The menace., 1919-06-21
Nu11Brs II.

AN40AA~~aS 80
E1ORT0 RICO ID beautiful
IIF island with fertile soil and
III O mild benignsnt climate.
EM No point on the island is
more than seventeen miles from the
open sea, and ocean breezes temper
what without them would be ex-
tremely hot. Records Of the U. s.
weather bureau show the average
temperature In July to be 30 de-
.grees Fahrenheit. At times the
temperature may reach . maxi
mum Of 80 degrees during mid
day, but the nights are always cool.
As elsewhere in the tropics, there
is q wet and a dry season. The
rainy season Is from May to 0cto-
ber; but on the northern side,
north Of the watershed, which is
from three-fourths to four-ffths Of
the island, there are rains through
out the so-called dry season; so it
may be said that the island is four
ffths wet and one-ffth dry.
The rains began, this year, early
in April, the first heavy rain fall
ing in Mayaguez on April A. It is
q place titly described by those
lines Of the well known hymn,
where EVERY prospect pleases,
and only man is vile." But that
vileneSS here is due to the newt
able effects Of Romanism--ignor-
ance and poverty Of the masses.
This, to me, seems the more n-
fortunate, for the people are the
kindest and best-hearted I have
ever met In all my travels.
Throughout my travels and resi.
dence in South and Central Amer.
lea, Mexico, Spain, Portugal and
elsewhere, dominance Of the Roman
Catholic church Is always con.
trasted with popular ignorance
and the wealth and privileges Of
clergy, church and few with the
abject poverty Of the masses.
Ignorant poverty Is the distin.
gushing mark which the beast o.
Rome makes and leaves upon all il
touches. But the Porto Ricans arr
polite, accommodating, and hospit
able, and, during this late war
demonstrated their loyalty to tn,
country which has given then
nominal citizenship incomplete be
cause it fails to grant them full
civil rights.
They have lived under our fla,
for twenty years, and are yet sub
ject to taxation without represen
tation," a condition whicl
prompted our own colonial father
to fight for independence. Th
more intelligent Porto Ricans re
gard their treatment by our gov
ernment as 0 violation Of American
first principles If not hypocritical
The longer that wrong remains un
corrected, the stronger and NOR
diffused viii that opinion become.
On Feb. H., 1919, Hon. Fell,
Cordova Dayila, territorial repre-
sentative, nade a speech in tn
House Of Representatives at Wash
ington which resulted in the crea
tion Of an investigating committe
which has recently arrived at tn
island to begin its work. Reader
of THE MENACE will find it wort
while to apply for a copy Of tina
address from their congressme
which will show why the Port
Ricans, who have demonstrate
their loyalty, are now asking fc
independence or their admittanC
to the union as a state.
One of the causes which imp,
that action is revealed in the ca.
of Carlos Tapia whose lawyer a.
piled for a writ of habeas corpu
claiming that, as an American ci
izen, his client could not be held fl
J trial without the presentment {
: indictment Of q grand jury.
The supreme court Of the Unite
States declined to grant the CO.
stitutional right Of trial by jul
against an indictment when ]
y grand jury had been called.
:. Representative Mason said at t,
= = time: while you are a citizen
7. !. the United States, you have not t
y ~ constitutional protection Of q ci
,a zen Of the United States"
,r To that Mr.. Davila replie
1--WE have not the right in POI
Ir Rico to be tried by a grand ju
of because the constitution Of
all q United States, according to
sS y supreme court, does not extend
at Porto Rico"
red With the graduate Of a Jes1
ks college as our chief justice, a
irs 70 with Roman Catholic Justice 4
its Kenna also on the supreme ben
such Jesuitical decisions will C,
rR tinue to confuse and confound {