The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-11-30
TARIFF DUTIES
Imposed Upon Articles Going In and
Coming Out Of Porto Rico.
BEING SERIOUSLY DISCUSSED
By the Local Press-Let the People
Decide Through the Legislature
What They Desire to Do-Generally
Conceded That the. Is Per Cent
Tariff Should Stand.
.speclal plspateh . the 1ntelllgeneor.

Special Dispatch to the Intelllgcnccr.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.-Thc abro-
cation OF the Porto Rlcan tariff Is being
seriously discussed BY the press OF Porto
Rico. The Porto Rlcan tariff act It Will
DO remembered, provides that ''when-
ever the legislative assembly OF Porto
Rico shall have enacted and put into
operation system OF local taxation to
meet the necessities Of the government
of Porto Rico, by this act established,
and shall by resolution duly passed so
notify the President, he shall make
proclamation thereof, and thtreupon
all tariff duties on merchandise and
articles going into Porto Rico from the
United States or coming into the United
States from Porto Rico shall cease, and
from and after such date all such mer-
chandlse and articles shall be entered
at the several ports OF entry free OF
duty"
Legislature to Meet Soon.
The Porto Rican legislature elected
on November 9Th, the date of the gen.
eral election in the United States. Is to
meet shortly and will. under the pro-
visions OF the Porto Rican act above
quoted. have the power to Immediately
terminate the Porto Rican tariff by
enacting legislation which will provide
funds for the necessities Of the govern
ment Of Porto Rico and the question
whether this action shall be taken and
the Is per cent tariff thus terminated Is
being discussed by the press and pub
lie Of that island as 1t shown by the
following leading editorial taken from
the San Juan porto Rico) Daily News
Of November 10. 1900. just received by
the treasury bureau OF statistics:
''Weshave lived now for six months
under the IS per cent preferential tariff.
The question Is: Is 1t good or bad? Has
It helped or injured US? The leglsla-
ture will have these questions to de-
eide. ~ as
~ Can Do As 1t Pleases.
1--WE now have the question to ueal
with aside and apart from politics. Its
use as q campaign club is past and
gone. The burden,of deciding this very
important question Is solely upon the
legislature. AS It DEGREES. so shall 1t
be. If 1t desires to abolish the tariff
and operate the island upon n FREQ trade
basis. It can be so ordered.
III the people OF Porto Rico through
the legislature desire to continue the
tariff 1t can be done. A precedent has
been established which will permit this
class OF taxation. 1t has been legally
decreed that such action Is constltu-
tional.
'If the tariff Is abolished. 1t Ia ut once
evident that Il more burdensOmc and
higher rate OF Internal taxation must
be imposed. There and upon what shall
this be levied, is indeed perplcxing
question.
aside from the difficulties that may
vi Will sillSC ~ VII tHC hppillIoi Va klS
tariff, lie. us glance at the tariff itself
and see what II has done. In the last
six months the Is per cent tariff has
afforded the island rs much. II not more
revenue than the 100 per cent tariff. The
theory that the way to increase rcve-
nue. is by lowering the taxes Is proven
to be true for Porto Rico. This revenue
will be constantly increasing as our
trade increases as It Is sure TO do.
Helped the Consumer.
1t Inns helped the consumer. for 1t has
lowered the taxes he has to pay, not
only on American goods. but upon all
goods that enter our market In compe-
titlon with them. This results In an In
crease OF ImportntionS. This helps the
producer by CONSTANTLY providing him
means to carry his goods to the great
American market. which Is always so
hungry for the products this island has
to dispose OF. Again. unless WE have n
traffic both ways. the steamers must
make one trip without n cargo and the
freight Is thereby doubled.
~ tariff helps us as borrowers; It
will give our securities Il stand in tie
United States. which they could not
have without permanent revenue like
the tariff revenue. The argument so
often advanced IN favor of II ,nrift tax
as against other means Of raising revr-
nue., that II Is easily collected. Is es-
pecIally forclblc In Porto Rice. We
would advise that the tariff Is rcccs-
sary, and II 1t were not 1t wuu'i atm be
the most convenient md logical means
OF raising our revenue. Let the tariff
stand Mt Is per cent"