Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-02-26

posite direction. When the Constitu-
tion stands in their way they ignore
it; when they have need Of It they do
not hesitate to distort it out Of all
semblance to itself to cover their point
When trust interests are at stake the
Constitution is quite 2 secondary con-
sideration.
There are probably score of Re-
publican Congressman who would vote
against the amended Puerto Rican tariff
bill If they dared defy the administra-
ton and the trusts, and there are
probably half dozen or more who
will have the manhood to vote against
it anyway. But thus far there is only
one Republican Congressman who has
been bold enough to speak against the
measure, and he, strange. to say, is
from Ohio. He is Mr. Bromwell, and
some of his observations on the meas
ure are worth reproducing. He said
he did not agree with it's justice or
equity. The original bill proposed to
establish free trade with Puerto Rico,
and was in accordance with the recon-
mendations of the President, Secretary
of War and others familiar with the
conditions and necessities of the peo-
pie of the island. At this point Chief
Trust Spokesman Dalzell, of Pennsyl-
vania, tried to interrupt, but Mr..
Bromwell declined and his subsequent
remarks evinces his thorough appre-
citation of the fexibility of the Nc
Kinley backbone and the weather-cock
character of White House opinion. He
said:
81 presume the gentleman who is about
to interrupt me is prepared to say, as
am informed he has said to others, that
the President is in favor of this BILL l
do not dispute it, but 1 say that no longer
ago than day before yesterday represent
alive of one of the great Republican pa
pers of this country was sent to the Presl-
dent by his paper for the purpose of as
certaining the view of the President.
1.-The paper wanted to support the Presi-
Dental policy; it wanted to know whether
it should continue editorally to support
the position the President had taken in
his message, and the representative of that
paper was assured at that time that the
President was of the same opinion still,
and that the paper should go on as 1t had
been doing Now, If the President, since
his message to Congress in December, has
obtained information which shows that
conditions are different to-day from what
they were then, it is a solemn. duty he
owes to Congress that he should communi-
cate that additional information to US.
but we get no such information at first
hand, and we are advised that if we will
call personally on the President he will as
sure us that he wants us to vote for this
BILL
After paying his respects to the vac
cilIating gentleman in the White
House, Mr.. Bromwell delivered a few
short-arm jabs at the trust-owned
Way sand Means Committee. "The
only conclusion that I can reach" said
he pointedly, sis that the opposition
which has been made by certain inter-
ests in this country, has been power
full enough for this committee to
change their minds" There is no
mistaking Mr.. Bromwell's almost di-
rect allusion here to the Trust dom
nation of the Ways and Means Com
mittee.
In conclusion, this conscientious
Ohio Republican, who probably will be
retired to private life as result of his
temerity, warned Congress that the
Puerto Ricans "are not treated fairly;
if they conceive the idea that they are
being treated no better than they were
under Spanish rule; if they look with
suspicion upon our professions of
friendship, they will be ready to cast
off our allegiance and join our foes
whenever opportunity offers. A mon
archical government may we'll claim
might makes right but how much
more noble would it be for this great,
free and liberty-loving republic to
adopt the motto, Right is mighty and
must PREVAIL"