Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-31
IN BOTH BRANCHES
Dependencies Discussed in House
and Senate.
RIGHT OF PORTO RICO'S LEGISLATURE
Attempt to Restrict Its Authority
Voted Down.
THE NOTIFICATIONS BILL

At the beginning of today's session of the
Senate Mr.. Foster CWash.) offered and had
passed Il resolution directing the Secretary
of the Navy to report what surveys have
been made in the islands recently acquired
by the United States.
The following bills We're passed: Grant
ing lands to the state Of Alabama for the
education of colored students at Mont
gomery and Troy Ala; to refund to W. T.
Scbtt and one other s.. $50 each. which they
paid as sureties of Davis B. Bonfoy of
Texas: to establish light and fog signal at
Browns Point, Puget sound; for the relief
Of Gilman Sawtell: to enable John Collin
son. a subject Of Great Britain. to dispose
of his right, title and interest to and in
certain lands situated in New Mexico.
Consideration of the Porto Rico bill be-
ing resumed Mr.. Bacon (Ga.) made a state
ment concerning the substitute he offered
yesterday for the pending unfinished bush
ness. He desired, he said, to arrogate to
himself no credit for the substitute. as 1t
was the measure originally prepared By Mr..
Foraker amended slightly. He could not
speak for all members on his side of the
chamber but he knew that as he had intro
duced the measure in the utmost good
faith. some democrats. at least. would sup
proposition yet made as to Porto Rico, in
asmuch as 1t provided a free. territorial
government Of the United States.
Mr. Foraker said he was not insensible to
the compliment paid him by Mr.. Bacon in
adopting his original draft of the Porto
Rican measure, and was inclined to con-
graduate him upon having reached the
point where he (Foraker) was two months
ago. The bill. as he now regarded it, was
entirely inadequate. although at the time
he drafted it he deemed it an excellent
measure.
1t did not, however. provide for many
particulars covered by the pending bill.
and he declared 1t was utterly inadequate
for the purposes intended
The pending question was on the amend
ment offered by Mr. Allen (Neh0, providing
that the bill should designate Porto Rico as
Il territory Of the United States.
Mr.. Allen read a brief prepared by Har-
mon F. Randolph. a member of the New
York bar. on the constitutional status OF
our island possessions. few minutes
earlier Mr. Allen had been refused permits
sion to have the brief printed as d public
document. Mr.. McComas Directing.
After Mr.. Allen had read about one OF
the ffty-four pages of the brief he was
given permission to print it as a part Of
his remarks.
Mr. McComas then had read a recent
statement Of Mr.. Havemeyer, president Of
The American Sugar Refining Company. in
which he argued IN favor OF the free admiS-
son to the United States of sugar from
Porto Rico. and expressed the belief that
the tiu@ would come soon when it would
he admitted free.
Mr. MCC1mas adverted sarcast:cally to
III agreement upon the Porto Rican ques-
zion which he said Mr. Hayemeyer and Mr.
Allen We're in
Right to. Conflict With Constitution.
When that section of the bill relating to
The legislative assembly of Porto Rico was
reached Mr. Pettus CAlaD offered this
amendment: "That the legislative assembly
Of Porto Rico shall have no power or
authority to enact any law in conflict with
the Constitution of the United States The
amendment was lost. II to 81.
Mr. Fairbanks iUndl then addressed the
Senate in support of the pending measure