The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-04

ception, was saying that IL We made the
, inhabitants of Porto RICO citizens OF the
United States, the island would be part
OF the United States and the precision or
the Constitution, with relation to uni
formity Of taxes, would apply TO Il. 1t
was. therefore. Democratic opposition
which forced the change. The Senator
from Vermont (Mr. Proctorl speaks about
pledges given by General Miles, the Secre-
tary of War, and the President ! chai-
lcnre that Senator to find any pledge
given by any one of those officials to the
people of Porto Rico. What was it that
General Miles stated? He went into Porto
Rico at the head of our victorious army.
1t was appropriate that he should in the
performance of his duty as soldier, an
nounce his purpose in coming, ani he
stated in that proclamation that Ae had
come not as an enemy but as a friend;
not to tear down but to build up; not to
destroy but to save, and that il WAS the
purpose of the Government to restore pros
perity to the people of Porto Rico.
That was his first declaration-the
restoration OF prosperity to which Porto
Rico had been 4 stranger for three CEN
turies under Spanish tyranny and misruie
Then he said further that it was another
purpose to extend to them the immuntties
of our liberal institutions That is all
that General Miles said. For any Senator
to intimate that he went beyond that is
no compliment to General niles. 1t was
rot for him to declare the political policy
of the Government with relation to Porto
Rico, but simply to carry the flag there
and to plant 1t as he calamity did in tri-
umph. 1t remained for Congress to de-
termine what the policy should be. He
did not say anything about free trade.
He spoke about giving them restoration
ha riyita
munities to which 1 have alluded. This
bill. not being in violation of what Gen
eral Miles said, is a complete yindication
and a redemption of all that he said and
all that he promised. As to the Secre-
tary of War all that he said was that
justice and gooo faith required that we
should not disappoint the expectations oil
the people of Porto Rico to share in our
prosperity.
The Presidents Message.
What was it that the President said In
his annual message? Senators who know
that they are not in harmony with the
President in reference to this legislation
are assuming and claiming that they rep
resent him on this floor; and they are
saying that this legislation is opposed tc
the recommendation made by the President
in his annual message. What the Presi-
dent recommended was that We should
abolish all customs duties between Porto
Rico and the United States and give them
free trade with us. l believe that the Ian
guage he used was free access to our
markets This bill does that very thing.
Senators talk as though we were denying
to the people of Porto Rico free trade with
the United States. We are: for time.
But because Of the necessity to which
have referred Ia necessity which was not
in the mind of the President when he wrote
that recommendation and necessity that
was not in my mind when | framed and
introduced the original bilD the change has
been made.
We are not denying, but giving absolute
free trade with the United States From
and after the 1st of March. 1902. twenty
three months hence. Porto Rico will have
absolute free trade with the United
States, and sooner than that if the peo-
pie of the island shall see fit to take the
necessary action as a predicate for their
request. This bill provides that there shall
be not only absolute free trade from tie
LIST of March. 1902, but that in the mean
time there shall be free trade on -four and
all other food articles. Six months srnm
this time they may have free trade witl
the United States if they will only tale
advantage of the opportunities given 10
them under this bill. In view Of ell this.
| say there is no claim that We are vio-
lating any pledges or violating any of the
recommendations of the President.
THE President, in his message recon-
mending free trade. did not say free
trade right away now the day before
yesterday We shall have free trade, but
we shall bring 1t about by appropriate leg
islation. The President must have fore
seen that it would require weeks and
months of legislation before a government
could be established in Porto Rico and put
in operation. He did not understand and
appreciate then, as he does now, that there
is necessity for delay"
After short speeches by Senator CALM
ger and Stewart in support OF the bill.
and Lindsay against it, the Senate. at
O'Clock, began to vote on the bill and
amendments.