Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-24
The Island of Porto Rico
Bv Frederic j Haskin

When the United States embarked
Unexpectedly in the business of colonial
government a decade ago, Europeans
complained that the Yankees were fool
ishly imprudent because they did not
slavishly copy European colonial
methods. Two things have differen-
tiated the American colonial policy
from that pursued by any other nation
the educational and sanitary projects.
1t is fact that the Americans have
done much more for their insular pos
sessions in these two lines than they
have done for themselves at home.
Everybody knows how the Americans
stamped out yellow fever in Cuba by
Waging relentless war upon the mos
quito. And the result was that Havana
at one fine was forced to quarantine
against the United States because the
American ports had not taken steps TO
destroy mosquistoes. The American
administration in Havana practically
ended the ravages of malaria in that
section, and yet the richest agricultural
lands in the United States are idle
because the malarial mosquito is there
intrenched and man has not attacked
its stronghold.
In Porto Rico much has been ac-
complished in the same line, although
little has been said about it. The
Americans found the rural population
of Porto Rico suffering with that type
of anemia resulting from the presence
of the parasite known as uncinaris, or
"hook-worm." A study was made of
the disease and in due course of time,
under the direction of commission, a
comprehensive scheme of bringing re-
lief and treatment to the sufferers was
launched. The magnitude of the work
and the value of the results is indi-
Gated by the statistics, which show
that in one year the anemia commits
sion stations received for treatment
$1,000 patients, so per cent of whom
were white. OF this number over 25,-
900 were entirely cured, 10000 were
practically cured, 10000 showed some
improvement and over $4,000 remained
under treatment at the end of the
year. 1t is believed that the disease
soon will be entirely stamped out. This
same disease prevails in many of the
southern states of the Union, but thus
far there has been but little intelli-
gent study of the disease and abso-
lutely no general campaign for its cure
and eradication.
In the cause of education the United
States is doing more in the Philippines
and Porto Rico than at home, chiefly
for the reason that the educators are
given a new field In which they may
work without being hampered by either
old habits or old fogies. The Porto
Rican schools now have an enrolment
of 10000 pupils, as compared with the
$4,000 of the last year of the Spanish
regime. The schools have been in
creased in effectiveness in even greater
ratio. As~in the Philippines, the teach
ing Of the English language is an es-
sential feature of the educational pro-
gram, and the next generation of Porto
Ricans will be brought into closer re-
1o tfnnc with tho
the medium of a common tongue.
Politics in Porto Rico, as In all Latin
countries, is difficult for an Anglo
Saxon to discuss with patience. Yet it
is really a difference in the point of
view which causese friction. The two
houses of the legislature last spring
failed to agree on the budget, and ad-
journed. special session called by
the governor also failed to pass the
appropriation bills Much was made
of the incident and it was declared
that it proved the Porto Ricans unfit
even to have a legislature, but such
short ?sighted criticism did not take
into account the fact that even the
congress of the United States once did
the same thing, and that the house of
commons and the house of lords in
England are not too highly civilized to
disagree about a budget.
However, the situation in Porto Rico
cannot do lasting harm, because con-
gress Immediately passed a bill pro-
viding that an account equal to the
sums appropriated in the last budget
shall be deemed to be appropriated for
any year for which the legislature fails
or refuses to provide. This provision
appropriates lump sum, and leaves
the governor free to divide that amount
al tho FiO1Ic dana nf fbn
government as he sees fit. If the old
bill had been carried over exactly,
sums appropriated for building roads,
and the like would not be available,
as the work could not be done twice.
Under the present arrangement the
governor has wide latitude and will be
enabled to spend the revenues of the
island to the best advantage.
One of the reasons for the dispute
between the two houses, the lower of
which is entirely Porto Rican while
the upper is American, was that the
Porto Ricans objected to paying the
salaries and expenses of the federal
judges. They pointed out that the
United States paid the expenses of It's
judicial machinery in the several
states and that it was unfair to tax
the cost to Porto Rico in this terri
tory. The issue is not an important
one, however, and now that congress
has given the governor such great
power and has placed the island back
under the protecting care of the
bureau of insular affairs, all the po-
litical tangles soon will be straight
ened out.
Porto Rico is beautiful land in
habited by a gentle and lovable race
who have time and again demon
strated their loyalty to the United
States. The time has come when the
American government should give
them citizenship and take them into
the family of Uncle Sans new
nephews.
TomorrOw-Dry Farming Congress