The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-02-24
VOTE MAY BEGIN MONDAY
LITTLEFIELD'S ELOQUENT OUT
BURST AGAINST 1T.
THREATENS CALAMITY TO REPUBLICANS
The Case of Quay Brought Before the Senate
and Some Remarkable Speeches Made.
The Financial Bill Reported to
the Senate.

was real he'd in the House today that the
vote on the Porto Rican Tariff Bill will
be taken al 3 p. m. next Tuesday. Gen
eral debate will close Monday and short
speeches under the five minute rule will
follow up to the time of the vote. A Re
publican conference will be held at s
p. N. tomorrow The leaders continue to
express the belief that the bill VIII pass,
hut the impression is growing that ,
motion to recommit the bill to the Com
mittee on Ways and Means will com
lnand strong support and may prevail
Mr.. Underwood, the Democratic whip"
today sent out kilograms TO all absent
Democrats to be present ON Monday,
when the voting may begin.
The speech Of Mr. l. L'ttlefgld of Maine,
was the feature of the day. and kept
the House IN furore for an hour.
Mr.. Littlefield won his spurs by his
speech against the b.ll which for bril-
Hancy. wit and logic rivals the best
efforts Of the recognized orators of the
House.
Among the others who spoke today
were Messrs. Jones (Na.) and Maddox
(tia) against the bill. and Messrs. Rus
sell Gnnn9: Bartholdt (Mol; Gardner
tbiich.l: Lacey (1owa) for it, The de
bate continued At N ght session.
Mr. Jones fDem. Va.l a member of
the Insular Committee, was the first
speaker today. He discussed the con
ditionS which existed upon the Island Of
Porto RICO which led to the President $
L .; Of by.t,
goods and quoted from the testimony
before his committee to prove that tn"
conditions were far worse now than
when the President made his recon-
mendation. He pictured the distress
that prevailed on the island and de-
clared that only immediate relief could
prevent the actual starvation of many
of the inhabitants.
Mr.. Maddox (Ga) followed in opposi-
tion to the bill. In the course of his re-
marks he had read a long letter from
former Representative Turner, of
Georgia. who was for many years upon
the Ways and Means Committee, de-
nouncing the new theory of the consti-
tution." upon which the pending bill
was based.
Mr. Russell Conn of the Ways and
Means Committee, defended the bill on
both commercial and legal grounds and
asserted that the Connecticut tobacco
growers had no interest in excluding
Ports RicaG tobacco.
Mr.. Littlefield lRep. Maine) followed.
He opposed the bill. he said, because
it is unRepuhlican, un-Amerlcan,
unprecedented. unwarranted and uncon-
stitutonal He advocated regenerating
Porto Rico by loan the United States
could authorize it TO make three or four
million being sufficient. He reviewed
the old Porto Rico loans to Spain and
Cuba. Janaica. and pointed out that in
1878 the island had manumitted $4,000
slaves without tumult or bloodShed.
II say said he, that it LES in the
mouth of no man to say that Porto Rico
could not repay a l-an of so 0O0O00 if
operating under free trade in free mark
cts. / assert that this hill is drawn
against the advice Of General Davis.
Governor General of the island. aga INST
the protest of the people of Porto Rico,
against the counsel of Secretary Root,
against the recommendation of the
President, and against the original
recommendation of the Chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee. The
greatest calamity which overshadowpd
the Republican party !" he said, was
the calamity involved in the pending
bill. (Applause),"
1t was un-Republican, and he asked
when before had it been proposed to
place duty on American capital and
American labor.
He argued that if the Industries of the
United States We're to be protected
against the industries of Porto Rico and
later against those of the Philippines,
the Industries Of those islands could
never prosper.
May our flag" he continued, float
over the whole republic. in the Occident
and the ORIENT; over the Pearl of the
Antilles and the 10000 islands near far
off Cathay. upon land and sea, over
school. home and church, the emblem
of our integrity and good faith, of lib
erty and freedom. Of the inestimable
blessings of Christian civilization. of
human rights guaranteed by the Cons'i-
tuition. not dependent upon the evane-
scent will of State or national legisla-
lures too often aiirighted at their own
shadows. rights embedded in the Con-
Stituticn, not floating as empty bubbles
on the pertmbed surface of eloquent
Eeroraticns, rights that are eternal and