Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-01
Reduction Of Duties Urged by the
Insular Commission.
The AUTHORITY OF TIE PRESIDENT
Decision Rendered by the Supreme
Court.
OF MMERCE


tariff relations between Porto Rico and the
United States the insular commission hold.
that our own tariff, being an enactment OF
Congress, cannot be changed or modified by
the President except provided in treaties
of reciprocal nature with foreign coun-
| tries AS the occupancy and control OF
these islands is in our own hands
| there is no to treat with, and there is
absolutely authority given by law fol
the President to make any modification
| whatever.
The insular commission has recommed-
| ed in it's last as in its former, report
| that Congress authorize the President to
| use his discretion in making such modifi-
cations of the duties charged by the United
States on goods imported from military
possessions as he in his discretion may
| deem wise. based somewhat on the reci-
| procity clause in the present law and the
| treaties already negotiated with several
| foreign countries.
| OF course as to the duties collected in
Porto Rico, until Congress does act the
rate of duty is wholly within the power of
| the President. However, If he should at
| tempt to reduce all duties from customs
| from the United States it would be tanta-
| mount to reducing the duties from all
| other countries. and would leave the peo-
| DIE of the island without revenues from
| this source. Thus the entire burden OF
| supporting the government of Porto Rico
would be thrown upon direct taxation.
Necessity for Revenues.
| Just nov, being in formative state,
! Porto Rico needs more revenue than ever.
! In the states school houses, highways end
| bridges have been made gradually, the
| country has settled up. but Porto Rico is
an island with a population of 1,0O0,OoO
| thickly settled from one corner to the
other without a single school house the
island and few public highways or bridges
or other public improvements. All these
things must be attended to, and practically
at once. The people need a large amount
of the revenue derived from customs. but
they could stand, and it is claimed it would
be wise, to make large reductions of duties
on many articles of necessity not pro-
duced In Porto Rico.
The reciprocity treaties recently nego-
tiated with British West India Islands and
now awaiting confirmation by the Senate
make reductions on many articles to be
| imported into the United States. Under
existing conditions those competing islands
| would have just that much advantage of
Porto Rico.
View of the Insular Commi ission.
1t is the opinion of the insular commission
that until Congress declares Porto Rico
an integral part of the United States the
duties must continue in force as if Porto
Rico were a foreign country. The United
States Supreme Court has held in the Tam
| pico case that military conquest does not
extend the boundaries of United States
territory and that 1T requires an act of
Congress to do that, because until Congress
| does act no one knows whether Congress
proposes to retain the conquered territory
or not. In the case referred to by the
! Tampico decision, Congress did relinquish
/ to Mexico some of the territory then held
| by United States troops
| The commission found that as coffee was
l rtrin of he S1 and
| ed labor interests to a large degree, stimu-
| lation could be given the material interests
| of Porto Rico by moving the coffee crop.
This could be done more easily, too, be-
| cause there IS tariff duty on coffee. The
| commission therefore recommended that the
| War and Navy Departments should pur-
| chase their supplies of coffee in Porto Rico,
| and this is being done by the War De-
| partment.
| Free Commerce Demanded.
| In spite of the fact that the Attorney
| General of the United States takes the view
| of the insular commission as to the lack of
| power in the President to take any action
| in advance of legislation by Congress,
| which would make Porto Rico for CONNER
! cial purposes part of the United States,
| some law officials of the government con-
| tend that Porto Rico is a portion of
| the United States and that free commercial
| intercourse could be established by eXecu-
| tive action.
| On the strength of this opinion it is vigor-
| ouSly urged in some quarters that the
| President should issue a proclamation de-
| claring Porto Rico a part of the territory
| of the United States, thus opening market
| for the Porto Rican products and encourag-
ing business activity. which alone can re-
| lieve the inhabitants from their distress
Opposition to Free Trade.
| The sugar interests are making a deter
| mined fight against any step being taken
| which will result in the admission of sugar
| and molasses free Of duty as product of
American territory. What other interests
unite with the sugar people in fighting
against the opening up Of Porto Rican trade
! and industry has not yet developed, but a
| very determined fight is being made and
| the argument Of injury to the beet sugar
| industry of the west similar to those ad-
| vanced against the annexation of Hawaii,
| is being strongly urged and an enort Is
| being made to have pressure brought from
| the sugar beet producing sections of this
| country to indefinitely delay the recogni-
| tion of Porto Rico as part OF the domin-
| ion Of the United States in a way to bring
| it under the provisions Of the Constitution
| with respect to the exchange of commerce
| between the states and territories.
Net Result Advantageous.
| The official statistics of the government
| show that whatever may be the ef-
| feet upon the one industry of sugar
| by Porto Rico being brought into free
| competition the net result Of per-
| fectly free intercourse of trade will
necessarily be greatly to the advantage of
| this country. The Porto Ricans being cut
| off from the trade of the world by the
| anomalous condition in which they are now
placed. leaves them in a perfectly helpless
| condition, which 1t is not believed can be
relieved satisfactorily until they are given
| market for their products. well as
| safety and encouragement for business en-
| terprise The government foreign commerce
| reports show that there Is very little i'm
| ported into this country from Porto Rico
| that could come into competition with
| American products, and that the highest
] value of imports to this country when Porto
| Rico enjoyed the advantages of the reci-
procity treaty between the United States and
| Spain was only little more than four mil
lions. During the past few years the ex-
| change between the island and the United
States has been but slightly in favor of
Porto Rico, being generally in the neighbor-
hood of two millions each way.
BY the admission of Porto Rican prod
ucts free this government would sac
rifice the duty on nearly two mil
liens of sugar. On the other hand, the
export trade which Spain formerly en-