The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-22

where small cigarette factories and rum
shops were everywhere. it would be I'M
practicable to maintain our internal reve-
nue. system.
To recapitulate. this Mas the situation:
I civil government was a necessity. II
| must have $4,000. .0GO d year. There. was no
/ system Of direct taxation on property, and
| there was no time to establish one. Tc
/ impose a per cent. or even a 3 per cent,
| direct tax on Porto Rico would have meant
only disaster, failure, bankruptcy and
despair.
Therefore We decided to fad some way
/ OF avoiding direct taxation. We also de-
! cided that for the present we would noteat- =
tempt to maintain our internal revenue
measures on the island Thirdly we de-
! cided to protect the Porto Ricans coffee
| which represents their chief industry and
amounts to more than two thirds of their
! exports. by levying a duty of cents per
/ pound on all coffee imported into Porto
Rico, and. finally that there should be
/ collected on importations into Porto Rico
from other countries, tariff duties as pro-
vided by the tariff laws of the United
States.
4 Large Deficiency.
This money, instead of being turned
into the National Treasury. should be used
for the benefit and the support of the Porto
Rican government. Still, We found that
there would be a deficiency of from one
million to million and a half of dollars
annually in the required revenue. To make
ID this deficiency without directly taxing
the island, we agreed to put light tarln
dut" on commerce between the United
Sta,es and Porto Rico and 50 we hnaliy
concluded and provided the bill which, in
stead of absolute free trade. reduces the
s.I1 dc
United States from Porto Rico to 10 per
cent At the same time all food products
and necessaries of life farm implements.
machinery. and the like should enter Porto
Rico free You hear constantly about our
putting q tariff on the commerce OF Porto
Rico. AS matter of fact. we did not add
or increase the tariff, but reduced anu re-
mtted Il by So per cent.
Furthermore we expressly provided that
there shall be absolute free trade between
Porto Rico and the United States by
March l. 1902, or as much sooner-lu
year six months, ninety days-wheheVer
the local government shall have PROVIDED
for the necessary revenue. Meanwhlle. All
collections of tarifl. both in Porto RICO
and in the United States, shall be paid
over to the Porto Ricans for the support
of their Government No such liberal
and generous legislation as to revenue was
ever before given by this nation or any
other to any territory or colony. The tax
thus imposed VIII be borne almost eX-
clusively by the sugar and tobacco in
terests, more able than any other to bear
it without feeling the expense. q,
Our Democratic friends say that the
Constitution follows theflag and that we are
violating that instrument. which requires
that imposts, customs, and duties be uni
form throughout the. United Stats Porto
Rico. they say, being part OF the ohlted
States We could no more collect internal
taxes here and not there than We could
distinguish in the same manner between
New York and Pennsylvania think they
are wrong. just as they were wrong DUR
ing 1S6I-5 when they contended that there
was no constitutional power to preserve
the Constitution.
They are as wrong now as they were
a year ago when they contended that we
could not acquire territory even by dis
covery or conquest. except with the pres
ent intention of ultimately admitting 1t
to statehood. We replied that in our
opinion Congress had power to govern
these new acquisitions, and if so it must
have power TO govern them according
to the varying conditions of each; and
if the best interests of Porto Rico re-
quired a duty on coffee. we ought to be
able TO give it. or surrender the island, and
we contend that not only in the nature OF
things should nave the power, nut lldt
we do possess it. and that our position is
fortified not only by reason, but by au-
thority.
status of Porto Rico.
THE radical basic difference of the
whole thing lies at the very beginning
whether OF not Porto Rico is a part of the
United States l have observed that not
only the Democrats but many Republicans
have affirmed this proposition 10 be true.
Such is not the case. Porto Rico belongs
to the United States, but it is not the
United States and not a part of the United
States.
THE acts annexing Florida, Louisiana.
New Mexico, and Hawaii expressly provide
that the territory so annexed should be-
come and be part of the United States.
But no such provision was made as to
Porto Rico or the Philippine Islands. The
Treaty of Paris provides that the civil
rights and political status of~tlfe- native
inhabitants of the territories hereby ceded
to the United States shall be determined
by the Congress The Constitution pro-
vides that a treaty shall become part of
the supreme law of the land. This pro-
vision in the treaty, therefore. gives to
Congress the undeubted right to incor-
porate these islanders into the union or
10 leave them outside. BY the same au-
thority the imposition of the same or vary
ing tariff duties. the granting or the re-
striction of free trade. and all other such
matters. rest with Congress.
In other words, Congress has plenary
of the treaty itself, but it also had the