The great majority of the arrests were for crimes which would be termed
city crimes. The average countryman of Porto Rico is a man who has a
great deal of respect for the law and is inclined to obey it unless led
into trouble in a moment of passion or while under the influence of
alcoholic drinks. Throughout the country districts premeditated crime is
rare, and from the standpoint of improvement of the community, the
cities and large towns should be the chief points of attack. A great
deal of carelessness exists as to complying with local laws and
municipal ordinances, and it is estimated that on June 30, 1915, there
were confined in the Insular jails and detention houses, prisoners in
the relation of one to every 7.17 inhabitants of the Island. The chief
work of the schools along the line of prevention of crime should be the
explanation of laws, both Insular and municipal, and the explanation of
the reasons for such laws, in order that the individual may be led by
his own volition to avoid lawbreaking. Parents should also be impressed
with the necessity of inculcating in their children a respect for
constituted authority and the necessary obedience to it in order that as
the children develop into men and women they may have the proper respect
for the laws and those who have been appointed to enforce them.
INTEMPERANCE
IT is unnecessary to say anything about the evil effects of the use of
alcoholic drinks, whether it be from the physical, moral, or economic
point of view. The recent agitation in favor of the prohibition of the
manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in Porto Rico, however, has
caused more discussion regarding the situation here than has ever before
been the case, and a brief statement of facts may not be unwarranted.
The Porto Ricans are not given to the overconsumption of alcoholic
drinks. They are not heavy drinkers, and drunkenness is not at all
common. Probably every village has its unfortunate inhabitants, few in
number, who live usually under the influence of intoxicants. But the
great majority of the people are not given to the excessive use of
alcohol. The use of wines is common, a custom characteristic of most
Latin peoples.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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