The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-31
MERRIMENT IN THE SENATE.
PETTUs POKEs FUN AT GALLINGER
AND BEVERIDGE

eD"te ana the Tariff Feature Met
Much OppositiOn-Amend to
Give Porto Rico the Benefit of the
Constitution Was Defeated.
Washington, March So - Merriment
swept away the traditional dignity of the
Senate to-day. Staid sticklers for senate
RAJ decorum literally held their sides ana
shouted with laughter while the crowded
galleries Joined in the laughing tumuIt
which not the fantest effort was made 10
| restrain
Senator Pettus of Alabama, the Oldest
member of the body-his age being only a
few months short of four-score years-de-
| hvered the funniest speech heard within
the Senate Chamber in many years. 1t
sparkled with wit and bubbled over with
| humor. It's sarcasm was keen, but not
bitter; and even those who were the VIC
tins Of it could but enjoy its perfect good
humor and its unaloyed fun. Throughout
1t all Mr.. Pettus was as solemn as if he
were delivering funeral orat.on.
Mr.. Proctor, Republican of Vermont de-
| livered forceful argument in support of
| free trade with the Island of Porto Rico
| Considerable progress was made with the
|
Of the committee amendments and several
| offered by senators being disposed of. Mr.
| Depew of New York and Mr.. Spooner of
| Wisconsin gave notice they would speak
on Monday on the Porto Rican bill
| Consideration of the Porto Rican bill
was then resumed, and Mr.. Proctor spoke
! He approved the civil government feature
of the pending bill and regretted that on
! account of the tariff provision he could
| rot vote for II. AS to the free trade prop
! osition creating a precedent for the Phil
| ippines and Cuba, he said it would be
| time to cross those rivers when we reach
! them and he predicted the crossing then
would not be difficult Congress- he said
is a creature of the constitution and not
| the reverse.
| Constitutional Argument.
| Continuing Mr.. Proctor said:
Porto Rico and Its people came under
the sovereignty of the United States by
force of the treaty with Spain, and
| think that all will agree that if any
part of the people of the island levied
war against the United States or adj
| hered to our enemies, etc, they would
| be guilty of treason. But treason is an
exclusively defined constitutional crime,
and it cannot exist on the island unless
the constitution that defines it is in force
| there.
THE people believe, as the President
did when he wrote in his annual mes
| sage, that our plain duty is to abolish
| the customs tariff between Porto Rico
and the United States The people know
| that sentence by heart, and they will re-
| peat 1t millions of times within the year
| from its deliverauce unless we perform
what the President says is our plain
duty. The people believe that this is a
| question not of mere policy. but of prir-
| ciple, of good faith and common honesty" "
| +. Proc n no mi 70 Of
| Gen. Miles and President Schurman of the
| late Philippines Commission the former in
his proclamation TO Porto Ricans, the lat
| ter in his recent letter holding that the OBJ
| legation to give the Porto Ricans free
| trade is moral, not constitutional; and that
| the American people will not tolerate any
| falterlng with solemn obligations.
| Continuing Mr.. Proctor said:
| I'VE levy this tribute upon people who
| are in the direst poverty and distress, re-
| sulting in large part from our very ac-
| ton in taking possession of their islam |
| and destroying the existing markets Tor
their products and opening no other, and
TO this is added by the hand of the AL
| mighty, the terrible destruction of the tor
| nado If this bill becomes a law it wia
stand greatly in the way of the develop
ment of that little island. 1t leaves the
| future in uncertainty; for if we levy a tax
of 10 per cent. the next Congress may levy
a tax Of so per cent. If we adopt free
| trade it will be accepted by everyb body as
! a definite policy towards Porto Rico. Cap
ital and enterprise will go there freely, bur
uncertainty will paralyze industry"
senator Pettus' Rumor.
Mr.. Pettus then spoke, first discussing
constitutional features of the measure.
I'VE are governed" he said, lin our
| relations with these territories by the law
of nations so far as they are applicable.
| The idea is that when territory is ceded
| TO a nation that nation cannot necessar-
| lily exercise the powers of its former
| owners. 1t must exercise sway in accord
ance with its own limitations. When we
took these islands we took them with the
| limitations of exercising only such power
over them as was possible in the condi-
| tons of the United States
| From this time forward Mr.. Pettus'
speech was personal in its application.
81 was very much entertained by the
Senator from New Hampshire (Mr. Gal
| linger) yesterday" he said, when he in
formed us that he was not a lawyer, and
he proved it to us, not only by asserting
| it. but by his argument. Lawyers know
| that when you come to read a decision of
| a Judge you must take all he says on a
| subject; hat it will not do to take SEN
tence here and another there, but that
| Is exactly what the Senator did in quot
ing Justice Bradley in the Mormon Church
| case"
| He then went on to relate an anecdote
| illustrative of his point, in which a
preached of the old time-when the Sen
ator was a boy-had figured. in Alabama.
1.-The minister" he said. was as learn
| cd in the Bible as my friend from New
| Hampshire is in the law. Oaughter) He
| said Brethren, my text to-day will be
| the following, Seven sons did Micah
| bear unto Enon."
"'Now. expect, brethren the preach
! er went on, If you would look to the
| commentaries you would find various
meanings to this text: but taking a COM
mon sense view of IT, ] will say this:
| expect that Enon was sick and the doc
| tor told his seven sons, great strong fell
| lows that 1t was absolutely necessary
| that he should have milk for his nutri-
ment; and thereupon the seven sons went
| out TO look up the cows. The cows had
| not come up the night before and so
the sons could not find them; but they
came across a bear and they milked her
| and carried the milk TO Enon; and so.
brethren, It is written, Seven sons did
milk a bear unto Enon."