6 "Cbc Conservative.
Because of the
SENTIMENT OK , . . .
RICANS.fondly assurances
PORTO RICANS.
ances , authorita
tively given by General Miles , the Porto
Ricans welcomed his army and were delighted -
lighted with the transfer of sovereignty.
Their present attitude is indicated by
the following from Porto Ricau news
papers and private correspondence of
Porto Rican citizens.
The San Juan Diario says :
"Force , oppression , exploitation , can
keep a race in servitude , but can never
create happy and contented citizens , un
less their sense of dignity and of justice
is totally extinguished. "
The San Juan Correspondeiicia makes
this comment :
"Our disillusionment has been cruel.
Wo trusted in a wise and just govern
ment , and wo see it conquered by trusts.
And the nation which bases law upon
the consent of the governed has a mil
lion souls under its sovereignty , yet
does not consult their wishes , against
which it imposes burdensome fiscal
laws. * * * Our only comfort is
in knowing that , against a blundering
government , a people like the American
will surely rise , always just and gen
erous and magnanimous , and even with
out knowing us , will become our cham
pions , saying : 'Our flag floats over
free peoples only ; and If Porto Rico
is to be held in the condition of a sub
ject colony , let that flag first be hauled
down. ' "
A merchant of Mayaguez , P. R. ,
writes the following letter to a New
York friend :
"Very painful has been the reading of
the paragraph in which you show what
this island may expect from the differ
ence of opinion existing among the
senators and representatives in Wash-
>
M iugton , as evinced by the various propo
* > sitions of the committees of congress."We
must reluctantly admit that we have
been deceived ; yet it seems impossible
that these freemen of a free country
wish to place us in a worse condition
than we were in under the Spanish
domination.
M Sad as it is to confess it , the majority
* 1 of the people who witnessed with en
thusiasm the annexation of the island to
.
bu. & the United States , and even rejoiced at
the defeat of Spain , would welcome
with pleasure the renewal of the yoke
of their former masters. Indeed , if at
this moment a vote were taken in
Porto Rico to resolve the question of
its future nationality , the great majority
> * l of its inhabitants would vote for a re
i * turn to Spain , and this without count
ing the votes of the resident Spaniards.
The situation of this dear land is
* ' i
fatal , both from an economical and
political standpoint. I cannot see the
end , unless we can effect a complete
change. Up to this time we have re
ceived nothing but sympathy and hope
from the United States , but upon sym
pathy and hope alone we cannot live. "
The following is another letter writ
ten by a resident of Porto Rico :
' Since the American occupation we
have gone back 100 years in progress
and civilized ways , good manners in
cluded , and although it looks very bad ,
and we have been horribly disappointed ,
you know lam American to the back
bone , and have still faith in American
institutions , above all , in the mighty
will of the American people , who will
make its traditions good , necuriug free
dom and progress for this island.
Its a fact that Porto Rico never before
suffered in any way as it now suffers.
We have neither American nor Spanish
law , but a general confusion of every
thing , and a thorough disorganization
of all services. The post , telegraph ,
schools and police are far worse than in
times of the Spaniards ; nay , theirs
were good compared with the present.
We have seen American soldiers bath
ing from the piers at noon wearing ex
clusively Adam's dress , without the
grape leaf. That was just after occu
pation.
We want some definite civil govern
ment , American style. All sympathies
for Americans are fast wearing out on
account of the military government ,
which is deemed a very unjust punish
ment on this-island , who received them
with open arms , and now finds itself
worte off than in the most distressing
times of the Spaniards.
Under such circumstances , aggravat
ed by the hurricane , we are all going
fast to ruin. A sugar estate worth a
hundred thousand dollars mortgaged for
ten thousand , of which two thousand
are now due , will have to be sold at
public auction or turned over to the
mortgagor to satisfy the debt , as there
are no buyers , owing to the lack of
money , nor lenders to make new ad
vances on the.property. This situation ,
which is that of the majority of the
land tenants in the island , can only be
solved by prorogation of the execution
of mortgages , and loan at the same
time , so that planters and laud-owners
could borrow on their property at long
time , pay part of their old mortgages ,
thus relieve merchants and bankers ,
and obtain at the same time the neces
sary funds to carry on their plantations.
Such measures would give agriculture
and commerce a new start , which , with
free trade with the States and a good
civil government , would accomplish
what everyone expected from American
occupation : Progress and Liberty.
You may imagine how we are striv
ing to save our property , spurred by the
knowledge that in five years' time it
will be worth at least three times more
than at present and is it just that such
benefits be reaped by adventurers and
only ruin left to us , the original holders ?
I hope that my next letter will carry
you more cheerful news , which will be
creditable to our government , so far a
failure and an utter deception to us. "
. The Omaha
IIAI/F TOT/D. .
World-Herald of
March 11 , 1900 , makes history untruth
fully , by halving facts. It says :
"Grover Cleveland said : 'I will com
pel a co-ordinate branch of government
to bow to my will' and he did it , with
a bludgeon , and boldly bore the blame.
Ho said : 'I will override the constitu
tional rights of a sovereign state and
dispatch my troops thither despite the
protests of the executive' and he did it.
He offered no paltry excuse he made
no attempt to shift the blame. He was
a man though a dangerous one. "
The World-Herald fails to tell the
whole truth ; namely , that the senate
and house of the congress of the United
States each passed resolutions endorsing
the putting down of riot in Chicago
with federal troops and thanking Presi
dent Cleveland for his over-ride of
Altgeld. The World-Herald also omits
the fact that the supreme court of the
United States without a dissenting
voice confirmed that act of "over
riding constitutional rights" among the
Chicago anarchists.
OUR MEDICINE. Germany is putting -
ting up the bars to
keep out the American hog. The swine
of Germany cannot compete in ham ,
bacon and sausage form , with the
sweetly-fattened-ou-Indian-maize pork
ers of the United States.
To protect the Teutonic pig from
competition with the Yankee hog , pro
tective tariff statesmen , in Germany ,
now devote all their energies.
Who taught them to make artificial
prices on pork by prohibitory taxes ?
The protectionists of the United
States who have always been making
higher prices by shutting out compe
tition.
Germany is administering to the
United States their own republican
brand of protection , by shutting out our
hogs from competition with German
hogs.
hogs.Who
Who cares ?
The Boston Home Market Club will
protect American swine.
PATRIOTIC GENEROSITV.
New York , March 6 , 1900.
To THE AMERICAN PUBLIC :
Brig-Gen. Guy V. Henry , of the U.
S. Army , died October 26 , 1899. His
career as an army officer covered a
period of forty years of uninterrupted
service , including the Civil War , num
erous Indian campaigns , and , more re
cently , the Spanish-American war.
He was absolutely fearless in the face
of danger , and in his death the country
lost one of its most distinguished offi
cers.
cers.He
He was appointed Military Governor
of the Island of Porto Rico , and served
as such until May , 1899. While in
charge of the affairs of that island , he
