New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-28
THE OUTLOOK FOR PUERTO RICO.

The agreeable assurance is given that the Dill
for the commercial, industrial and financial re
lief Of Puerto Rico will be adopted by the House
of Representatives by a practically unanimous
Republican vote, reinforced by the votes Of
some Democrats whose craftsmanship and
humanity are superior to their desire to put
the Administration in a hole" The only regret
table feature of the case Is the fact that there
is in the House any considerable number OF
men willing TO go on record as opposed to so
benefCent an act.
For what is their attitude In so opposing itF
They are all agreed that the island needs relief.
and that this country is under the most impera-
tive moral obligation to grant it at the earliest
possible moment But, say some. the island
must have relief a member Of this Union.
Confronted with the reminder and the proof
that under the Constitution, under the treaty OF
cessiOn under the statutes Of the United States,
under the decisions Of the Supreme Court and
under the century-long policy Of this Nation.
Puerto Rico is not a member OF the Union and
is not under the Constitution, they stick to
their place, like the dog in the manger and sub
stantially say that policy and precedents must
all be reversed and a new departure be made
and Puerto Rico be taken into the Union and
under the Constitution before relief shall be
granted to its distressed people. In other words
Puerto Rico shall not be made prosperous until
1t is annexed to the Union, and this Nation shall
not fulfil It's moral duty to a dependent people
until it takes that dependent people in as an
equal partner in its own sovereignty.
So much for some of them. The others insist
that Puerto Rico must have relief through Free
Trade Confronted with the answer, sustained
by convincing facts and arguments. that Free
Trade would not give relief in the most efficient
manner. they doggedly retort that that does
not matter; the island must have Free Trade
whether it is good for it or not. Even If Free
Trade certain to increase the distress in
stead of relieving it, they would still insist upon
its adoption, or imposition, for it is the true
Cobdenite's belief that it is better to be in dis
tress under Free Trade than prosperous under
Protection SO Just as the former class insist
that relief must come, if at all, through incOr-
poraticn into the Union. these latter insist that
it must come if at ALL through Free Trade. The
former care not so much for relieving Puerto
Rican distress and for indicating the honor
and good faith of the United States as they do
for dragging 80 per cent of illiterates into
American citizenship and for giving an outlying
island of the sea a voice in the government of
this continental Union. The latter care not so
much for relief and honor and humanity as
they do for the REORGANIZATION into Smlitude
of life of their discredited and repudiated fad
It will be propitious hour for National honor
and righteousness in human government when
such selfish and narrow plOtters are defeated.
Their defeat in the passage of the pending bill
will mean that this Nation regards unwritten
moral obligations to be as binding though
they were engrOssed upon parchment and sealed
with the great seal 1t will mean, too, that the
United States is to remain the United States
Of America a continental union of sovereign
States, and not a polyglot and polychrome
omnium gatherum Of scattered islands and
fragments of forgotten peoples