The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-02-07
FROM THE NATIONS CAPITAL,
From Our Oivn Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 5, 190O
"Whom the Gods destroy they first
make mad" 1t is credibly reported
that President Mckinley has changed
his position in regard to the Porto Ri
can tariff, and that he will henceforth
support the bill approved by the Ways
and Means Committee of the House.
prescribing differential duties of rs per
cent. OF the present ones on all goods
shipped between the United States and
that island. In other words, he intends
boldly to assume not only thatthe Con-
stitution and laws of the United States
do not extend to Porto Rico at present,
but that Congress has full powers to
legislate in regard to that island-and
all the others-without extending the
Constitution over them. Of course,
such a position is absolutely untenable.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly ne
gatived it. Beginning with Chief JUS
tice Marshall, who held nearly q hun
dred years ago that the term United
States included all territory over which
the United States exercised jurisdic-
tion, ther. have been a score of decis-
ions reiterating this decision. All of
those quoted on the other side, when
examined, are found merely to assert
that annexed territory is not snbject to
the Constitution as lcng as itis govsrn,
ed under military law by the President.
Apart from the impossibility of legis-
lating for Porto Rico. and yet keeping
it outside the Union for longer time
than will be necessary for the Supreme
Court to pass on the subject, the Presi-
dent must withdraw from the position
he took in his message in favor of free
trade with that island and must de-
liberately abandon the policy which he
declared to be essential to it's prosperi-
ty, and to which we were bound by
every consideration of fair dealing.
And he must do this at the behest of
few mercenary patriots who fear the
importation of maximum yearly pro-
duct Of 100000 worth of tobacco and
S3,50O,000 worth of sugar. However,
the president may not have changed
his attitude after all. He may be only
in his characteristic custom
Of "wohbling."
The Gage scandal will not down.
The extraordinary character of some of
the letters which the Secretary sent to
Congress themselves condemn him of
having lent.his great Office to i.raudu-
lent purposes. 1t is no answer to this
to say that he himself has not profited
by the fraud. Such proceedings can !,
not be forgiven simply because they
were taken for the benefit of the Sec
party rather than for chat of
the Secretary's pocket. The whole
matter has been referred to the Ways
and Means Committee of the House for
This being strong Re-
publican body will of course minimize
the findings as much AS possible, but
even 80 it will be impossible to hide
them utterly. The most ominous thing
in the entire matterfOr Mr.. Gage is the
Presidents recent assertion. 81 am
responsible for the Secretary Of the
Treasury" he said. "The attacks are
not primarily intended for mir. Gage
but for me-" No one who remembers
recent history can fail to see in this
the shadow of approaching fate for the
Secretary. Only few months ago, the
President made half dozen exactly
similar remarks about Secretary Alger.
At the very moment when he was re-
lterating his assertion for perhaps the
tenth time, Vice President Hobart was
On the way, at the Presidents request,
TO ask Mr.. Alger to resign. 1t is posi-
BILE that the President, urged by Sena-
tor Hanna, is trying tomake it easy for
Secretary Gage to leave the Treas
nry7
Strong influences are being brought
to bear on the Republican leaders and
On the Administration, to secure the
of the shipping bill un-
til the next session Of Congress, or at
least to insert in it an amendment pro-
viding that it shall not take effect until
1, 19O1-two months after the
next Presidential, election. The moro
The country has learned about this ini-
guitous bill, the more decided has be-
come the opposition to it. Especially
Is the West indignant at the enormous
bounties to be paid under it to fast At
lantic passenger liners, which are too
aristocratic to carry any except the
most expensive freight. The object
Of the bill is asserted to be to secure
cheap conveyance abroad of our grain
and heavy freights. The farmer, how
ever, is unable to see what benefit he
can derive from a bill which will pay
like SO, 0,OO0 900 q year to fast
six-day Atlantic steamers and only
one cr.twO millions to the slow vessels
1hich must carry his goods. Mark
Hanna, who introduced the bill Il *ha
Senate, has realized the depth of this
opposition and for political reasons,
would, no doubt, like to amend the bill
10 as to change the benefciaries. But
Mark Hanna, like everyone else, must |