Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-24
House Adopts Amended Porto Rican
Resolution.
PRESIDENTS POWER over FRANCHISES
Restriction Upon Charters and
Corporations.
POST OFFICE BILL TAKEN UP

SobfrSAp
the committee on insular affairs. asked
unanimous consent for the consideration of
the Foraker resolution to provide for the
continuation in office of the present mill
tary administration in Porto Rico, pending
the appointment of the civil officers under
the civil government act. The resolution
carried two amendments placed upon it by
the insuar affairs committee: one to pro-
vide that franchises should be approved by
the President and another placing certain
restrictions upon charters, corporations,
etc. 1t arranged that the resolution
should be debated for one hour.
Mr.. Hill Comm raised a point of order
against the amendments
Mr.. Cooper and Mr. Williams 0ll) ex-
pressed regret that a point of order should
have been raised, at the same time contend
ing that the point of order was not we'll
taken.
Speaker Henderson had read a decision Of
Speaker Reed in the Fifty-first Congress, in
which the Speaker had held in somewhat
analogous case that an amendment 20
resolution to amend act in certain par
ticular was not germane, and, therefore,
not in order.
Mr.. Richardson, the minority leader ar
gued that the amendments were germane
to the original act and therefore germane
to the text of the resolution. Both sought
to amend the same section of the original
bill
Mr.. Hill said he opposed to the p-o-
posed amendments in form and substance
and he thought 1t needed no argument to
show that they were not germane.
Mr.. Williams said that information lad
come to the insular affairs committee that
all sorts of companies were preparing to
invade Porto Rico, and the committee con-
sidered that the proposed restrictions
should be placed upon them to prevent
great scandal there He said he could not
understand why the point of order had
been raised.
Mr.. Moody fMass), prefacing his remarks
with the statement that he regretted ex-
ceedingly that the point of order had come
from his the republican, side of the House,
raised the point of order that Mr.. Hills
point of order had come too late.
Mr. McRae (Ark.) declared that II he had
not understood that the point of order
would not be raised to the amendments
he would never have given consent for the
consideration Of the resolution. He thought
|if the amendments We're to be ruled out
that 1t was only fair that the whole ques-
ton should be submitted.
The Speaker in long ruling held that
the amendments were clearly not germane.
At the same time he expressed his PRO
found regret that the point had been
raised. Upon Mr. Moody's point that the
point of order came too late, he said he
was not clear. He called for the official
reporters notes upon this subject, and
when they had been submitted to him he
ruled that the point Of order had come too
late. and he therefore overruled Mr. HIS
point Of order
Mr.. Cooper Explains.
Thereupon Mr.. Cooper took the floor in
support of the amended resolution. He
explained that the amendments were to
natept defects in the
civil government law. These defects. he
said, had attracted the attention of the
country and the press Under the act the
governor and the council would have sole
control over franchises. He read an edi-
torial from q New York republican news
paper severely condemning the failure of
Congress to safeguard franchises, and con-
tending that the duty to correct the mis-
take clear.
The editorial indulged in some vigorous
remarks about the influence of corpora
tions, which he read with great emphasis,
looking the while at Mr.. Hill.
Restraint of Corporations.
Mr.. Cooper said the proposition to give
to a council of eleven appointed by the
President, only five of whom may be resi-
dents of Porto Rico the absolute disposi-
ton of the property rights of the island
was against all public policy. The fran
chises to be granted were to be the most
valuable property in the island in the fu-
ture. No state in the Union would agree
to such a proposition for minute. Mr.
Cooper dwelt upon the necessity of re-
straining corporations and of regulating
them by prohibiting them from issuing
stock or bonds except for cash. Men ap-
pointed to offices were often shallow and
frequently corrupt. They should not lie
given great personal and arbitrary power.
ov,1 fha $har lie nP
porations in this country should be avoided
as we We're entering upon the government
of Porto Rico.
Mr. Hill said he was opposed to the two
amendments-the first on political and the
second on economic grounds He believed,
he said, that the whole subject regarding
the franchises in the little island had been
immeasurably magnified. 1t would be far
safer and better, he thought, to leave this
subject to the people Of Porto Rico and
the able officers who would be sent there
by the President.
"If Charles H. Allen" said he, tis not
competent to pass upon whether certain
company shall receive an electric railroad
franchise l think the President should
move him and send some one else there"
Mr.. Hill declared that he had no Interest,
past, present or remote, in any enterprise
in Porto Rico He had been there and had
seen all he desired to see. He thought the
amendment which would prohibit banks of
| issue in the island was too drastic The
Spanish Bank now enjoyed that privilege
Perhaps 1T should be taken away, but It
should be done by adjustment, not by law.
Mr.. Hill denounced the senseless insinua-
tionS against corporations desiring to do
business in Porto Rico" Our business men
were entitled to our confidence, said he
They should not be treated as If they were
rascalS.
Mr.. Jones (Va), the ranking minority
member of n;le insular affairs committee,
earnestly favored the amendments He had
hoped. he said, that there would be no OBJ
lection either side to a measure SO i'm
peratively necessary.
Mr.. ]. r. Williams Qll) said he would
have preferred that Congress instead of the
President should approve the franchises.
but he had acquesced in the provision
After some further remarks by Mr. Mad
dox (Ga.). Mr.. Gaines Tenn) and Mr..
Ridgely tKan.). Mr.. Cooper closed the de-
bate. His concluding statement was that
one of the republican members of his COM
mfttee had informed him that he had been
approached by capitalist who had stated
that a company was being formed to buy
up all the mortgages the island
Agreed to without Division.
The amended resolution was agreed to