The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-09-19
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
BY LUDWELL DENNY

WAsH1NGToN, Sept 19.-1n-
w creased political and social
unrest in Porto Rico will result
from the severe hurricane destruc-
ton, in the opinion of informed cir
cleS here.
q. Discomfort with political and eco
nomic conditions which caused the
Porto Rican legislature to send its
give us liberty or give us death"
1 message TO President Coolidge
through Colonel Lindbergh last
spring, arises from island problems
seriously multiplied by the storm,
it is said.
On the basis of conservative and
incomplete reports, Governor Town
er estimates a loss to the coffee
crop of rs per cent, to the tobacco
crop so per cent and 25 per cent
damage to the sugar crop
In addition to the vast sum- part
Of which will be supplied by United
States relief, to repair the estimated
$100,000,000 property damage, the
Gripping of general economic life
Of the island is held to be almost
incalculable.
Loss of crops and consequent de-
crease in wages and purchasing
power will be reflected also in di-
minishing tax revenues.
This blow, which ToWner de-
scribes as the worst disaster ever
suffered in the West Indies, comes
at a time of tremendous stress in
the lives of the Porto Rican people
and Of the island government.
Heavy debts had already piled up
on the insular and municipal gov
ernments to a dangerous degree be-
fore the storm. Planters and land
owners we're already facing finan-
cial difficulties. This was reflected
IN hard times for merchants, tight
credit and slow collections.
DUT this strain was almost
ID insignificant compared with
the suffering Of the great mass of
the Porto Rican people, living on a
poverty line unknown in this and
other nothern countries, it is said.
Governor Towner in one of his
annual reports, which would nat
urally tend to minimize rather than
eXaggerate the situation under
American rule of the island, listed
among others the following evils:
"Congested population, the crowd
ing OF large families into small.
unventilated rooms, the general
poverty, the prevalent use Of poor
food, constitutional debility en-
gendered by diseases, ignorance of
the rules of hygiene"
, In replying to President Coolidge's
sharp rejection of the Porto Rican
liberty-or-death appeal for a free
State status, which he said had
produced a very unfavorable re-
action on the people of Porto Rico"
Resident Commissioner Davila gave
to Congress here this picture of
alleged American exploitation of the
natives:
"The tariff has fostered the
growth of large corporations in our
island which control enormous
quantities Of land and are gradually
concentrating ownership in few
hands. 1t has been said that two
thirds Of the benefits accruing from
the sugar industry are received by
absentee (American) owners.
1.-THE heads of these corporations
have no interest whatever in the
development and progress of the
people of Porto Rico Their goal is
to amass wealth, and they apply
themselves to this end with whole
hearted interest. The wages Of
labor, in spite Of the tariff, are very
low, while cost of living, because Of
the tariff, is very high"
n Il n
TINE root problem is over-popu-
a lation. Altogether apart from
alleged absentee exploitation of ma
tive workers, no one apparently has
hope. that the island can support
adequately its population of 1885,
000, or 400 persons to the square
mile.
Only one in ten of the population
has steady gainful employment the
year around The per capita wage
has been estimated as low as 10
~N~%Nb ~ Wy al AAAftAAO VI bAAO 4 Va al
districts, more than 80 per cent of
the population is said to be suffer-
ing from hookworm.
Out of this poverty, misery and
disease, there is seething economic
and political unrest. For the mo-
ment this has taken the form of
puny native action against individ-
ual American employers, and the
general Porto Rican demand for self
government in place Of rule by and
from Washington"
A minority insists on complete in
dependence. But the majority
would be content with a type of So
called free state status, involving an
elective instead Of appointive gov
ernor, and political and financial
autonomy. These demands will be
pressed again when Congress meets
here in December.
Who were the first five drivers TO
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