The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-12
DEBATE ON THE RULE.


Excitement was at high pitch when the
speakers gavel fell at noon. AS soon as
the reading of the journal was concluded
Mr.. Dalzell. one of the leaders of the ma
jority and member of the committee on
rules. presented the special order under
which the House was to operate:
Resolved, That Immediately on the
adoption of this resolution the committee
of the whole House on the state of the
Union should be discharged OF considera-
tion of House Bill S245 (the Porto Rico
bilD and the Senate amendments thereto;
that the same shall be considered in the
House until p. m. April IL. when. without
delay or other motion, vote shall be
taken on the motion to concur In the said
Senate amendments in\ gross. And all
members shall have leave to print on the
subject of said bill and amendments for ten
days from the adoption of this rule
On the conclusion of the reading of the
rule. on demand of Mr.. Dalzell. the pre-
vious question on its adoption was ordered.
This gave twenty minutes for debate on
each side under the rules.
Mr.. Dalzell said he would discuss the rule
briefly. On Feb. IS the House sent to the
Senate the Porto Rico tariff bill. The
amendments attached by the Senate fur
nished a civil government for the island.
that those amendments should be concurred
in. There had been enough discussion on
the subject. he said. What the country
desired was not debate. but action.
Mr.. Richardson, the minority leader.
called attention to the fact that the rule
would permit the House TO vote only upon
a single proposition. IL it had been pos
sible for the Senate TO add to the iniquity
of the original bill. levying 10 per cent. of
the Dingley duty on goods going into Porto
Rico. he said. il had done SO i'm the So
called civil government amendment. Under
the guise of civil government. he said.
the Senate had imposed an imperialistic
government on the people of the island. He
asserted that IL was never the intention of
the Republicans of the House i'm the first
instance TO enact any such measure. He
quoted President Mckinley, Secretary
Root. ex-President Harrison. ex-Speaker
Reed and other Republicans OF national
reputation in favor OF free trade with the
islands, and drew saivo of applause from
his Democratic colleagues by characterize
ing the President. in the language OF ex-
Speaker Reed, as the emperor OF expe-
diency."
REFERS TO MAGOON'S OPINION.
Proceeding. he expressed regret that the
secretary of war had not seen fit to fur
nish the opinion OF Judge Charles ~ Ma
goon. the attorney for the Insular Bureau
| 10 the effect that the Constitution ex-
tended ex proprio vigore. 10 our new pos
sessions. upon which he said the original
recommendations of the President and the
secretary OF war were based lie read some
extracts from this alleged suppressed opin.
ion. which had been printed I'm a New York
newspaper. The reading was frequentl,
punctuated with applause. Why. Mr.. Rich
ardson asked. had the President. the sec
retary OF war and the Republican parts
| changed front on this whole question Foi
reply. he read the remarks of President
| Schurmann. of the Philippine commission
| that the trusts had gone down TO Wash
CONTINUED ON SECOND PAGE.)