The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-09
Ed HOWE'S NOTES.
Tells of the Landing on Porto
Rico Soil.
Enjoys a Concert on Plaza by
Military Band.
PEOPLE PROSPEROUS.
Island Is Governed by the
Natives.
Oxen Are Used to Do the Heavy
Hauling.
PEOPLE PROSPEROUS.
Is Governed by the
Natives.
Thursday. January q.

Last night we went ashore at San
Juan, Island of Porto Rico, and heard a
band concert in the Plaza. When We
left the ship in the two long boats,
pulled by a ship launch, the full moon
was shining, and the scene was one
never to be forgotten. Landing. the old
Spanish streets looked strange to our
American eyes, and we marveled at the
courts extending into the buildings. The
streets are very narrow, which seems
TO be the old style in old cities every
where; l remarked the narrowness of
the streets of the old part of New York
only the other day. We found the
Plaza without assistance. and heard a
very good concert by a military band of
% Porto Ricans. The Plaza is in the
heart of the town, surrounded by old
Spanish buildings. For 10 cents each,
we secured rocking chairs in which to
sit. The concert was free, unless you
cared to pay 10 cents for a rocking
chair. Thousands of people walked
about, manv of them Porto Rican girls
daintily dressed. and very good look
ing. Most of them were very good look
ing, and all of them we'll behaved. We
met a few American soldiers on the
streets. but they were not numerous, as
at Manila: during all my running about
at San Juan. L didn't see a dozen
American soldiers, and no sailors.
The full moon came up over the
houses as the concert progressed, and
we were all very content with the bril-
liant scene. The first four days out of
New York were tiresome, including two
or three uncomfortable days from sea
sickness. but yesterday was delightful,
as we made two stops: one at St.
Thomas, and at San Juan. Very few
people talk English at San Juan, and L
am informed that there are not m Ore
than a thousand Americans on the
island San Juan. with its suburbs. has
g.. 900 people Around the Plaza, we saw
many towering trees: the roble.
species of the oak, and it flowers nearly
all the year.
This morning we went ashore again.
Judge Walker Joined an excursion we
did not care to take. so 1 escorted the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS party of ladies
on sight seeing tour. San Juan has
an excellent street railway system, and
we rode many miles from a. M. to 2 p.
m. when the last boat left for the ship.
Porto Rico seems much more prosper
Gus than the Philippines, and San Juan
pleased me much more than Manila did.
In Manila, you see hundreds of poor
huts occupied by very poor peoples,
here we saw very few of these The
Porto Ricans seem more Intelligent
than the Filipinos, and more energetic.
I wouldn't mind living at San Juan, but
I couldn't be hired to live at Manila, or
in the Philippine islands. The Philip
pines are tropical, the OIL Tic
West Indies are semitropical. The
weather here is almost cool; in Decem-
ber 1 found the weather in the Philip
pines very warm. This difference i'll
climate probably accounts for the SUI
perior Intelligence of the Porto Ricans,
who look very much like Filipinos: all
the brown men look a good deal alike.
Some of is men will not stand. the
way you women treat US: While walk
4, @k- g CO.. Tod
in the old Spanish section, we encoun-
tered an excited crowd. A Porto Rican
had cut wcmans throat, and then
tried to kill himself. The lover was
led past us by an officer. The incident
gave a negro occasion to rave to us
about the government of the town.
which he said was outrageous. The
negro talked good English. and seemed
to be an unusual character. But San
Juan is entirely governed by the ma
tives: the Americans nave nothing to
do with it. The Porto Ricans have
always been more sensible than other
of our brown brothers. and have de-
voted their time to improving the
island rather than to fighting. The
Porto Ricans have certain advantages
over the Filipinos. possibly because of
their good conduct; anyway, they are
said to be we'll satisfied with American
occupation. They would be dull in
deed could they not appreciate the diff
ference between Spanish and Ameri-
can RUE. Inc Americans nave maze
Porto Rico very prosperous, and its
prosperity seems to be only beginning.
When we came aboard the ship this
afternoon. we found a committee of
fruit growers there. and they gave
away great quantities of pine apples.
grape fruit oranges, etc, to advertise
the country. AS l write, my room is
full of pine apples, oranges and grape
fruit given me by members of the
horticultural society. And all the 9TH
er passengers not only stuffed them
selves. but carried fruit to their rooms.
BY the wav. when we came down
to the dock, IN our way to the ship,
the long boats were not ready to go.
But a ships launch was lying at the
dock, and an officer sent US out.
never saw s, much politeness from
officers of a snip. And when we went
on deck. not only were members of the
horticultural society begging all COM
ers to accept several varieties of fruit
but the ships servants were serving
lunch on deck.
A good many of the freight carts
here are drawn by oxen. And the
oxen are always of the same color and
kind: the Porto Ricans have not yet
learned the value of stock breeding.
In our trip tu the country, we passed
sugar plantation, where sugar cane
was being loaded on cars, for trans
portation to the grinding mill. There
we saw four oxen attached to two
wheeled carts The railroad cars we
saw are very primitive; the locomo-
tives were small and very foreign in
appearance. The freight cars were
also small. and equipped with only four
wheels But The electric cars were as
fine as may b. seen anywhere.
Wherever we went in the country.
the ground was covered with bright
red flowers. We investigated. and
found them to be wild morning
glories. For there is plenty of rain in
this country; no irrigation is necessary,
which is one of the advantages the
San Juan boomers say. over the Ha-
waiian islands In Hawaii irrigration
is necessary. nd waite is pumped by
great pumping plants. at tremendous
expense.