The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-21
PORTER ON TARIFF POLICY.
How We Should Deal With Our New
Possessions.

dresses were made at to-day's session of
the American Academy of Political and
Social Science meeting
Thomas Philips, vice chairman of the
United States Industrial Commission, pre-
sided The subject under consideration
was 1.-THE Combination of Capital as a
Factor In Industrial Progress"
Robert p. Porter of New York, who
was to have read paper on 1.-THE Tariff
Policy of Our New POSSESSIONS" was not
present, and his paper was read by Stew
art Wood of this city.
MIR. PorterS paper opened with the
declaration that the tariff policy of our
new possessions must first of all be franz
Ell to nit the country and the conditions
of the peop,e for which it is intended I'm
less this fundamental idea is rigidly fol-
lowed there will be endless complications
and trouble"
Continuing. he said:
The territories which we have acquir-
ed by conquest or purchase and the is
land which we have pledged ourselves to
protect against foreign sgression-though
distinctly repudiatin sovereignty there
in-cannot be exploited for the advantage
of the United States. A policy of this sort
which disreeardcd the rights OF the inhab~
itants, would be following the bad exam
pie of Spain
In the Philippines other and more far
reaching questions confront us, and Il
is this issue We have in reality been dc
| batting while seemingly discussing sched-
uies of the Porto Rico tariff. In short,
our power in Porto Rico is the measure
of our power in the Philippines. How
| ever inditferenly we may view the de
clsiOn as to the rates of duty 10 be estah-
lished between Porto Rico and the United
| States, the question of our trade rela-
piicated. 1t would seem TO be of she
highest Importance both to American
labor and industry, and TO our future
trade relations with the Far East, that
Congress shall at all times have power
20 deal with 1t as ii sees fit. However
much the spirit of our institutions may
WITTY the popula ton of these islands
even to Ultimately preparing them for
citizenship-it must be admitted that the
letter of the constitution, if abruptly ap-
piled, would destroy. For this reason the
Republican party has wisely made the
fight for free hand In laying out our
commercial policy in the Philippines. Elk
actly what that policy viii be 1t is impos-
sible to say at this moment, but it will
probably be shaped along the same dnes
as that of Cuba. BY this I do not mean
that the tariffs will be similar, but the
general principles upon which they are
framed win be followed. The Cuban tar
the present needs of Cuba. In the same
way the Philippines tariff policy should
be one that will give sufficient revenue and
at the same time not interfere with the
open door policy which American di-
plomacy has established in the East The
Dingley tariff law around the Philippines
might prove fatal TO our growing China
and Japan trade, and bring about innum-
cradle trade complications. Without en-
tering upon the detail of our tariff policy
for the Philippines it must be, first of
all a flexible policy one that can he
changed from time to time by Congress
as trade conditions require it, This is
apparent at the very threshold of the
question. Geographical. climatic and eth
biological reasons demand O separate treat
ment of this territory for some time to
come. The American people practical as
they are realize this and our fiscal and
governmental policy in this part of the
world will be shaped in accordance with
these general principles the spirit of our
constitution, without the letter.
The Situation as to Cuba.
There is no disposition on the part of
the people of the United States 10 grab or
appropriate Cuba in the manner recently
suggested by Presidnet Cleveland's Score
tary of State. In the due course of time
Cuba will become a self-governing terri
tory, but the people of that island, in my
opinion, will never relinquish their alli-
ance with the United States, however
much we may want TO be relieved of the
burden Political. industrial. commercial
and fiscal reasons too powerful for mere
sentiment to permanently overcome create
a unity of interests and, purpose between
Cuba and the United States that will in
time bring about naturally a union which
force could never accomplish. The closer
this union the better for the commercial
interests of both countries The Cuban.
H..
his makeup and if the existing friend
ship and self-interests should end in an
neXaton, ii must come about by the free
will of the Cuban himself.
Free access into our markets of Cuban
tobacco and sugar would be a tremendous
boon to Cuba, and would soon make the
island rich and prosperous. The effect,
however, on American industry would he
serious and far-rea ching. The American
beet-sugar producer and the Louisiana eu-
gar planters would naturally oppose It,
while many would contend that free ad-
mission of Cuban cigars would cause a
migration of the cigar industry from this
country to Cuba. The lack of uniform ~
of our present sugar tariff discrminates
against Cuba. She can take care of her
self provided she can gel into the United
States free Of duty, as she did under the
Mckinley tariff law, but entering here
with duty of $16S5 per hundred pounds,
against free sugar from the Sandwich Isl
ands and from Porto Rico. and a reduced
duty by reason Of reciprocity treaties with
the British West Indian Islands, mean the
absolute ruin of the Island of Cube. These
are some of the stern facts which face
Cuba and their solution can alone be
brought about by satisfactory tariff ar
rangement with the United States. 1t
is a problem with infinite detail TO work
ont and many kuotty questions to decide
and requires bold craftsmanship on both
sides. II need not all be done at one
stroke of the pen. but by degrees"
LYNCHING OF JOHN PETERS.
tFa Had Made nm Assault on q IOunn.