Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 55, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 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. RECORD IS AMAZING ONE Achievement* 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 single appeal made in behalf of the war Porto Rico has responded gallantly. Ten million dollars has 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 alningf $300,000 despite the disaster caused by the earthquake, which cost Porto Rico millions of dollars. This calamity occurred during the drive. The beautiful cities 5f Mayagues and Aguadtiia were virtually destroyed, but they exceeded their quota. The Red Cross has spread its light to every 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 Work. There are fully organized active branches 6f 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 thevbringing 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 k of home service. The Red Cross is doing a greaUwork in looking after the needy 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 months of May and June, 1918, the made donations in of $106,000.

Mr. Mack Jones, a coffee planter and mayer of the little town of Villalba, has this to say of the people In his home vicinity i “We were asked for $8,400 in the third Liberty loan. Small merchants and day laborers made a canvass of the iirt.'e town and the surrounding mountain sides on horseback. The laborers 1s this region get about 00 cents a day, yet these gcrxl people were able to raise $12,000, or 50 per cent more than their quota. II yon could but see the cliffs they climbed and the dangerous trails they followed, where a misstep means a, drop of 1.000 feet or- more, in their j work of solicitation on behalf of Uncle j Sam It woqld make yon, tvtsh' thatj Washington could know the full raeasH ure of their devotion. Does not this j

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 lias 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 dales. 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 barrios' on horseback and succeeded in selling to the small coffee planters more than $16,000 of Liberty bonds in the fourth campaign, most of these being SSO and SIOO bonds. In all things pertaining to war work the Spanish merchants throughout the island have co-operated to the fullest extent. Liberty bonds they have bought, liberally and they have given freely to the Red Cross. I have nev.er come in contact with a class of business men who give more freely than thpse- or more cheerfully, either— When the Red Cross was seeking a new home 45 business men—Spaniards, Porto Ricans and Americans — donated SII,OOO, this money being raised in a few hours, thus enabling the Red Cross to have quarters in one building. , The Four-Minute Men. The ‘‘Four-Minute Men” of- Porte Rico did a great work in speeding the winning of the war. All of the principal centera of population -were thoroughly covered and thousands of people were reached through the speakers of this 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 held 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 even taken place. Thousands participated. Every public school teacher marched, as well as 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. The schools lyive 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 tfiey set' led others on to greater efforts. They are ail 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 Piedras, 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 in all civic parades 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. Thousands of women 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 tear. 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 yery best of her youth entered the training camps. Jpst after the_ pas* sage of the selective draft law Porta 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, manj of the men who lived far back in the hills walked as much as 25 miles to enlist.