Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-10-05
THE ROOT OF THE TROUBLE.

The following is an editorial from
the Baltimore Evening Necs of a
few months ago:
1t is recognized on all hands that the
Administration and the Republican party
have got themselves into the worst pos
sible kind of a snarl over the little prob
lem of little Porto Rico The mischief
has sprung from regarding the question
OF the Porto Rico tariff neither as cues
ton about Porto Rico nor as a question
about the United States, but as a question
about the Republican party.
The Presidents original recommen.
dation was one dictated by broad prin-
ciple-not, indeed the Constitutional
principle of uniformity of imports. but
tue principle that the Porto Ricans were
to be treated as commercially upon an
equal footing with ourselves, which
would have the same result as would the
Constitutional injunction. Now when the
Republican managers set this princinle
a>ide-whether as a Constitutional prin-
cip'e oras high maxim of political con.
duct does not matter-what stand did
they take upon the matterg Did they take
~ The question on its merits? Ifthe Con
stitution imposed no restriction. and If
the Presidents definition of our "plain
duty" no longer had any force, it is clear
that these men had free hand 10 make
any arrangements they might think bes,
Did they try to find out what arrange.
ments would be best for the Porto Ricansy
Not bit of il; what they did was to use
the island OF Porto Rico as corpus
vile" upon which to make Constitution
al experiment for the purpose of smooth
log the way for the Administration in
its Philippine policy.
They sacrificed the principle OF equal
lily of duties, without substituting any,
thing else In It's place They put on
Just enough of duties 10 prevent-as
they supposed, but their calcu lation
turned out wofully mistaken-any ex-
plosion of wrath among the people on
the score of its impressiveness; but the
arbitrariness of the proceeding amounted
To notice TO the Porto Ricans that al
any future time when politicians or pro-
tected interests might demand il the rates
might be raised to any desired point
without reference TO the needs or the
rights of the islanders. Fortunately.
the Significance Of this was appreheud-
ed as keenly by the American people and
press as il was by the Porto Ricans; and
this is the bottom fact about the existing
snarl in the high councils of the Repub-
iican party. When the American people
get a notion into their heads that party
policy is in deliberate contravention of a
moral principle, it is very hard to get it
out. And that is just the way in which
they look upon making legislation for
the helpless island of Porto Rico turn
not upon the needs OF its people but
upon the supposed requirements OF" ere
publican harmony"
1t is quite refreshing to read the
foregoing at this present time when
our Baltimore contemporary is Ieav-
ing no stone unturned in its efforts
towards the reelection of Mr.. Nc
Kinley. AS the News looked at the
matter, through clear glasses, last
summer, We believe the masses of
the thinking people still view it. "Re-
publican harmony" has no doubt by
this time been secured by sacrifice
OF the principle of the Presidents
well-knowD ''plain duty" aad the
Meas, and Senators Hoar and Mason,
with Others who are Joined to their
idols, have forgotten the fuction
which they righteousIy created when
"broad principle" was waging los
ing war with party fealty.