Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1919 — Porto Rico Was Great Help in Winning War [ARTICLE]

Porto Rico Was Great Help in Winning War

Great Work of People of Island Revealed for First Time. ■ • - .—?-• • -, :r . RECORD IS AMAZING ONE Achievements in Raising Army, Helping Red Cross and Boosting Liberty Loans Are Recounted— Faced Big Handicap in Earthquake. San Juan, Porto Rico. —What the people of Porto Rico have done in the war will ’gain for them the friendship, love and gratitude of the entire population of the United States. The war activities of this patriotic island have been so effective that one cannot help but become amazed at all that has been accomplished. —That thousands of people here have done everything within their power, to save and give, in an effort to help win this war is the simple truth, and they can well feel proud of their record. To every singde appeaTmadei ii bell aI f of the “war Porto Rico has responded gallantly. Ten million dollars Ims been invested in the four Liberty loans. The spirit of the people was well demonstrated in the fourth Liberty loan drive, when the island exceeded her quota of $4,000,000 by almost SBOO,OOO despite the disaster caused by the earthquake, which cost I’< rto Rico millions of dollars. This calamity occurred during the drive. The beautifulcities of Mayagues-and Aguadilla were virtually, - destroyed, but they exceeded their quota. The Red Cross has spread its light to every nook and corner of Porto Rico. The Porto Rican chapter of the American Red Cross has undertaken every branch of work conducted in the States. The great work which the chapter is now doing in the matter of home service.has been developed since the call of the men of Porto Rico to Camp Las Casas. . . Home Service Wofk. There are fully organized active branches of the society in every municipality. Through these branches the most devoted and patriotic service is being given to the work of the Red Cross by the people of the entire Island, This is especially true in connection with the home service work, which means the bringing of-help and comfort and giving material- means, of support to the wives, children and other dependents of the men who have joined the army. There are Go active and patriotic committees of home service.

The Red Cross is doing a great work in looking after the fteedy and destitute families of the soldiers at Camp Las Casas. During August the chapter cared for 2.058 families of soldiers. During September 1.019 families were cared for. The recent earthquakes added’greatly to the relief work.' In’the second war fund drive* which was carried on throughout the island In the Hjonths of and June,’ 1918, the people made donations in excess of 8196.000. w Mr. Mack Jones, a coffee planter and mayar of the little town of Villalba, has this to say of the people in his home vicinity: “We were aske<i H for $8,400 in the third Liberty loan. Small merchants and day laborers made a canvass of the iitt'e.. town and the surrounding mountalr sides on horseback. -The laborers to this-region get about GO cents a day, yet these gc—-d people were able to raise $12,000, or 50 per cent more than their quota, It you could but see the cjlffs they climbed and the* dangerous trfills they followed, where a misstep means a dropi’pf 1,000 feet or more, In their work of solicitation on-behalf of Uncle Sarji’it would make you wish that Washington could know the full measmte of theif devotion. Does not this ■ I i

also speak for the patriotism of these people?” Much Food Saved. The people have Invested their money freely in Liberty bonds and War Savings stamps. The saving of food has been so efficiently preached and has been so well organized by the food commission that vast quantities of food have been saved. Another example of the wonderful patriotism of the people was demonstrated in the work of Mr. Antonio Arbona, a coffee planter living near Ciales. The coffee planters of Porto Rico have suffered greatly on account of there being no market for their coffee in the states. On account of the war their foreign market was cut off. There are 150.000 people in Porto Rico dependent upon the coffee industry for a livelihood and the coffee condition has caused the people much suffering. Mr. Arbona, a man more than sixty years old, covered two barring on horseback and- succeeded in selling to the small coffee t planters more than $16,000 of Liberty bonds in-the fourth campaign, most of these being SSO and SIOO bonds. In a H things pertaining torwar work the Spanish merchants throughout the island have co-operated to the fullest extent. Liberty bonds they hax‘e bought liberally and they have given freely to the Red Cross. I have never come in contact with a class of business men who give more freely than these, dr more cheerfully, either. ' When the Red Cross was seeking a new home 45 • business men—Spa niards, Porto Ricans and Americans — donated . SII,OOO, —this—money—beingraised in a few hours, thus enabling the Red Cross to have quarters tn one building. __ The Four-Minute Men. The “Four-Minute Men” of Porto Rico did a great work in speeding the winning of the war. All of the principal centers of population were thoroughly covered and thousands of people were reached through the speakers of.tlys organization. Among them were some of the most representative men of the country. During food conservation week a campaign was conducted by public school teachers in every town and barrio. The number of public meetings hekl during that week exceeded 2,000. Both urban and rural teachers made a house-to-house canvass to explain the meaning of the pledge cards and to secure signatures. The great parade organized during this week was one of the most important

which had ever taken place. Thousands participated. Every public school teacher marched, as well a® the pupils. . The gospel of food economy, increased food production, improved methods of cultivation and the necessity of planting a greater variety of home products, has been preached to every corner of the island. Th® schools have been instrumental in the establishment of 26,693 home gardens, thereby assisting Porto Rico to solve the food problem. The children here are deserving of much praise for what they have-done, and the example they set led others on to greater efforts. They are aR members of the Red Cross. A few of them 'were able to secure from their parents the money needed for their contribution, but the majority made up their minds that they would earn this money themselves. All over the island children.organized festivals to get funds needed for membership fees. In Fajado and Rio-Tiedras, a total of 1,850 school children enrolled as Junior Red Cross members and 'earned every cent that they contributed. Thousands of dollars have been raised by these children. They have participated in all civic parade® organized for this purpose. Delicacies Sent Abroad. Last year 40 tons of guava jelly and 2,000,000 cigarettes were sent to the boys in France. o - Thousands of wojnen in Porto Rico, from San Juan, the capital, throughout the entire island, including the towns of the hills, have devoted their time and given their money and services to all things needed for the war. All social activities were carried on solely for the benefit of: war work. In many sections of "Porto Rico women took the place of the men in the fields. Porto Rico contributed freely and generously of her man power and the very best of her youth entered the training camps. Just after the passage of the selective draft law Porto Rico registered her young men to the number of 108,000. The Porto 'Rico regiment was the first in the nation to be at its full war strength. Six ■hundred and fifty volunteers were accepted for duty to guard the Panama canal. When General Townshend took up the work of recruiting, many ot the men who lived far back in the enlist.