The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-03-23
FROM THE CAPITAL.
Our Correspondent Talks in
General About Wash
ington.
WASHINGTON.
March 10, 1900.
(Colnnunicatedl.

III u thoNASN L WV
Rico Tariff still hovers over the
pillows of prominent Republic
cans and destroys their rest.
Conferences are held every day
with Mr.. Mckinley by Senators
who favor the tariff and by Sen.
atOrS who favor free trade, and
the odd thing is that both classes
of Senators talk as though they
believe Mr.. Mckinley to be on
their side. All sorts of PROPOSE
tons are being advanced by Re
publican Senators to avoid any
thing like an open rupture in
their party on this question, one
of them being to continue the de-
bate until the close of the session
without allowing the bill to come
to vote, and another to load it
up with all sorts of amendments
and then defeat it by an over
whelming vote. The dodge in
either Of these expedients would
be so palpaple, that it is hardly
conceivable that the Republican
leaders will be foolish enough to
allow either to be adopted. The
Republican party is in control of
all branches of the government
and for it to fail to place itself on
record by positive legislation on
this question, would be an ac-
acknowledgements of weakness that
would be absolutely certain to
drive the party from power. That
is why they will have to patch up
some sort of legislation.
1t was a strict party vote, ex-
cepting that of Senator Lindsay,
of Kentucky, who voted with the
Republicans, that the Senate
tabled Senator Aliens amend
ment to the Porto Rican bill, de-
claring at by force of the Paris
Treaty of Peace, the ConStitu-
ton of the United States was ex
tended over Porto Rico and Its
inhabitants, and the previous
talk of some of the Republican
Senators made their votes some
what surprising, as a vote to table
the amendment was equivalent
to vote in favor of the conten-
ton that Congress can legiSlate
for our new possessions, regard
less of the Constitution. BY
coincidence the vote was taken
just after Senator Chiffon had
made speech, in which he said:
sour Constitution goes to Porto
Rico. 1t goes everywhere that
the American power goes, and it
is a shame to our pretentions
that the first act of an American
Congress in dealing with our new
acquisitions from Spain should
be an effort to deny to that people
the highest right of free men-
the protection of written Con-
stitutiOn. 1t seems like trav-
eSty to hold that Congress, which
is the creature of the COnStitu-
ton, can legislate for anybody OF
anything in disregard OF the
terms of that Constitution"
The Senate amended the House
bill, placing at Mr.. McKinley's
disposal all money collected on
Porto Rican products, under the
Dingley tariff and all to be col
lected Hereunder, to be spent at
his discretion for the benefit of
the Porto Ricans, by limiting the
money to the amount collected
before the beginning of the year
slightly more than $4,000, 600
and providing only that it should
only be used for public education,
public works or for other govern
mental purposes on the island,
and then passed it without a di-
vision.
That alleged offer of the good
offices of this government to IA
cilitate negotiations for peace be-
tween Great Britain and the
Dutch Republics in South Africa,
was cOntirmatOry rather than
otherwise of the belief that an
understanding exists between the
Mckinley administration and the
present British government. 1t
enabled Mr.. Mckinley to make an
attempt to soOthe the numerous
Republican sympathizers with
the two struggling republics, by
pretending to do something, and
at the same time gave Lord Sails
bury an excuse to serve notice on
the powers of Europe, through
his answer to the alleged offer of
our good Offices that no mediation
would be tolerated by Great Brit
ain, and that the conquest of the
two republics would be pushed to
a conclusion as originally in
tended. If that was not the re-
suit of an understanding between
the British government and the
Mckinley administration it is
one of the oldest condolences
that ever occurred. Senator Ma.
son to-day called up his Boer res