The age-herald., 1900-03-29
DAVIS SPEAKS
 FOR FREE TRADE His Argument Was Brief But Directed to the Point MUCH D|GESTED INFORMATION Vote on Porto Rico Tariff Bill
 Tuesday Afternoon. SENATOR JONES SCORES MR. ROOT Carter's Amendment to Alaskan Bill Relating to Mining of Gold in
 the Sea Was Defeated
 2l to 2S.
SENATOR JONES SCORES MIR. ROOT

Washington, March 2S.-The senate today agreed to vote on the Porto Rican govern ment and tariff bill Tuesday afternoon at 4 o'clock. An appeal was made later in the day on the bill by MT. Davis of Min nesota, who advocated free trade between the United States and Porto Rico. Ills speech was comparatively brief, but his reasoning was so close and cogent that he crowded into small space an immense amount of well digested information and careful thought
 His principal point was the necessary money to be raised by taxation should not be raised by a duty levied on Porto Rican products, but by an internal revenue tax levied on rum and tobacco produced on the island. This system, in his opinion, would better suit the people of the United States and Porto Rico than the proposed tariff and would be just, equitable and constitutional.
 In presenting a resolution providing for additional help for the committee on pen slons, MT. Galllnger said there were now 1750 senate bills before the commjttee and hundreds of house bills yet to come. One senator, he said, had asked the committee to investigate forty-seven cases, and it was physically impossible to do this work with out additional help.
 A successful effort was then made by MT. Foraker to fix a time for a vote on the Porto Rican tariff bill, next Tuesday afternoo1 being agreed to at the suggestion of AIr. Proctor of Vermont.
 Consideration of the Alaskan bill was resumed, the pending question being the substitute offered by MT. Woloctt for MT. Carter's amendment relating to the mining Of gold in the sea off the Alaskan coast It was defeated, 21 to 2S.
 MT. Jones of Arkansas made a sharp at- tack on the secretary of war for issuing permits to miners to dredge the Cape Nome sands, supposed to be rich in gold He de- nounced the secretary's action as an out rage and plain. usurpation of authority"
 The amendment of MT. Carter was then adopted.
 Porto Rico DiscuseIon Resumed
 Consideration of the Porto Rico bill was resumed, the pending question being upon the free silver coinage amendment offered by MT. Morgan. The amendment was de- feated by vote of 15 to 33. Mir Davis of Minnesota, who is one of the leaders of the movement against the proposition to impose a tariff on Porto Rican products was recognized for a speech
 l T am so desirous of an early vote on this bill, said Mr. Davis, that 1 have thought 1t better to address the senate this after noon more briefly than I otherwise would have done. This will cause me to omit some discussion of constitutional questions and many other matters auxiliary and col lateral to the main subject"
 After the elaborate argument of MT. Lindsay, MT. Davis said he did not think if for ta constitutional discussion of the subject While he deemed the question important he regarded it as entirely non-partisan, and felt that it ought to foe so considered. His remarks, he said, would be directed to the rouse Dill, which had become a part of the senate measure. He said that 1t could not be denied that from the time the meas ure was reported to the house until today there had been rising tide of protest against 1t, and that protest had eliminated in righteous indignation. It had come from every part of the country and from people In every walk of life, and it was based up- on the principle that Porto Rico in all the circumstances should have free trade with the United States. Upon the question pre- sented, he said, there was an infinite va riety of opinion.
 After explaining briefly an amendment he had offered earlier in the day, he mafn- tained that tariff could not be levied as between Porto Rico and the United States, dithou6u IL was perfectly competent for congress to provide for the collection of internal revenue taxes on the island.
 Reasonable Way
 "Why do some insist that there is no other way of solving the question present when way Is presented that is undoubt- edly reasonable?" inquired MT Davis. "Why insist upon a tariff upon the products of the island by bill which is so ephemereal as to expire in a year and a day? Why, indeed, insist upon the provisions of this measure when it would be far better to let existing conditions continue?"
 Mr Davis contended that the amendment he had proposed would go far to appease the storm of protest and indignation which had arisen, and would satisfy the people of this country and the Porto Ricans them selves.
 If I interpret the signs of the times in Porto Rican products" he said, twas self tense opposition to this biH among our peo- pie. This will be allayed by the adoption of the proposition in my amendment. And as to the Porto Ricans, they would be quite satisfied by the levying and collecting of in- ternal revenue taxes on rum and tobacco"
 ''The whole project of levying tariff on Porto Rican products, The said twas self generative of objections, objections which spring from every point. All sorts of ar- guments had been urged in support of the tariff First, 1t was charity, but that was swept away by the passage of the two mill