Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-24
DUTY TO PORTO RICO
The Debate in the House Yesterday
Afternoon.
LEFqLEFIELD' SPEECH THE FEATURE
Protest Against Tariff on the
Islands Products.
LAST EVENINGS SESSION

An agreement was reached in the House
yesterday that the vote on the Porto Rican
tariff bill will be taken at pm next
Tuesday General debate will close Mon
day and short speeches under the fve-min-
ute rule will follow up to the time of the
vote. At the close Of the day formal an
nouneenent was made that a republican
conference would be held at pm. tonight.
The leaders continue to express the belief
that the bill will pass, but the impression Is
growing that motion to recommit the bill
to the committee ways and means will
command strong support and may prevail.
Mr.. Underwood, the democratic whip
yesterday sent out kilograms to all absent
voting may begin.
The speech of Mr.. Littlefield of Maine
was the feature of the day yesterday. Mr..
Littlefeld won his spurs by his speech on
the Roberts case. Yesterday he added to
his laurels in a speech against the BILL
which for briliiancy, wit and logic rivals
the best efforts of the recognized orators
of the House. He made profound i'm
preston, and when he concluded 1t was sew
eral minutes before the demonstration that
followed could be quelled.
Among, the others who spoke yesterday
were Messrs. Jones CVa) and Maddox (Ga)
against the bill and Messrs. Russell Comm.
Bartholdt CMo), Gardner (Mich), Lacey
Uowa) for it.
Proceeding, Mr.. Littlefield argued that
the regeneration of the Island of Porto
Rico could be brought about by loan,
which the United States could authorize II
to raise. No one could doubt the ability OF
the island to repay the loan. lie described
how time and again in the old days the
Pearl of the Antilles had made loans to
Spain: not only Spain, but to Cuba and
,,,}
the emancipation of the slaves had cost
the American republic. yet in 1873 Porto
Rico had manumitted $4,000 slaves without
tumult or bloodshed The people of the
island had paid s12.OO0,0O0 to free the bond
men. Could not these people, he asked. be
trusted to repay trifng loan to be used
for the relief of the island.
Entitled to Fair Treatment.
He submitted that the people Of Porto
Rico by their history were entitled to fair
treatment at the hands of the republican
party. All they asked was stable govern
ment and hands off. They could take care
of themselves. He said he believed that a
loan of $1,000, 900 or 81 100000 would be suf-
ficient to place them on their feet, but the
amount he was willing to leave to the peo-
pie, who were to repay 1t. Il say said
he, that it lies in the mouth of no man to
say that Porto Rico could hot repay q loan
of Sl0.O0OO0O If operating under free trade
in free markets. l assert that this bill is
drawn against the advice of Gen. Davis
governor general of the island against the
protest of the people Of Porto Rico, against
the counsel of Secretary Root. against the
recommendations of the President and
against the original recommendations Of
the chairman of the ways and means COM
mittee." Mr.. Littletield chided Mr.. Payne
with not making public the reasons for his
change of heart. He said he thought he
knew the reason, but he would not suggest
it. But the gentleman from New York and
the gentleman from Connecticut (RusSelD,
he said, had declared that the importation
of sugar and tobacco from Porto Rico
would not interfere with our industries. If
that We're TRUE it would be interesting to
know who suggested the change of base.
He yielded to no man in his devotion to his
party. and ii was better for his political
friends to hear these things now than later
on the stump. where they would be judged
by the enlightened conscience of the Ameri-
can people.
The greatest calamity which over
Swallowed the republican party, he said,
was the calamity involved in the pending
bill (applause). Mr.. Lttlefeld said he
jackson or Benton. For him it was suffi-
cient If VIM. Mckinley had followed in the
footsteps OF Washington and Lincoln. And
President Mckinley had said that it was
the plain duty of Congress to give free
trade to Porto Rico.
Mr.. Ltttlefed directed his sarcasm
against the bill, taking illustration a
case of shipping lumber from Maine to
Porto Rico. At San Juan the duty was COL
lected by the United States. Therefore, it
had as well been collected by the United
States when 1t left Maine. Was is possible
he asked, that under the doctrine of this
bill Porto Rico was no longer an island
Had 1t been eliminated from the map of the
earth?
An CnrepnbIican Bill.
Mr.. Littlefeld contended that the bill
was unrepublican. Whenever before had
it been proposed to place a duty upon
American capital and American labor The
platforms Of the republican party declared
for the protection of American labor and
American capital against foreign labor and
foreign capital He challenged Mr. Payne
to explain this new doctrine. He also as
sailed as a pretext the theory that this
tariff for Porto Rico was framed to raise
revenue when duty on sugar and tobacco
was levied, while coffee, of which the pro-
ductlon was greater than both the other
articles together was to be imported free.
This was the cheap philanthropy which
costs nothing.
He argued that If the industries of the
United States were to be protected against
the industries of Porto Rico and later
against those of the Philippines, the indus
| tries of those islands could never prosper.
American capital would never go to them
| for investment. Porto Rico would remain
an orange for US to squeeze" her people
"hewers of wood and drawers of water
for the To,00o00o Inhabitants OF the Unit ed
States.
Proclamation of Miles.
Another argument against the bill Mr.
Llttlefield found in the proclamation of
General Miles to the people of Porto Rico,
when his army invaded the island. He had
promised the natives 1.-The immunities and
blessings of our government and they had
crowned him with garlands and had kissed
the flag. He would never vote, he said. to
violate the pledge that great soldier had
made. 1t had been written in the blood
of our heroes and sealed by the god Of
battles. 1t could not be violated without
sullying our honor and furnishing our
faith.
Mr.. Littleheld then took up the legal
phase of the question, and concluded as fol-
lows: May our flag float over the whole
| republic, in the occident and the orient;
over the Pearl of the Antilles and the TO-
90 Islands near far-off Cathay, upon land
and sea, over school. home and church, the
emblem of our integrity and good faith, of
liberty and freedom of the inestimable
blessings of Christian civilization, Of
human rights guaranteed by the Constitu-
I