Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-03-30
PORTO RICAN
BILL AMENDMENT
Continued From Page Z.

from our own island necessities now
purchased from foreign lands. But to
close our markets to our own posses
sion or to make those markets dear
and difficult Is to take from our masses
the necessities produced on our own
territory; and to make the markets Of
our own dependency dear and difficult
to our producers, is to deny to ourselves
the opportunity to sell our own prod
ucts to our own possession. 1t Is a Sit
uation which even the necessity for in
slant financial relief could not render
endurable to the Government of the
United States; and so the President of
the Republic, true TO his Fathers soli-
citude for Porto Rico. true to his con-
structive craftsmanship, has, through
the legal and constitutional method of
an executive message to the Senate and
the House, recommended the relief to
the island by the appropriation of more
than S2,00o.000 which. in turn. relieves
the Congress of the United Safes from
committing an offense against states
manship to which it was driven by the
absolute necessity for funds for the is
land. And that recommendation we
have adopted.
HARMLESS BUT CONCLUSIVE.
And the reciprocity recommended by
the President in his first message gives
us IN experiment Ill COlOulCi
tration, right at the outset, that is abb
solutely Invaluable and that Will not
occur again; an experiment that can
not iniure us, and vet reveals all the
results of reciprocal exchange OF pro-
ducts between us and our own posses
sions as completely as if that course
had been pursued as to all, just as
drop of some new compound In the
chemists test tube marvelously reveals
all It's qualities as completely as IL
gallon of ii had been examined, which,
If dangerous would have destroyed the
experiment, and the eXperimenter. too
1t may be that reciprocity with Porto
Rico will reveal consequences so dam
aging. if experienced in larger measure,
that it will be abolished even there, and
never again proposed in the develop
ment of our policy as an administrator
of government in our island possess
sions. 1t may be that IL will show the
fears of many to be groundless, and
discover benefits and blessings un-
dreamed of even by its advocates, and
thus furnish n light for our now I'M
illumined pathway as an administrator
of insular possessions. But to con-
tinue q tariff between the republic and
territory belonging to the United
States" is to leave unsolved all the
problems before us. and unanswered all
the speculation in which it is our duty
to indulge in thinking out the best way.
as statesmen should, to administer our
ocean empire. And we will not refuse
this instruction in our new, our glorious.
our tremendous task. afforded us by the
same favorinE Providence that placed
the task itself before us. We have be-
fore us new career, new duties, new
responsibilities, new rewards, and the
censure or applause of the world and
history; and we have an object lesson
which cannot injure us and cannot fail
to instruct and enlighten us. And the
highest authority in the nation tells us
that this God given opportunity is also
our plain duty.
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Beveridge's
address. Mr.. Foraker asked that the
Senate proceed with the consideration
of amendments.
The first amendment was one impos-
ing duty of cents a pound upon
coffee imported into Porto Rico.
PETTUS' AMENDMENT DEFEATED
Mr.. Pettus, OF Alabama, moved to
strike out the amendment and demand
ed vote on his amendment, which in
volved the question whether n tax could
he imposed on products imported into
Porto Rico which was not imposed on
the same products imported into "other
parts of the United States"
Il + yeti have free-h hand to mutilate
the constitution" said Mr.. Pettus,
then you can pass this bill; but If
the constitution means anything when
1t says that taxes and duties shall be
uniform. then you have no such right"
Mr.. Pettus' amendment was defea ted
-13 to So
ANOTHER AMENDMENT.