1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
47 
THE POSSIBILITIES OF PORTO RICO. 
GEN. ROT STONE GIVES HIS EXPERIENCE. 
To Supply Coffee and Winter Climate. 
An Advantage to Farmers. —“The acquisition 
of Porto Rico by the United States will prove more of 
an advantage to the American farmer by affording a 
market for his products, than it will prove a disad¬ 
vantage as a competitor in the articles which he pro¬ 
duces.” 
This, in a nutshell, is the opinion of Gen. Roy Stone, 
who went to Porto Rico with Gen. Miles, and who has 
made a very careful study of the resources, possibili¬ 
ties and prospects of the Island. Gen. Stone is Chief 
of the Division of Road Inquiry of the Department of 
Agriculture, and is sufficient of a practical agricul¬ 
turist to make his opinion valuable to the farmers of 
this country. 
“Porto Rico”, continued Gen. Stone, talking for 
The R. N.-Y., “ is a comparatively small, but exceed¬ 
ingly interesting island. In my work, after the sign¬ 
ing of the protocol, of investigating its physical con¬ 
ditions, I went over the entire ground pretty thor¬ 
oughly, and my belief is that the acquisition of the 
Island will be a great advantage to the United States, 
for several reasons. 
Some Strong Reasons. —“First, from a military 
point of view. It is a key to the Gulf and the Car- 
ribean, and in close proximity to the Nicaragua Canal, 
which will now be built. Its harbors are sufficient to 
accommodate our entire fleet many times, so that, in 
case of possible war, our navy would occupy a highly 
advantageous position. Its military importance can 
hardly be overestimated. In my explorations, I dis¬ 
covered an entirely new and unknown channel lead¬ 
ing into one of the harbors of the southern coast, 
which gives us the best harbor in the West Indies. 
The only channel heretofore used in leading into this 
harbor was known as 1 The Mouth of Hell,’ by reason 
of its dangers; but this new channel has 40 feet of 
water, and affords an excellent passage for the largest 
fleet in the world. 
“ Second, the markets of the Island offer a broad 
field for American farm and manufactured products. 
“ Third, its own agricultural products will but very 
slightly interfere with those of the United States. 
Some of the fruit industries are identical with those 
of our extreme southern States, but its products reach 
our markets here at times of the season when our own 
States are not producing. For instance, the oranges, 
which grow finely in the Island, are ripe in August and 
September, before the Florida or California crop is 
matured. I ate delicious oranges there during August, 
whereas the Florida crop, I believe, is just beginning 
to come in. This fruit will compete with the Jamaica 
orange, having some advantage in transportation. 
A Coffee Island.— “ The soil of the Island is rich 
and lasting in its fertility, and many tropical crops 
grow to perfection. The greatest profit to the people 
will be in growing things which the United States 
cannot produce well, but for which she affords a good 
market, rather than in trying to grow products in 
competition with us. While sugar thrives on the 
Island, the -production is very small, owing to the 
fact that the land available for this crop—the valleys 
—is very limited. The present production of sugar is 
hardly a factor, and I do not think it would be possi¬ 
ble more than to double it; but I believe other crops 
will take its place. In Cuba, the situation is entirely 
different; there are found vast stretches of country 
admirably adapted to the cultivation of this crop, 
which with an unrestricted tariff, would, doubtless, 
let the bottom out of our beet-sugar industry; but 
this is not so in Porto Rico. There, coffee, it seems 
to me, is destined to be the great crop. Much of the 
country is mountainous, steeply mountainous, but the 
soil is very fertile at all elevations, being constituted 
largely of decomposed rock, and from 500 feet up¬ 
ward, coffee is a great success. The coffee of Porto 
Rico is of a very fine quality, though but little has 
been heard of it so far in this country. It will, un¬ 
doubtedly, be used in making the finest blends, as is 
now done with the coffees of Nicaragua and Guate¬ 
mala. This crop, of course, does not in any way com¬ 
pete with home industry ; on the contrary, it will be 
an important thing to have our own coffee plantations 
in Porto Rico and Hawaii. Consider for a moment 
that, prior to the Spanish war, we were absolutely 
dependent upon foreign commerce for such a great 
staple as coffee, and if such a thing as a blockade of 
our ports had been possible, we could have gotten no 
coffee whatever. 
Cotton and Dairy.—“Cotton has been grown to 
some slight extent in the Island, but only when the 
price was very high—during our Civil War. It does 
not do very well, and is attacked by insects, so that it 
cannot compete with the cotton crop of the South. 
Tobacco will be only a slight competitor, and only 
high grades are grown. Porto Rican tobacco is 
shipped to Cuba, and sold as Havana product. While 
cattle are raised to a considerable extent on the 
Island, there will be a demand for the importation of 
American stock, as the native cattle are very poor 
milkers, and practically no butter is made.” 
“ There would then be a market for American but¬ 
ter in Porto Rico ?” 
“ Yes, a good market. At present, butter is import¬ 
ed from Denmark in sealed cans. We should easily 
control the butter market, as American butter is 
superior to the Danish received. The Porto Ricans 
would buy largely of our butter, flour and wheat, 
corn—practically no corn is raised and there is hardly 
a grist mill on the island—lard and hog products, cot¬ 
ton, canned meats and other such farm products, be¬ 
sides manufactured articles.” 
Its Winter Climate. —“ But will not the Porto 
Ricans, when they learn American methods, and with 
American management, in the course of time, produce 
these products, so as greatly to decrease the demand 
from the United States ? ” 
“ Probably, to some extent, they may increase their 
production of these articles ; but on the whole, the 
demand, I think, for American products will greatly 
increase, and for this reason : Porto Rico is destined 
to be a vast resort for Americans, and largely for 
Americans with money. The climate is very salubri¬ 
ous—the sanitary conditions at present are wretched, 
but that feature will disappear—Summer is perpetual, 
the Island is very fertile, and the scenery varied and 
fine, so that, with the establishment of good inland 
transportation, I expect to see thousands of Americans 
going there every year, some of them transients, some 
of them to stay, so that they will create an immense 
demand for the articles which they are used to hav¬ 
ing at home. The Island has a great climate for all 
throat trouble ; catarrh soon disappears. 
The Road Question — “ Being especially interest¬ 
ed in the road subject, I gave particular attention to 
this feature, for in good internal transportation lies 
the future of the Island. While roadmaking in the 
ordinary sense will be very expensive, owing to the 
character of the soil and the large rainfall, I believe 
that the trolley will take its place. There is a lavish 
abundance of water power for generating electricity, 
and the lay of the country is well adapted to the 
building of electric roads, so that I expect to see 
American capital taking hold of this feature very 
shortly. With the establishment of a network of 
electric lines throughout the Island, the question of 
transportation will be easily and cheaply solved, and 
with it must come great prosperity. Unless I am 
mistaken, it will swarm with American travelers dur¬ 
ing the Winter, and the demand for American prod¬ 
ucts will be great. At present, there are practically 
no roads in the Island. Oxen sink to their knees in 
the mud, and wagons to their hubs. It is a common 
sight to see a span of oxen hitched in front of a span 
of horses, dragging along an ordinary carriage.” 
“ Will the social conditions of the Island improve 
with the advent of Americans ? ” 
“ The social conditions of the Island are even now 
very satisfactory. No alarm need be felt over the 
newspaper reports of lawlessness in certain sections. 
The higher class of people are well educated and re¬ 
fined ; the lower classes are docile, good-natured and 
willing to learn. The most friendly feelings are en¬ 
tertained for Americans. There are at present cer¬ 
tain of the natives who have been terribly oppressed 
by the Spaniards, and in some cases, they are bent on 
revenge against their former masters. It should, also, 
be remembered that a great number of criminals were 
let loose from the jails by the Spaniards. These are 
now causing some trouble, and committing some dep¬ 
redations, but that condition will soon pass away.” 
G. E. MITCHELL. 
Events of the Week. 
Domestic.—The grand jury indicted 40 restaurant and board¬ 
ing-house keepers at Manchester, N. H., January 6, for violating 
the oleo laws. . . A heavy rain, accompanied by high wind, 
passed over Mobile, Ala., January 6, causing considerable dam¬ 
age. . . The grand jury of Camden, N. J., have indicted the 
Western Union Telegraph Company for transmitting gambling 
information. . . The various steel and wire interests of the 
United States have been organized into one great pool, to be 
known as the American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey. 
This includes 26 plants, in different sections, controlling all the 
steel and wire establishments in the country. Barbed wire and 
bale and tie companies are affected by this. The capital stock 
of this pool is put at 890,000,000. . . An Inheritance Tax law is 
proposed for Missouri, capital thus raised to be used for educa¬ 
tional purposes. . . A railway collision near Elk Valley, Tenn., 
January 8, resulted in the death of six men. . . William Con¬ 
don, said to be the oldest man in the State of New York, died of 
the grip at East Bloomfield January 8, aged 111 years. He was 
Irish by birth, served for many years in the British army, being 
honorably discharged in the reign of George III., and was a 
habitual smoker nearly all his life. . . Three persons were 
killed In a hotel fire at Pittsburgh, Pa., January 8. . . The 
naming of Chas. P. Mathewson to be agent of the Winnebago 
and Omaha reservation has caused much comment, as he is the 
defaulting president of the Omaha National Bank. He has been 
a fugitive for several years, but criminal prosecution is now out¬ 
lawed by the statute of limitations. , . A collision on the 
Lehigh Valley Railroad at West Dunellen, N. J., January 9, killed 
17 persons and wounded 30 others. A freight wreck earlier in the 
day left only one track in use, and precautions were taken which, 
it was thought, would prevent accident, but some one blundered 
in handling the train despatcher’s orders, and an excursion train 
carrying about 400 people crashed into a short-line train running 
on regular time. The dead and injured were all excursionists 
. . . Gov. Roosevelt appointed Franklin D. Locke, a well- 
known lawyer of Buffalo, to represent him in the approaching 
criminal prosecution of those officials concerned in the canal 
frauds, but he declined to serve. . . The Red Cross Relief As¬ 
sociation, in New York City, asks for work for discharged soldiers 
of the Cuban campaign. On January 9, this society was caring 
for between 700 and 1,000 of these men. Many of them gave up 
their employment when war broke out, with the promise that 
they would receive their positions after being mustered out; but 
they find now that these promises were not made in good faith. 
Many of the soldiers have been working on New York’s streets, 
shoveling snow, so long as the work lasted. . . Two bandits 
at Fort Scott, Kan., kidnapped a policeman, bound and gagged 
him, and then robbed nine men in two prominent hotels. 
Congress will be asked to care for indigent miners in the Klon¬ 
dike. Scurvy has appeared, and the hospitals are overcrowded. 
It is said that 8200,000 will be required to relieve the Winter’s 
distress. . . Calhoun County, Ill., does not possess a bank, rail¬ 
road, telegraph or telephone line, and has not had a negro with¬ 
in its boundaries for 50 years. A colored workman was sent, 
with other employees, to fulfill a contract made by an Alton firm, 
and a mob set out to lynch the negro, pursuing him until he 
escaped by swimming the Ohio River . . J, H. Hoyt, of Cleve¬ 
land, has filed a claim for 8100,000 against the Government for 
the Spanish-American Mining Company, which alleges that its 
works near Santiago were injured to that extent by Spaniards, 
Americans and insurgents during the war. . . Joseph H. 
Choate, of New York, has been appointed ambassador to Great 
Britain. . . The crew of the American schooner Fanny Arthur 
arrived in New York January 11, on the steamer Ems. The 
schooner, bound from Turk’s Islands for Philadelphia, met with 
rough weather November 14, lost all her upper gear, started leak¬ 
ing badly, and drifted about, only kept afloat by constant pump¬ 
ing, until December 14, when the people on board, which in¬ 
cluded the captain’s young wife, were rescued by the British 
vessel Duchess of York, and taken to Gibraltar. When rescued, 
all food was gone, and for three days, the only nourishment the 
men obtained was by chewing their oilskins. 
Congress.—The Senate passed the bill for the protection of 
wild birds, January 6. . . Anti-colonial discussion began. 
Senator Hoar addressed the Senate January 9, taking the view 
that our constitution does not permit us to hold colonies. . . 
The Committee on Rivers and Harbors listened to recommenda¬ 
tions for appropriations; 812,000,000 are asked for New Orleans 
jetties. The River and Harbor Bill is expected to carry appro¬ 
priations of 815.000,000 to 817,000,000. . . The Committee on For¬ 
eign Relations recommended, January 11, that the Peace treaty 
be ratified without amendment. . . Mr. Foraker reported to 
the Senate the President’s attitude toward the Philippines. He 
does not wish to take the islands permanently, denying to the 
people the right to govern themselves, if they are capable of 
doing so. . . The bill to provide Alaska with a criminal code, 
was passed January 11. The House refused to sanction the prac¬ 
tically free liquor traffic of the bill, or the prohibition of the 
present law, and inserted a stringent license law, the license be¬ 
ing fixed at 81,000 a year. 
Philippines.—The Filipinos continue their preparations to op¬ 
pose annexation. The native governors have resolved to resist, 
and say that unless the United States desist, the result will be a 
long and bloody war. . . The steamship Butuan, from Iloilo, 
arrived at Manila January 8, and reports that American troops 
had not been landed January 6. The Filipinos assert that they 
will fire on our troops if they attempt to land. Peaceable natives 
are in a state of panic, fearing bombardment. Foreign residents 
had sought refuge on the British cruiser Bonaventure and the 
German cruiser Irene, which are in the harbor. Business in the 
city is suspended, bai-ricades have been formed in the streets, 
and buildings have been saturated with kerosene, that they may 
be destroyed if our troops gain a foothold. Two privates of the 
Sixth Artillery, while patrolling the harbor in a small boat, were 
attacked by natives armed with knives. Both men were injured, 
one mortally . . January 9, Aguinaldo delivered a second proc¬ 
lamation against the Americans, couched in the most inflam¬ 
matory language. President McKinley adheres to bis policy of 
conciliating the Filipinos. The President is said to be convinced 
that some foreign power is behind the insurgents, and the asser¬ 
tion is made that Prince Henry of Germany (the Kaiser’s brother) 
is assuring the insurgents of German sympathy. Gen. Otis has 
established a censorship over news sent out from Manila, which 
will prevent the Filipino juntas in Hongkong and Paris from ob¬ 
taining full information of American movements. 
Cuba.—The War Department has taken steps to prevent the 
smuggling of coffee into Cuba from New York. It is said that 
smuggled coffee is invoiced as corn, and this practice has been 
carried on with the connivance of the Spanish officials, to evade 
the high Spanish duties on coffee. . . Gen. Jose Gomez says 
that 840,000,000 would not be more than enough to pay the Cuban 
army prior to its disbandment. . . January 11, it was reported 
that some drunken regular soldiers assaulted citizens and robbed 
stores in Havana. . . The War Department is arranging new 
internal revenue schedules for Cuba, and a plan for collection of 
internal revenues by United States officers. For the present, our 
authorities will permit the Bank of Spain of Havana to collect 
these taxes, under its contract with the Spanish government. 
The Spanish steamship Covadonga, arriving at Havana January 
6, brought 230 criminals who had been deported to Spain for 
various offenses. Spain has been returning Cuban criminals of 
late. Gen. Brooke has placed these criminals under arrest until 
their cases can be investigated. . . Gen. Ludlow intends to 
issue an order against vagrancy, and persistent vagrants will 
be set at work cleaning the streets. 
War Investigation.—Testifying before the Commission Janu¬ 
ary 6, Col. Henry Sharp asserted that the beef supplied was 
good, and that meat from the Porto Rican cattle was inferior. The 
discussion was continued by further testimony. The packers 
strenuously insist that no chemicals are used in preparing the 
beef. Prof. Atwater testified before the commission as to the 
nutritive value of the meat, and D. E. Salmon, Chief of the Bureau 
of Animal Industry, described the careful inspection of animals 
and carcasses. 
The Navy.—The court of inquiry investigating the grounding 
of the Massachusetts finds negligence on the part of the com¬ 
mander, navigator and pilot. This is a second report; the first 
held no one responsible. It appears that the vessel struck on 
Diamond Reef, which is dangerous at low water. Naval officers 
say that, until the reef is removed, it will be dangerous for battle¬ 
ships to leave the Brooklyn Navy Yard unless the tide is high 
and sea smooth. It is estimated that the removal of the reef 
would cost 82,200,000. . . Admiral Dewey has made repeated 
requests for light-draught gunboats to patrol the waters of the 
Philippine Archipelago and, In addition to the Castine and 
Helena, the Navy Department intends to send him the Machias 
and the Bennington. . . The revenue cutter McCulloch reached 
San Francisco from Manila, January 10, after a year’s absence. 
