The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-10
Senator Lindsay Makes Appeal
For Porto RicanS.
ARE ENTITLED TO THIS
ALL MARKETS FOR THEIR PRO
DUCTS CUT OFF
Elaborate Argument Against the
Pending Tariff Measure-Inter-
course Between That Island and
the United States Should Be I'm
restricted.

Washington, March 9-Discussion of
Mr.. Masons resolution expressing SYM
pathy for the Beers was conducted in
the senate today behind closed doors.
Mr.. Davis chairman of the foreign re-
lations committee demanding that the
doors be closed.
The feature Of the open session was
a speech by Mr.. Lindsay CKentucky).
on the Porto Rican tariff and govern
ment measure. He opposed the tariff
provision of the bin and some parts of
the proposition for the Fcrto Rico gov
eminent
Mr.. Allison Qowa) reported from the
committee on appropriations, the house
bill making appropriations of customs
dues exaeted from the island of Porto
Rico from Oct. is, 1898 to Jan. l. 1900,
amounting to s2,095, 455, and gave no..
lice that he would call up the meas,
ure tomorrow. He said, as the measure
was well understood, he hoped and be-
heved it would lead to no extended de-
bate.
Mr.. Lindsay Kentucky) took the
moor to address the senate on the. POr-
to Rico tariff government bill. He said
in part:
An Unfortunate Case.
The selection of the island of Porto
Rico as the proper subject for estab-
llshlng the principle that the territOr-
les acquired by the United States
through the recent treaty with Spain
are not per sc integral portions there
OF Is in my opinion, singularly unfor-
tunate. The difference in the considera-
tons applying to the American and
the Asiatic territories acquired by the
recent ce5siOn by Spain are radical
and DO not require elaboration or dis
cussion.
Porto Rico is essentially an Ameri-
can country and while its term of ter
rltoTial probation may necessarily be
an extended one, there is no reason that
DrecludeS it at some future time from
being admitted into the union AIS an
American state. This is not true with
regard to the Philippine archipelago or
the Hawaiian islands.
This is union of American states
and must so remain to the end. The
passage of the house bill to tax i'm
ports and exports between Porto Rico
and the United States has provoked
general condemnation by the people of
the United States. They almost uni
the United States and the island of
Porto Rico shall be unrestricted by
any customs duties whatever, and that
we shall redeem the good faith and the
implied pledges of this country to the
people Of that island
The Objectionable Features.
Senator Lindsay said the senate
measure contains ali the objectionable
To- oF t-a.
provision absolutely inconsistent with
the taxing power il asserted. He then
called attention to the fact that the
senate bill declared that all Porto Ri
cans who were Spanish subjects should
be deemed citizens Of the United States
and took issue with Senator Forakers
contention that citizens when used
in the treaty of Paris meant merely
that person owed allegiance to. the
government.
He did not believe we are under con-
stitutional or legal obligations to make
citizens of the people of Porto Rico,
but If we are TO treat them as the in
habltant6 Of dependency. he insist
ed that we cannot consistently declare
by congressional enactment that they
are TO be deemed and held to be citi-
zens of the United States. Any action
we took as to them could not in his
Wv NtANlAAllllC LliE CIVIL TlSHLS ana
the political status of the Filipinos. for
II was a matter of eXpediency with US.
The Philippines, while lawfully sub
ject TO our sovereign Jurisdiction. were
not integral parts of the United States.
and their inhabitants were not in his
opinion entitled to the claim that they
can be governed only under and in
exact accordance with the constitution
of the United States.
Avoid the Claim.
II was to avoid the claim that by
the acceptance of the cession from
Spain we placed ourselves under OBJ
legations to the people of the ceded
territory to clOthe them with Amer
lean citizenship, however inexpedient
or preposterOus or even dangerous it
might be 70 do 50, that the stipula-
tons of the old French. Spanish and
Mexican treaties were omitted and a
materially different stipulation insert
ed in the treaty of Paris. providing
that the civil rights and the political
status Of the native inhabitants of
territory coded to the United States
shall be determined by the congress"
All the judicial opinions relied upon
by those who contend that the con-
stitution follows the flag had been
rendered in cases arising under treat
les fixing and defining the personal
rights of the inhabitants.
THE Asiatic countries coded by
Spain cannot be Incorporated into our
Union" said Senator Lindsay Their
people cannot be admitted 10 the
rights Of citizenship. We have. there
fore. the alternative either to refuse
the performance OF the duty which in
the estimation of the civilized world we
assume by the acceptance Of the ces-
sion, or else cOurageOusly to set about
the task of giving 10 these people the
best government they are capable of
administering.
Opposed to Vassalage.
Il do not favor. and I do not believe
the American people favor the perma-
nent holding Ct the Filipinos in a
state of vass,-i1ge, but we do not Z
hasten the day OF their national en-
franchisement by demanding for them |
rights which their condition make il /
impossible for theid to enjoy or by |
charging them with duties they are |
palpably unable To perform
We cannot forget that with the ces-
sion Of Porto Rico she lost the prin- !
cipal markets she had long enjoyed: ]
that our tariff laws have been system /
atically applied to her products and 1
that the markets OF Spain and Cuba !
which were once open to her, can only I
be reached now by the payment Of |
Spanish and Cuban duties. She has |
lost free intercourse with Spain and |
Cuba, and il is now proposed to deny
her free intercourse with the people (
of the United States We cannot af- /
ford TO do this unjust thing.
Il shall vote 20 amend this bill so /
as to make it provide for absolute free /
trade with the people Of Porto Rico" |
At the conclusion of Mr.. Llndsay's I
speech ne was not only applauded by I
the auditors in the galleries, but was
warmly congratulated by his col I