El Imparcial. (San Juan, P.R.) 1918-197?, 1919-02-11
Message Of the Governor to the
Ninth Legislature

amount to about $4,000 for the rest Of
| the fiscal year, and this covers the
cost of almost 700 additional prisoners
for nearly year. ] feel sure that the
Legislative will promptly make this
appropriation.
We all know the purpose for which
this money was spent here in Porto
Rico, but we do not know how success
Iful this campaign was in accomplishing
its object. The soldiers of Camp Las
iCasas were protected to degree that
nobody believed possible. In a camp
iof about l2,000 soldiers during the whole
six months that the camp was running
there were only 80 new cases occurring
to figures publised in the official bull
iletin.
This is by far the best record of all
the camps in the United States-ir
fact l do not believe that this record
lean be duplicated by any camp of sol
diers of equal size in any part of the
world. This extraordinary achievement
was great credit to Porto Rico as well
as surprise to the military authorities
and will have great influence upon
Porto Rico in the permanent military
establisment of the country. Not only
has this absolute protection been secur-
ed for our soldiers during this period
but for our civil population swell, and
! it has demonstrated the possibility oi
absolute control over this class OF
transmissible diseases. Moreover, dur
ing this campaign for moral sanitation
we have gathered together for the
| first time and treated with some degree
of kindness and humanity this most un.
/ fortunate and pitiable class among the
whole population of Porto Rico. In
this connection | recommend that this
Legislature give the most favorable
consideration that is possible to plan
! that will be submitted to you for the
establishment of permanent method
of caring for this class of unfortunate
people together with the mendicant
class who are also among the poorest
and most helpless of our people.
In this connection l also desire to
make another recommendation, and that
| is that the Insular Board of Health be
authorized to deal with these diseases OF
syphilis, etc, in the same manner and
with the same powers as are now EN-.
iployed with other trans1nissible disea-
ses. If we persist in these efforts along
the same lines upon which we have
started, we can eradicate these social
diseases from the Island
| The powers of complete Legislature
have been given to the people of Porto
Rico at a most critical and difficult
time. All over the world the legisla-
lures of the peoples are being called
upon to deal with the most perplexine
readjustments of economic and social
relations. Political delnagogues and
Bolshiviki in all countries are appealing
to the passions Of the ignorant and the
poor with the most visionary and ra-
dical schemes for the reorganization
OF society and government. These
visionary schemes will prove successful
with the masses of the people in pro-
portion to their sufferings Our duty lis
to try to alleviate these sufferings as
mulch as We possibly can with all the
means at our command, to foster edu-
cation and social progress amongst all
classes of Our people, and to promote
justice and equality in all parts of the
Island. But we must not forget in the
midst of the bewildering confusion and
clamor of these wonderful days that al
our measures and efforts must be ir
accordance with sane and sensible prin
ciples and founded upon human ex
perience.
In all the work. of legislation l desire
to offer. you the cooperation and assist.
ance of all the executive departments
and venture to suggest the fullest con
sultation tiwh all the heads of depart
ments, especially in matters connected
with the budget and the work of theil
departments.
ARTHUR YAGER.