The Portland daily press., 1900-03-31

tie British Parliament which forced our
fathers tn Just resistance and revolution,
and led them TO establish n Constitutions
which In studied and explicit terms. for
tade any such Discrimination.
Congress is the creature OF the Con-
stitution and not the reverse. a law
passed By Congress IL It's creation, q
mers expression Of It's will, which IL
may repeal or change at pleasure. II,
therefore (assuming that the Constitu-
sion does not exist In Porto Rico) Con-
gress were to enact a statute declaring
that the present Constitution shall be
extsnced over ahd,bs In forcs, in that
island, the Constitution gets Its only forcs
there by the vi rtus of the statute. IL is
n statutory Constitution and nothing
else, and q repeal OF the statute would
sxtinguish 10.
"But the Constitution as such, sup
pose all admit. is INST subject to the oon-
troll Of Congress, either TO enlarge or d.
minish, to expand or contract, or to be
applied or withdraw from any psople
or place. 10 IL not q movable thing,
like the Ark OF the Covenant Of the
Israslitss. to be set mp and moved here
and there. rs the tribes might wander.
IL Is the SEXUAL event and condition and
not the legislative or executive will that
must determine the status Of "a man
or country under IL. Porto Rico and
It's people came under the sovereignty Of
the U nitsd States by force OF the treaty
with Spain and think all viii agree
that II any part of the people Of the
leland levied war against the United
States or adhered TO our enemies, etc.,
they would be guilty Of treason. But
treason is an exclusively defined oonsti-
tutional crime and 1t cannot exist on
the island unless the Constitution that
defines 10 Is In force there"
Mr.. Proctor then continued:
ave may do many wrong and foolish
things without violating the Constitu-
tion, but 10 does NOS follow that we
must do them or ought 10 do them.
and claim, Mr.. President, that the
American people, the sensible, NON est,
American people, who look at this ques-
ton from no standpoint Of interest, who
are not sugar men nor tobacco men. nor
trial interests which 1t Is claimed must
be placated by our naturalization are
the best judges CT what's fair and right
and honest and that their Judgment In
the end must and win prevail. II we
are not bound by the letter OF the Con-
stitution we are bound by Justice and
humanity to deal with these questions In
the spirit Of the American Constitution
and American DIV ilzation.
"The people. MIR President, look upon
this rs matter OF principle, q question
Of good faith and common honesty and
their moral senss has been shocked and
the national heart and conscience stirred
by tne fear that this measure OF taxation
will be adopted by Congress. This peo-
wrote In his annual message that 'our
plain duty Is to abolish customs tariff
between the United States and Porto
Rico. Our people know that sentenes
by heart and they will repeat 1t m illions
Of times within the year from its dsliv-
arenoa unless We perform what the Prssi-
dent says is 'our plain duty The peo-
pie believe that this is a question not Of
mere policy but of principle"
Mr. Proctor had read by the clerk the
proclamation OF Gen. Miles to the people
to bsstow upon them 'the immunities
and blessing Of the liberal institutions of
our government and the recent letter
of President Sohurman of the late Phil
ippine commission, In which he holds
that the obligation to give the Porto
Rioans free trade IL m oral, not Constitu-
tional, and the American people will not
tolerate any faltering Of the oountry's
obligations.
Continuing. Mr.. Proctor said: ave
levy this tribute upon a psople who are
In the direst poverty 81 d distress, result
ing In q large part from our very action
in taking possession of their island and
destroying the existing markets for their
products and opening no other, and to
this 10 added, by the hand OF the Almigh-
ty, the terrible destruction of the lorna
do. SO that they are now In the extreme
Of poverty and restitution, bordering
on starvation. If this bill becomes n law
1t win stand greatly In the way of the
Developments OF that little island. 1t
leaves the future in uncertainty, for II
we levy tax of 10 per cont the next
Congress may levy . tax of 80 per cent.
II we adopt free trade Ii will be accept
ed by every body as a definite policy to.
ward Porto Rico. Business Interests Will
know what to dspend: on and capital
ana enterprise will 60 there and soon
change the dspiorable conditions now
existing. Uncertainty win paralyzs in.
dustry.
1.-THE Constitution may or may not
follow the flag, but the good faith Of the
American people must be unquestione6
wherever the Stars and Stripes are seen.
The plea of hsrmony:in the party appeals
to me strongly. But this Is q question
other than party or policy. 1t Is queE-
ton OF principls and is Is better that even