coffee mas been shut out of its
chief market because of Dingleyism and
standpatism in Washington, Under this
dispensation they are compelled to buy
everything in the United States which
they do not produce at home for their
needs, and contribute of their earnings
to the support Of a tariff system that is
OF positive harm to them. They are being
taxed without representation, If ever a
people in the world were.
Fine words butter no parsnips We
may have "a more kindly feeling to-
ward" the Porto Ricans than we have
toward the Cubsus and the FiHpinos, as
Secretary Taft says. but that kindly
feeling" thus far has manifested itself
IN curious way