The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-22

..,.. m,,bin ,,hieh duties have been paio
uron the same kinds OF g ooes, Of
enterins' ,n,o BY com lns ts with such
goods and with our own manuiao
lures and the products OF our om owl 10
ers and planters, ne re United states
a. anv niace out of collection district,
n allowed, would be VIOLATION ~ inne
provision ID tp s,,s rvnsi imposts and exer-
Z SEES shall be uniform throughout '"s
United states. -, ,hot IN
.,tab rirht exists, and that there was
ntht,g in the condition OF California
10 exempt importers of foreign gooas ,hso
It from the payment, OF '1 te S ather norris
", tbe United States. AS to the oeniai
Of the authority OF the president 70 Prs
vent the landing Of foreign goous a, ~ hne
Il nan only be necessary to say, II ne
d,d not do so. 1t would be neglect OF
his constitutional obligation 10 take
care that the laws De iaithiuiis
strong as is the case against the eons,i-
tutionaiity of duties on imports from fue a,,
pjco the case against the imposition OIL uu-
~. an articles imported into Puerto Rico
rom the United states Is far stronger. Inc
constitution declares that mo tax OF GUY
| shall be laid on articles exported rom M, my
state on yesterday the senator from WIS
ronsin mr.. Spoonerj asserted. / understand
that under the constitution there is no i,lnlI
/
| taxes duties and imposts as an incident OF
| The war power To this proposition can
| not assent. $50 -, - a..
dutv on articles exported from any State Is
| aimed al the exercise OF that power by con.
gress the president, and every other feuerul
agency, ana Is operative az az 'i ha hoan aS
| In peace or in war; and If II mas, peen eH-
ercised bv the president with reference TO
articles entering Puerto REQ from the
United States, i IS M nndomptsh 'o OF tbe
| constitution is one of the most important IN
| that instrument -, -.
The debates of the convention show that
| IL was intended to prevent a combination ny
which majority OF the States could lay an
unjust and disproportionate burden upon the
| products OF a minority of the states, ana SO
intense was the conviction upon the SUBJECT
| that il was frequently asserted that the con-
stitution could not be adopted without IT,
II is a Limitation upon the power OF con-
gress or other Federal authority in any case Use,
| or for any purpose. and the duty levied by
| the bill Is certainly tax on articles ex :
| ported from the States within us clear
| meaning, because ii is laid upon the articies
after and because of expectation and before
| they mingle in the mass of property in fuer :
to Rico. Before the articles. are started ~
course of expectation and after 1ney iea u, =
! general property in Puerto RICO they may
be taxed. but in the interim the prohlolti9n
applies. and they can not be taxed IN s ,me
case of Turpin VS.. Burgess QlI Y. s., uOol
the supreme court thus. announced the true
doctrine upon the question:
! Now, the constitutional pronptlon
against taxing exports is substantially the
same when directed to the United states
as when directed to State In the one
case the words are mo tax or duty shall
be laid on articles exported from any
State" In the other they are, mo State
shall without the consent of congress,
lay any imposts or duties on imports or
exports" The prohibition in both cases
| has reference to the imposition OF duties
on goods by reason or because OF thelr
expectation or intended expectation or
| whilst they are beng exported. That
would be laying a tax or duty on exports
or on articles exported within the mean
ing of the constitution.
AS a final argument for this measure they
tell us the duty is light and inconsiderabie
How untrue that Is has been shown by the
senator from Kentucky (Mr Lindsay, but
its oppressive character may be further seen
from the fact that upon the people OF Puerto
Rico poor and impoverished as they are, this
bill levles greater tax by at least ~ pei
capita than is levied for all State purposes
upon the people of Texas, who are prosperous
But, Mr.. President, if it be true that the
tax Is light 1t neither palliates nor justihee'
the offense Not many years ago BENJAMIN
Harrison. gifted beyond all the presidents
with felicity OF speech, In discussing pro
posed tariif from this standpoint, declared
that il was not much the length as the
direction of the step which was alarming
So is 1t here. 1t is something to put be
hind us our solemn duty it Is Illuminating
and cowardly to wrong defenseless ant
prostrate people at the dctation OF avar.ct
and greed. it wounds the public conscience
to disregard our pighted faith as Nation
but to do these things in violation OF tn
organic law is an assault upon our tnstitu
tons and crime against free government.