The evening times., 1900-03-24
Tbe PORTO Rscun Deadlock.

| refuses to do what President Mckinley de-
clared to be our plain duty" what Secre-
tary Root said the country was bound to
do by every consiaeraflon of justice. and
good faith and what the Constitution of
the United States. requires to be done.
Day by day the sta,inehest Republican
States are rising In revolt against the par
| ty combination in- Washington in coptrol
of the Administration and Congress. which
has shown itself capable of breaking the
national word plighted 10 Porto Rico. Tsere
is not a respectable newspaper in all In-
diana willing to defend or apologize for the
proposed crime or its promoters We have
already seen how iowa stands. The wave
of popular indignation is rising steadily
and rapidly. Even now the heads OF
a great many members Of Congress are
marked for destruction. They all know it,
but for the greater part are helpless in the
hands of the trusts and corruptionists who
hold them by the deadly strength Of evil
dence OF their pastsdeeds, and the, direct
| orders of Hanna.
One thing in connection with the nation
al uprising against this Payne Foraker in
fanny does not seem TO impress the trust
managers in the two Houses with the
force its political importance justiaes 1t
is, that much of the Republican insuI-
| rection, especially in the West and NCrth-
west. arises from a sense of outrage upon
the people involved in the open and note
rious deal with the trusts, By which the
Administration has boldly abandoned its
original attitude of good faith and respect
for rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
in relation to Porto Rico, and has come
out squarely Cor the cruel and illegal
1 persecution of that American territory, in
return for the promise Of an enormous
trust contribution to the Republican CAM
paign fund. This agreement, which is not
denied but. on the contrary is freely ad-
mtted by Administration men in private.
is of character so obnoxious to all Ameri-
can conceptions Of honesty. decency, and
public morals as to appear disgraceful aud
intolerable to the public Of the country
without regard to politics. 1t is evidence
Of deprayity ~ -lfigh places such as the
people bitterly resent and will punish
when they get a chance.
Because of the revolt, and because there
] are still a few Republican Senators with
consciences. the course of the Administra-
tion trust scheme to break faith with and
TO orpress Porto Rico is not altogether a
path of roses. Indeed the road is barri-
caded by the determination OF Senators
who. while advGoates of Dingleyism as sp-
piled to trade with foreign countries. will
not allow that the proposition to apply the
system to trade between States or Terri
tories of the United States can or shall be
made a party question as far as they are
concerned. They may be willing TO let the
trusts thrive on prohibitive tariffs against
Europe, but they will have free domestic
. commerce or refuse TO follow the machine
! The result is a Senatorial deadlock The
! free trade Republican Senators have served
notice on those who represent the deal
with the trusts. that the former will not
/ permit the Payne Foraker bill to come to
/ a vote Their position is a strong one. for
a very important reason. The Administra-
/ tiun managers, by greatly amending and
sugaring the House measure. might secure
enough doubtful votes TO slip il through
! But they dare not change a line. a word
or punctuation mark in it. A horde OF
/ Republican Representatives are sitting
around and licking their chops like hun
CRY wolves watching and painting for a
chance 10 get that bill back inside their
own den that they may sweep down upon
it and tear IL limb from limb Ii the
Payne iniquity were again in the House for
twenty minutes with the slightest change
in its text the plot to tax trade with Porto
Rico would explode like d soap bubble and
Hannas campaign box would be short
three or four million dollars.
The party lash continues TO crack over
the heads of the few Republican Senators
who are afraid to violate their oaths to
support the Constitution. But il does not
warn them of Administration ostracism
half as vigorously as the whip Of the
trusts is lashing the White House and the
Hanna headquarters. If the whole coun-
try were TO rise as a single man in denun
citation of the Porto Rican infamv. the
trusts would still insist upon their pound
Of flesh, and, il it could, the Administra-
tion would lop it off of Porto Rico and
hand it over.
The theory is that the trusts are more
useful in the present emergency than the
votes OF the people. The latter if left to
themselves would be certain to turn the
party of Rockefeller, Hayemeyer, 0xnard,
Morgan and Hanna out of Office in Novem-
Der next. Nothing can be done to avoid
that result, bat provide a corruption
fund large enough to buy or steal the cleo
tion. By defying the people and sticking
to the trusts, it is believed that thirty
million dollars can be raised among the
protected monopolies. The beneficiaries |
Of Treasury free loans, and of the proposed
ship subsidy, and the oil. steel, sugar. to-
bacco beef, pork, and rum monopolies. can
easily afford to subscribe such a sum for
four more years of Dingleyism 1t is.
therefore, certain that, no matter how
loud or ominous the popular outcry against
the Payne Foraker bill may be or become. |
the Administration will still work vicious |
ly and desperately to secure its passage
The American community of Porto Rico |
may starve to death, but the trusts must
still be fattened.
Although very little evidence of sensa |
tional interest has been given as yet in |
the examination of the persons accused of |
Governor Goebel's murder, there are |