Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1900-04-13

laid down by himself, but ii takes "A
big man 10 come out honestly and In
dorse a measure which Is better than
| bis.
THE government OF the United
states had already contributed SIOo,
OG Ia aid the people Of Puerto Rico
! la their distress. The ways and means
/ committee OF the house was called up
on In devise some measure by WHICH
/ sufficient money for governmental
purposes In Puerto Rico could BE- rails
cd There were but three ways. viz;
..First. n local tax upon the property
III Puerto Rico. Tie poverty III the
country would have made such a tax
not only impossible but inhnman.
second. we could have taken from
the treasury Of the United States an
amount sufficient for The necessary cX-
~ mixtures in that Island, estimated
III ~. 00D, go yearly. and give IL 10 the
government OF Puerto Rico. This
policy would have been absolutely IA
tai 10 our party. The cry would have
come from all sides: Here YOU have
acquired colonial possession too
worthless 10 sustain itself: while In
fact Puerto Rico is one nf the richest
Islands OF the West Indies. being about
~ mites in length and 10 miles IN
width. with "A soil particularly adapted
~ tie cultivation of sugar cane. To-
bacc0 and coffee. It's needs are only
temporary. Under this method we
a1t!id have taken the money out Of
the pockets Of the people OF the United
States and placing il in the hands OF a
government Of unknown capacity for
governing: we would have been sus-
tanning that government by taxation
OF the people of the United States.
There was but one other resource,
and that is the bin under discussion.
Under this bin 1900 pounds of sugar
shipped into this country, which would
ordinarily pay sl6 duty, from Puerto
Rico. pays only 81. 10. Tobacco which
would pay ~, from Puerto Rico pays
-, 80; thus giving them command Of
our market for their sugar and tohac-
co at "A large margin, and at the same
time furnishing ready money for "A
needy people.
There is still more important
principle underlying this bill-a prin-
ciplc which involves not only Puerto
Rico, but likewise the Philippines
and that is: Can congress legislate
oNtf liltSt ISldtfiS. YAH ibiipTtSS IN
Il tariff OH sugar and rice and other ar
ticlcs produced by the cheap labor Of
the Eillipinns. or must hey come into
the United States and into COMPETE
tlon with our free and well-paid labor
without tariff duty? And that's not
all: Can PHILIPPINES and MalayS come
over in shiploads AS American citizens,
clothed with all the rights conferred
tpnp,,.l n ..itt t.y l,a
tuition and dominate our labor market.
The one desperate onslaught on the
Puerto Rican tariff bill by the oppos-
ton Is that it is unconstitutional
They contend that the constitution
extended over our insular possessions
the very moment the treaty Of Paris
was signed, making the inhabitants of
the Philippines, as well as Puerto Ri
co, American citizens, endowed with
all the privileges OF American citizens,
ana that therefore congress has no
right To legiSlate for these people upon
the tariE question.
If we cannot legiSlate upon the
tariH question with these possessions,
We cannot leglsldte upon the immgra-
ton question. II the construction
put upon the constitution by the dem
ocfats Is correct and the bill should be
defeated on that ground, we cannot
inlcrpnse any objection To nor stop
The coming Of the h0rdes Of thesc PEG
pie, nor can we deny them the rights
OF citizenship when they arrive.
'Dnr contention Is that the consti-
tuition was made for the states, not
Tor the territories, unless extended by
an act or congress, and that it does
mol. therefore, extend to those islands.
We contend that the people OF those
islands are To be legislated for under
the wisdom OF congress.
">ni'iec II for the purposes of this
article u say that when our great
chief justice, John Marshall, declared
IN the Cherokee case, that the United
States could have under its control,
exercised 10y treaty or laws Of congress,
domestic and dependent nation.
he solved the question of our const iln-
tlnnal relations with Puerto Rico and
the Philippines.
~ limited space brings this article
10 4 close. ON Tuesday, April !.
amidst crowded and excited galaries,
after a hnal burst of eloquencc from
ttie debating senators for aud against
the measure, the Puerto Rican tariff
bill passed the senate 10y the safe ma
Wfitf OF y. the vote standing 10 TO n
against. and since this article was
written, VIZ; On Wednesday. April
~, the same bill was passed by the
house, the vote being l6l To LIS against
the senate Substitute Ed
On Wednesday, April 1, Solicitor
General Richards II The department of
justice tiled 4 brief in the supreme court
~ The United states which fixes the
attitude of the government on the
question whether the constitution OK. |
TENDS " the new possessions of the |
United States, The department or
Justice says it does not without an ACT /
OF congress. The case Is that of Ram |
on liaex, a natiye-born Puerto Rican |
VINO applies fer leave 20 file a petition I
Ter wfils OF habeaS corpus and certio- /
raft To secure his release from impris-
nnment under Judgment and sentence
VI The nlied states provincial court
oi Puerto Rico. The particular point
: raised on question ot Jurisdiction.
ana the decision will be awaited with
intense interest,