The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-03-05
ment bill PROBABLY would raise aOou
81 90. 900 per annum.
Degree of Larceny Diminished.

amendment proposed petty instead oil
grand larceny Of the people Of Porto
Rico He ridiculed the laborious DEBATE
through which the house had passed over
the question Of what the United states
meant under the constitution
Mr. De Almond. of Missouri. called at
tention to the peculiar language ot til'
substitute. The words coming INTO III
United States" he said were plainly IN
tended to evade the constitution. Bht ne
argued that the numbering of the
queens English" and the violation OF
the canons of language could not make
il constitutional. Mr.. GrosVenot' oi
Ohio. said that much of the opPoSiu"n I"
the nending bill was due TO the fact thd'
it was misunderstood.
Mr. Otey. Of Virginia. convuiScd inc
house and galleries by m.mickinS Inc
mannerism of some of the repcpiIc-l
leaders. concluding with parody upon
the speech of Mr.. Cannon. ~ llin"iS'
yesterday. The Payne amendment VIZ
adopted without division.
Many members on both sides or the
house made brief five minute speeches
explaining their position. Mr.. RitnaFa-
son. of Tennessee had read communltd-
ton from a delegation Of Porto kicah9
appealing for free trade. MT. FaNhe III
reply said the gentlemen who signed lhdl
communication were an directly pecuni-
arily Interested in exporting sugar ana
tobacco into the United States
a verbal amendment - section was
adopted Mr. Payne then offered the fol
lowing section agreed dpon at the con-
ference Of republicans on Monday night.
This act shall be taken and held 20
he provisional i'm its purposes ana IN
tended TO meet a press ne. present need
for revenue for the Island a. forlo
Rico. ana shall not continue IN IoIce
aftc. March J. 1907.
Mr.. Powers. of Vermont, was the an u
thor Of the amendment. and supported L.
Political Emergency Charged
Mr.. SiAlcy. of PENNSYLVANIA. announce
his intention of voting for the bill. Bat
Porto Rico, he said, was a mere incident
to the broader proposition
THE emergency" interrupted Mr.. Vii
liams. of Illinois. lis not in Porto Rico.
but in the politics Of the republican
party" democratic APPLAUSE
Mr. Sihlpv: ''You have located the poll
tics ON the wrong side. (kepubiican ap-
plauseJ
Mr.. Williams: "It is pretty hard to To-
cate YOU" daughter
Mr.. Siblcy replied that. as he had said
before. his seat could b, considered CON
structive..v on the republican side. Con-
tinuing. ne said that if il was established
that every foo; of territory owned by the
United States was on an ,nsolutc clHaAtN
then no was opposed to the whole policy
of expansion. II the inhabitants OF tho
Philippines could compete with American
production and American labor, ne was
willing 10 give the archipelago 70 AEuin-
aldo. Mr.. Sibley concluded " .tn sc3th-
hlG characterization Of has democratic
critics.
Mt Hepburn. OF Iowa said that the
treaty by which Porto Rico and the In.l-
ippinos became ours could never nav
been ratified without democratic support:
Mr. Carmack If tennessee. sus-e-.c ed
that the democrats had voted To rttfV
the treaty because they believed ~ ife
assurance If rcpuNhcar5. Mt Hepburn
AMONG them. that tRe FhllpHlnc- were Up
Pc. retained only temporarily Mr.. tttT'-
burn iudi2nautly denteC that anXb3iE
speaking tor the republican party h-tl
ever on rod such an assurance. Nj
Payuc'S amendment was then aEreet 20
without division. and h" offered the l'i-
lowing to come I'm before the enacunS
clause
Whereas. tho. people ~ Porto Rico
have been Deprived 81 markets fog
large portion ot their products and
have list property and crops 10y severe
and unusual storms. whereby th"y are
Impoverished. and are unable 70 pay
Internal rHvenu" and o-Tert taxes anu
Whereas temporary revenue IS
necessary for their schools. their roads
and their Internal improvements and
the administration Of thclr govern
meut, now. therefore. etc
Cummings Fools the Majority.
At this point Mr. Cummings. of Now
York. threw She house into a furore of
excitement lie described how hc believ-
ed il 10 bc the duty of every man in
great crisis to rise above party and Sup-
bort The government rs me- had done dur
ing the Spanish war
~ believe now We should follow the
lead of the president" said Dee emphatic
.!v. "and I will vote for This bill
This statement electrified the mousse.
The republicans. without waiting for hIm
10 finish ms sentence. rose eu ma+-c and
checred while TIE democrats @at stunned
f.nd daZcd. Alr cummings t''4 Nlta
arm uplifted until the republican applause
ceased:
II will vote for this bill" he con
tinued. addressing the republican
side. provided 1t is amended in &C
cordance with the advice of the pres
ident for absolute free trade with
Porto Rico"
il was now the ;uru of the democrats 60
cheer ana for several minutes they made
the raftrr- ring.
The excitement AVID confusion Increased.
as the time for voting drew near.
The private gallery of TIE president
household ana the Diplomatic gallery were
also we'll filled. Duhc l. ArcJS. the Span
ish minister was among those present.
Mr.. PaYucS preamble was adopted. ibs
offered the last committee amcndmtrs 90
80 Isl. ON "a rising vote. Mr. Payne then
change tive title of -hc hin So as 90 read
an act temporarily raising revenue for
the island of Porto Rico and lor other
PURPOSES At 3 o'clock the committee rose
and Speaker Henderson imed ths
chair
Mccall Represented Minority.
Mr Mccall of Massachusetts. then ON
behalf 81 tna minority. uffctcd as SUBJ
stitute the hin foc free trade with Porto
Rico originally introduced hv Mr. Payne.
The roll call on il was followed with in
tens Interest F'iv. republicans voted
with the democrats and four democrats
with the republicans.
The substitute was los. 1et TO ia The
size of The ma iori;y .sainsl the substitute
was Il gratifying surprise - the rcpun-
leans. ana tney a?pluudeI IN" announce
ment vigorously. Mr. Richardson, the
minority leader shcn moved 10 recommit
the biz To the committee on ways aui
means but II was lost. l62 to la.
ON the motion To rCCOmmlt Mr- Fl@tcher.
republican. of Minnesota, who vOted with
the republicans on -he substitute, voted
with the democrats and Mr.. Spight. dem
ocrat of Mississippi. who failed 10 get IN
his vote ON the substitute. voted Tor the
motion.
The vote on the final passage of the bill
was l72 u l6i. The announcement was
greeted with uproarious applause.
Mr. Hepburn. of Iowa. after the con-
fusion had subsidized, asked unanimous
consent that the NicaraSuan canal bill be