Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-05-01


Tax on Porto Rico Failure of Otis
in the Philippines.
Washington correspondence
The Porto Rican act, as it passed the
Senate, is now law. The Republican
leaders of the House would consent to
no amendment, but forced it through
exactly as it passed the upper body.
Eight Republicans refused to stultify
themselves by supporting measure so
Numerically opposed to public senti-
ment and to their own convictions of
right and Justice The Democrats
voted solidly against the measure.
The debate was one of the most in
teresting and instructive that has taken
place in this Congress. The Republi-
can leaders were embarrassed at every
turn by the demands of the Democrats
that they should explain the remark
able reversal of policy which led to a
tariff measure when all the Republican
leaders from Mckinley down had de
-clared that "our plain duty" toward
the Porto Ricans demanded that they
be given free trade. President Me
Kinley Secretary Root Gen. Miles and
Governor General Davis were quoted
on this proposition to say nothing of
the opinions of eX-President Harrison.
ex-Speaker Reed. .ex- Senator Edmunds
and other Republican statesmen. One
Of the most telling points was that
made by Representative Richardson,
the Democratic leader on the floor of
the House, who waved in the air the
two opinions of law clerk Magoon, of
the War Department, one declaring
that Porto Rico was a part of the Uni
ted States and therefore under the Con-
stitution, and the other taking exactly
the opposite view.
at is not so important" said Mr..
Richardson, ito know that this law
clerk prepared two opinions diametri-
cally opposite TO each other, as it is to
know why the administration ordered
him to reverse himself and render the
second opinion"
In passing this measure Congress
sakes advantage of the constitutional
provision empowering it 10 determine
how the territory shall he governed,
and yet deliberately violates the Con
stitution which provides that imposts
and excuses shall be uniform. through
out the United States. that Congress
shall not levy an export tax, nor levy
duty on goods passing from one portion
of the United States to another
The situation in the Philippines goes
from bad to worse The confidential
and secret reports to the War Depart
ment have led to the recall of Gen. Otis,
although the effort is put forth to make
it appear that he is coming home at his
own request. But the fact is that he
has totally failed to grasp the situation.
The insurgents are active in every
quarter, and the troops are simply
worn out by the vain efforts to catch
the light-footed Filipinos.
The warfare has degeneratcd into a
vindlctive and barbarous. guerilla con
filct 1t is humilating to confess, but
there is every reason to believe that
the Filipinos. even when captured with
arms In their hands, are being merci-
lessly shot down. There are no records
of prisoners taken or held. and now no
records of Filipino wounded prisoners
treated in American hospitals. What
becomes of them?
There are complaints. too, that the
friendly Filipinos. those who would
prefer peace and quiet even under
American rule, are badly treated by the
American officers and soldiers until the
situation has become intolerable. HUI
man nature is the same the world over
and the American soldiers would be
different from other mortals If the
harsh treatment to which they them
selves are subjected and the fearful eli
matte conditions did not have their eff
feet Were the soldiers in the islands
permitted to vote whether to return or
stay tho government could not furnish
transports fast enough to bring them
back to the United States.
1t is just coming out that Great Brit
ain is very well satisfied with what is
known as the Delagoa Bay Railroad
award, although IN awful howl was
put up by the London press. The
English bondholders and creditors get
every dollar that was due them, while
the American claimants whose claim
was the best of all, get practically moth
ing 1t is regarded as significant and
suspicious that within week of the
time the award was announced at
Beruc. Portugal should have agreed to
permit British troops to move through
Beira into Rhodesia to attack the
northern frontier of the Transvaal. 1t
looks as though Portugal had agreed to
this plain violation of her neutrality to
secure Great Britain's acceptance of
the unjust award in the Delagoa Bay
case at the expense of the American
claimants.