New-York tribune., 1900-03-17
SENATE VOTES RELIEF.
PUERTO RICAN APPROPRIATION BILL
PASSED WITHOUT DIVISION.
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.

Washington, March 1G-The passage of the
Puerto Rican relief bill to-day by the Senate
without a division disposed OF the first act OF
the programme arranged in the Republican eau
Gus on Wednesday. The Democrats in the Sen
| ate were apparently somewhat demoralized when
the bill taken up for consideration; the
leader of that side, Senator Jones. of Arkansas.
was evidently He was somewhat taken
ahack yesterday by the refusal OF Senators Cock
rell, Lindsay, Bacon and others to follow him in
opposing the measure, and a nights reflection
had persuaded him that portion of his amend
ment which was pending when the Senate ad-
jCurned yesterday-that which proposed to re-
turn the duties to the persons who had paid
them-was rather absurd proposition after all,
and so he withdrew It after a lame explanation
and afterward renewed 1t In a modified form so
to provide that duties should hereafter be
imposed articles of commerce between the
United States and Puerto Rico. Before the bill
came out of the Committee of the Whole he
withdrew that amendment also. In doing this
he probably Influenced by the vote on Sen
ator Allison's motion to lay on the table the
amendment offered by Senator Allen, of Ne
braska, which declared that the Constitution Of
the United States was extended over the island
of Puerto Rico and Its inhabitants by the rati-
ication of the Treaty OF Paris The vote on this
motion which was adopted by 36 to II,
was on party lines even Mr.. wellington. of
Maryland, being recorded in the affirmative
This was incidentally a surrender by the Demo-
cratic Senators, who voted solidly for the amend
ment by voting against tabng IT, Of their con-
tention that the Constitution by its own force
and vigor extends over and becomes operative
in any and all territory as it becomes
the property Of the United States
The debate which preceded the vote on the
hot was
said was wholly pertinent to the Puerto Rcan
bill which was not then before the Senate ana
not all pertinent to the measure under consid-
Grafton. The speech of Senator Chiffon was
almost entirely devoted to the affairs Of Cuba
and the Philippines and discussion Of the pol
icy in relation to the latter. He is in favor or
relinquishing the Philippine Archipelago and
leaving the people thereof free to work out thelr
own salvation-or destruction. Much OF Sena-
tor Tillmans speech was of a similar tenor, but
he did discuss the conditions in Puerto Rico
with reference to the pending bill He appar-
emily had more information on the subject than
other Democratic Senators who spoke on it to-
day. Senator Jones's speech was somewhat
rambling, and he was apparently at loss when
he tried to comprehend the necessity of the
pending measure because he denied the exist
ence of any necessity for 1t. The discussion as
sumed somewhat of a collocuial character and
a number of Senators on both sides took part
in it.
The text of the bill as passed is follows:
Be ii enacted, etc. That the sum Of S209o, 400.
being the amount of customs revenue received
on mportations by the United States from
Puerto Rico since the evacuation of Puerto Rico
by the Spanish forces, on October IL. 1898, to
January l, 1900 shall be placed at the disposal
of the President. to be used for the goyernment
now existing and which may hereafter be estab-
lished in Puerto Rico and for public education,
public works and other governmental and pub
lie purposes therein and the said sum, or so
much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby
appropriated for the purposes herein specified
out of any moneys in the Treasury not other
wise appropriated.