The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-03
Porto Rican Tariff Debate In
the Senate Ends.
Senator Mason Stands Up For
"Plain Duty
HUNDRED PER CENTER.
Doesn't Believe People Can Be
So Per Cent Alien.
And Fifteen Per Cent American
He Says.

Washington, April AT II o'clock
today the senate convened to begin the
final days discussion of the Porto Ri
can bill. Comparatively few people We're
IN the galleries at the opening of the
session although the crowds increased
rapidly afterwards
After some minor business had been
transacted, Mr.. Mason QIl) addressed
the senate. His speech was not confin-
ed to the Porto Rican measure, but in
cluded in its scope all the problems at
tendant upon the control and govern
ment of our insular possessions.
He spoke in favor of the resolution
OF MIR Wellington, which offers indie
pendence to the FilipinOs and against
the bill proposed by Mr.. Spooner (Nis.)
comforting authority upon the president
to govern the Philippines until congress
should otherwise direct Incidentally he
discussed the tariff proposed to be
placed on Porto Rican products. He
was opposed to holding the Philippines.
because under the law of nations, we
nave not title and never can have cOnI-
plete title except by conquest of the in
habitants. do not wish the 9,S10,000
FAipinos for citizens L do not wish
them for slaves If we govern them,
they must either be citizen or eerf
Whether they labor as our citizens and
equal before the law or whether they
labor as our political slaves, their labor
and l am opposed to that. I am for ex-
pansion. I voted for the annexation of
Hawaii, but would never have sent 65,-
600 men there to compel them to accept
our flag. In other words / am against
taking any territory by conquest
against friendly people and against
taking any territory that brings
| cheap class of labor in free and oDen
competition with the class of men and
/ women who do the labor in this cour-
1 try
Mr.. Mason resented as cowardly ana
/ unjust any reflection upon his patriot
/ ism and love for the flag. because of his
! opinions regarding the Philippines. He
declared that if it was treason to oppose
| a war of conquest to lift unjust taxa
ton, to confer ~ he struggling peo-
| PIE the blesSines liberty, to protect
! the laboring and women of this
country, then as guilty.
I Adverting a lis point to Porto Rice
he naaintaine that when the treaty of
| Paris was ratified the island became a
part of the United States and congress
had no more right to put a duty o1- her
products than it had to put a tariff on
| products passing between New York
| and Washington.
Unless you can get the supreme
! court to stultify and reverse ITSELF
| said Mr. Mason, there is but one way
| to levy tariff upon the people OF the
| United States to prevent their trading
with the rest of the United States. You
| must amend the constitution to do it.
| constitution which says all duties must
be uniform. 1 beg you to count the cost
of such an amendment.
| Il cannot say to Europe. that is
! wholly foreign and alien, you may de-
! liver the product of your labor here
upon the payment of 100 per cent Of
the present duty and then say to the
| Porto Rican, You are S5 per cent
American and Is per cent alien. and
you must pay your pro rata share of an
impost duty.
There is no such thing as an S5 per
! cent. annexation. The people of Porto
Rico are either our people 100 per cent.
or they are 100 per cent not our people"
Mr.. Mason presented what he main
tanned was the good faith Of the gov
ernment of the United States The peo-
! pie eff Porto Rico had been promised
/ by General Miles and at least iii an i'm
! Piled way by others that they should
enjoy all the immunities and blessings
of our free government These prom
ises he held the people would demand
should be kept.
Speaking Of the fever of war. which
he said was upon the administration,
Mr.. Mason said:
But as we approach the hour when
we must again appeal to the Judgment
of 10000 900 people and fires under the
pots of patronage are burning low and
the dangers of disappearing pOstoffces
! appear to us like hideOus nightmare
the hour of convalescence approaches,
and we shout to the laboring people Of
I
We have sacrificed the lives and money
! of the people; we have abandoned the
| faith of the fathers for land but We
| will abandon it all rather than fOrsake
the political partisan doctrine AND we
are saying on both sides of this
hamber-thoSe who have believed in
the permanent government Of the Phil
ippine is1ands-that if our permanent
sovereignty there means the taking
into this country in competition with
our labor products of the people there.
we will abandon this kind of eXpan-
sion.
: At the conclusion of Mr.. Mason s
speech, Mr.. Culberson CTex-t addressed
the senate in opposition to the pending
bill. It was his first speech in the SEN
ate. and he was given attentive hear
ing particularly by his Democratic col
l leagues. He declared that the pending
measure, so far at least as the tariff
! provision was concerned was indeten-
sible on moral economic and const-
tutional grounds
! CULBERSON'S FIRST SPEECH.
Mr.. CulberSon said II had been mar
tanned by the senator form Ohio fFor-
aker) that the dogma that the constltu'
ton extends of its own force oyel
| acquired territory originated with Mf
+ | Calhoun in the interest Of slavery This
l he contended, was not the fact AS 4
is a great mistake of history said Mr.
, Culbel'son, lit must not go unchalenget
: | here The constitution itself is the true
! | origin Of the doctrine It was announce
first in 1905 by Thomas Jefferson, not ~
the interest of human slavery but in tn
interest of religious freedom Mr.. Cui
berson quoted extensive authorities Il
support of his contention. Mr. Culber
SON contended that there had been
great change in the Republican part
dedicated to commercial greed and IN
attempt under Mr. EoIaker's leadefsn &