The Washington herald., 1908-01-06
AT THE HOTELS.


success for the worlds fair which is to
be held in Seattle in 1909.
I'VE have assurances" said the Sen
ator at the Cochran last night, that the
Canadian government is only too willing
to make an appropriation for a Canadian
exhibit. The Canadian-Yukon region,
Alaska, and all those Northwestern
countries. win the islands Of the Pacific
and our Southern neighbors, are expected
to participate. The citizens Of Seattle
have subscribed about 500, 900 and the city
OF Seattle about 100000.
jamestown was an exhibition to COM
memorate a historical event: ours viii be
an exhibition for business. We want to
show to the world our enormous re-
sources IN gold, silver. copper, and other
mineral resources which have never been
touched. There are more than I2500
square miles Of waters in Alaska alone
that have an inexhaustlbIe supply OF
cod TIE fish trade Of that country
amounts to many millions Of dollars
every year Most people are under the
impression that Alaska is an iceberg.
That's entirely wrong There are hun
farm land there It's latitude is the same
as that Of Finland, which supports
farming population Of more than 100000
souls. We want TO attract business to
our section Of the country, and want TO
induce capitalists 10 make investments in
our mining and other properties. We
want Congress TO make an appropriation
Of about 81. 100.000 and you may rest as
sured We will do the rest and make this
exposition the grand success it deserves
10 be,
There seems TO be a desire among
officials and people in general along the
Isthmus of Panama to be allowed to go
on with the work without being bothered
every now and then by so-called maga-
zine and other writer's, who go down
there TO expose things" said Lee Nixon,
assistant postmaster at San Juan, p r,
at the Riggs last night Mr.. Nixon IS
on his vacation. and on his way 10
Washington thought he would take in
ST. Thomas Island and the new ditch
way.
The work at the isthmus is going
ahead spiendidly. and everybody seems
10 be imbued with the spirit that the
canal viii be a thing Of reality before
long. Everybody is proud down there
to have hand in the great enterprise.
So much has been said about the water
being bad. malariaI fever and mosquitoes,
and all that kind Of sing-song. To tell
you the honest truth. 1 could not find
any fault with any Of these things. 4
found the water al right, not a soul
that 1 spoke TO down there-and there
are mighty few that ! did not talk 10
about most neutrality-suspicious. about
malaria, and I never saw mosquito dur
ing my stay. All this may sound strange
to you. Its the truth, nevertheless.
1.-THE sugar planters in Porto Rico never
had so much money in their lives as they
have now. Business is fine in the island
and people in general are content Most
OF the business is in the hauEs Of Span
iards There are few Americans outside
the fruit shipping business engaged in
BUSINESS in Porto Rico The fruit trade
Of the island could be made one Of the
richest sources Of income il only there
were shipping facilities. The pineapple
trade from the island Is growing every
year and the farmers are making lots Of
money.
Since prosperity struck the place the
servant question bobbed up. You can
hardly find a woman or girl now for
house and kitchen work. They work in
the cigar factories. where they make
good wages. Live at a hotel? 7 would.
possibly. If there was a good hotel at
San Juan. There isn't one decent hotel
ia the whole island. Il some enterprisiug
American would go to work and interest
himself in the hotel business at San Juan
and put up a modern hotel ne could make
money and grow rich in short order 4
great many persons who would ike to
spend the winter in Porto Rico stay away
from the place because OF the lack OF
proper hotel facilities.
Before another generation every man.
woman. and child viii speak the English
language. I don't mean 20 say that the
Spanish tongue viii cease TO be used,
They'll never do without that and it will
always be used in the homes But our
American teachers are doing wonders ia
the line Of teaching the little Port
Ricans our language. It's really surpris-
ing in what short time these youngsters
pick Up our United States.
There are d number Of professional
agitstors and politicians who keep the
question of citizenship alive. The general
public seems 10 be content sWith their
present status. although il seems peculiar
that an Irishman, a Norwegian, and an
Italian can become an American citizen,
while the Porto Rican cannot. and will
always be a Porto Rican.
There seemed TO be a wrong impress
sion in the island Of President Roose-
welt before his visit there. The people
formed their opinion Of the President
mainly from newspaper talk and car
tOons. They thought he was-well just
like a big stick. They were pleasantly
surprised 10 find in the President the
incest kind of a man. He took the deep
est interest in everything and everybody.
He made speeches everywhere. and. tell
ing the islanders that he would request
Congress to bvstow the rights of citizen
ship on them, made himself immensely
popular.
Gov Winthrop was a great success in
the island. He was a diplomat. every
inch Gov. Post is successful. too. but
he seems to have drawn upon himself the
antagonism and ill-will of certain mis-
sionary interests.
washington is about the deadest place
ever struck said r. II. Hopkins, a
New York banker. at the New Willard
yesterday.
THE Capital Of the nation should re-
ceive its guests with wide-open arms and
make them feel welcome The old puri-
tanical towns could not have been con-
Quoted with greater severity than this.
our own Capital City of the nation. Just
think OF it-can't get shaved on Sunday:
might as well shut down the water works
and argue that the people should be able
TO do without taking their accustomed
morning bath. Shaving Is just as neces-
sary rs taking ones bath. It all depends
on the viewpoint one takes. There is
harm in everything, if one hunts for IT,