Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-03-29

, laborcrs In Porto Rico is Santiago
| 1Slesias. a Spnniard and man Of cdu-
cation. lie Is not beloved by the Gov
| ernor the chief Of police nor tho rem
| rcsentntivcs OF the sugar interests
! but mono OF these have any serious
charge TO mako against him, and IL Is;
| probable that his efforts TO better the
| condition of the people will i'm tho
| long run rebound to the bcncfit OF al,
| OF them. The planters. for instance
complain that these Porto Rican labor
eis VIII not work hard and regularly
None Of them seem to have reflected
| that a man who has TO live on SO cents
| a day With the cost OF living what II
! Is. and without the prospect OF raise
might lack both energy aud tho inccn-
1.-Two TO hard and regular work AZ the
docks che laOorcrs arc paid somewhat
better. ana the ship captains testify
that the" can trim u ship more quickly
| and efficiently than the famous long
shorcmen OF New York. likewise tho
sugar companies arc said to be making
a profit OF 100 and $50 per cent this
year. 10 tho work evidently gets done
| somehow.
Conditions Not Undcrstood.
| Mr.. Iglcsias believes that the people
Of the United States. through their
Congress. would rectify conditions in
Porto Rico IL they only understood
! them. The citizenship measure has
! been fair To the working man; II has
fixed his political status In satis-
factory way. This act. he points out
has not dealt with economic conditions
a, all. He hopes now that com
mittec from Congress VIII come TO tho
| island. study these conditions, and
| draft further laws to remedy them.
The Ercatc3t need is TO give tho peo-
pie chance TO own land. A man who
! has no place In the sun" and no
chance TO acquire one is not on the
way TO become good citizen. There
are 5000 acres OF government land
| on the island which could be divided
into homcsteads OF a few acres, giving
the laborer a home OF his own. and a
| little land to cultivate. a law was
passed by the Porto Rican Legislature
directing the Commissioner of the In
terror 10 divide this land and offer II
to the people. lie did so divide one bit
! or land, but the people claimed tina.
! IL WAS merely a ruse TO colonize them
around certain sugar factory that
needed more labor. and they would not
20. They are suspicious OF the Porto
Rican officials and government, but
they have considerable faith in the
United States Congress-
I, a high tax on uncultivatcd land
would make absentee lhndlordism less
profitable than II Is now In some cases
and would enable tho people TO buy
some OF the land now held for Specu-
latiIc purposes
The extension OF the farm loan act
I to Porto Rico so that the poor man
could borrow money at reasonable In
tcrcst rates is the other of the three
principal reformn for which the labor
I leaders hope. None OF these would Sc
riously injurc any ones interests. and
by Improving tho condition OF the
working class they would beneht all
classes
This has hccn very prosperous year
in Porto Rico. The crops have been
good and the prices very high Tn.
! island is dream Of productive beauty.
/ You may ride through miles and miles
/ Of tender. pale green cane fields dark
orange groves spccklcd with gold
pineapple fields holding UP their heavy
fruit to the sun Now and again YOU
fash through squalid little village
OF palm thatch and lean dogs and half
naked children and dirt and stencil
I II Is Ike stain on beautiful fab
ric-,his shame OF poverty in rich
/ land