Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-01-21

I than our box freight cars and II was a
rare occasion when tho dinky engine did
not break down. Today there are good
American locomotives and comfortable
passenger cars
Steamships 10 Porto Rico.
Since the United States took hold Of
Porto Rico. the steamship lines connect
ing with It have steadily Improved. New
ones have been added. and the island has
now steamers for al parts OF the world
The wharfs Of San Juan and Ponce are
CROW ded with American goods. There are
now twelve different lines which call at
Porto Rico. The chief ones going TO the
United States are the New York and
Porto Rico steamship line. the Red d
line and the Insuiar line. The latter
has three steamers which ply regularly
between New York and san Juan. The
Red d has five. which call Mt San Juan
on their way TO Venezuela and the New
York and Porto Rico line has n weekly
service, Its boats leaving New York every
Saturday and reaching Porto Rico
wednesday. The fare Is $40 or so. The
Spanish Transatlantic company plies
between Spain and ssnto Domingo, cali
ing at San Juan. and French line goes
from France TO Haiti. calling at the same
port. The Hamburg American Tine has
boats TO Porto Rico. and there are italian
and Cuban boats as well. One can 20 to
Porto Rico from the United States two or
three times every week.
Posts and TeIeslra pas.
The telegraphic and postal service Of
the island. which was very poor ten
years ago, is now as good as that OF any
part OF our country. The United States
government manages the postoffices. and
the telegraph system is under the gov.
eminent Of Porto Rico. being directed by
its Department Of the Interior. There
are thirty-seven telegraph stations. COW
ering all the larger places. and these arc
connected By telephones with all the
smaller towns. Messages are sent BY tel
egraph and transmitted from the sta
lions by telephone. The telephones are
owned by private parties. The island has
also a good cable service, connecting II
with all parts OF the world. and II has
wireless telegraph stations maintained by
the United States navy. II has also street
railways run by electricity. and san Juan
and other cities are lighted BY the power
project Of the Generic dam.
Porto Rico Pays Its Own Bills.
When a British colony pays its own
bills il is considered a success. That Is
what Porto Rico does now. The total
cost OF the government and all the ex-
penses Of the island come out OF the
Porto Rlcan treasury. which is filled by
Porto Riean taxes. The United States
has no expense whatsoever. except the |
keeping OF the regiment OF troops, con-
sisting altogether Of 200 or CO., the pri- |
Yates Of whom are Porto Ricans. The |
officers only are Americans.
The governing is done by the natives,
with the exception of the governor gen
eral and a limited number OF officials an |
pointed by the president. There is a |
legislature. consisting of two houses, one
Of which. known as the executive coun- |
ell. is appointed BY the president, and /
the other. the house Of delegates, Is |
SiSStSu " the ptOptes mere are eleven i
in the executive council and
Ihirty-five in the house Of delegates, and /
they make all the laws for the island.
The thirty-five members are elected every /
two years from seven electoral districts.
Each of the districts has five delegates.
Both Of these houses are now In session.
The assembly having convened the second
Monday In January. II will sit sixty
iays. The executive council remains In
session throughout the year for It is
necessary that 1t confirm the appoint
nents made BY the governor in order that
hey be valid accordir 10 law.
Justice in rsrto Rice.
In the days of the spanIards Justice in
Porto Riea was matter Of bargain and
sale. The man who had the most money
got the decision of the courts in his
taEor, and even today the judges are sim
Uttered brides. / heard OF case in which
woman the other day called upon the
attorney general and asked him Just how
much money II would take to get her
son out OF prison. She said she had been
'aving for the last five years. or ever
iince he had committed manslaughter.
IND that she thought she had now
'nough to buy him out. 1t was hard FOR
ne attorney general 10 make her see