The National tribune., 1900-03-29

Il
He sharply criticised the method of en-
tending hands full of food to the people OF
Porto Rico as -gratuity.
| AS long IS You continue 10 feed those
people down there" declared Mr.. Iillman,
YOU may feed itiem. So long rs the Freed
mems Bitrhau was maintained in the South
the colorcdracethere amounted 10 nothing.
That's characteristic of the race. SO long
as You gIvefoot'to those Porto Ricans they
will never do 4 stroke of work"
response TO I'm inquiry from Mr.. Spoon
er, Mr.. TillmafT said: I'm in favor of free
trade with Porto Rico. don't believe in
projecting one part of the United States;
against another. That's my position
| The debate was all good naturcd enough
until Senator Spooner wanted 10 know
why MIR. IIllman was so Solicitous about
the Porto RlcanS when ballot-boX Stuifing
frauds of all kinds, violence and murder
were allowed 10 run riot in South Carolina
| in order to deprive the negro of his con-
stituti9nal right 10 vote.
Mr.. 1illman said he had no apologies 10
make for the actions of, the white people in
South Carolina, even though these actions
nulliticd the Constitution. you pinned us
TO the flag with yoiIr bayonets." he OK
claimed, hotiy, -''and then you turned
around and took everything YOU could
from us. WlIan YOU could get nothing
more from us by law. you turned horde OF
negroes and carpct-baggcrs loose upon us
to steal everything we had left
Yes" replied Mr.. Spooner, Eve pinned
our flag, around YOU with bayonetS, and
YOU ought to thank God for IT,"
we are here to stay" shouted Mr.. Till
man, excitedly pacing; up and down the
aisle. and we demand our rights. We are
not TO be tramplod on and hammered and
patronlZed any longer. | say that as Il
| South Carollnlan | am the equal of any
Senator on This floor. | propose to have
my say mere, no matter whose feelings l
hurt"
You don't hurt my feelings" quietly re-
sponded Mr.. Spooner, land you don't
| frightcn me either"
Senator Gallinger delivered the first
| lengthy defense of the Porto Rican tariff
which has been made in the Senate since
Mr.. Gallinger said that rho Committee
on Porto Rico, Of which, he is member
had devoted three weeks 10 listening to
testimony bearing upon the needs of
Porto Rico. In that committee there had
been but one thought. and that was TO
interests of the islands and its inhabit-
ants. Mr.. Gallingcr pointed out that four
fifths OF the products exported from Porto
Rico consisted of coffee. Upon this the
United States placed no tariff, while Spain
formerly levied n duty upon coffee rs well
as upon some other Porto Rican products.
we are proposing 10 treat Porto Rico
better than we treat any territory of the
United States. We collect internal reye
nu" taxes in Oklahoma, lndian Territory,
and Arizona, and every dollar of it goes
into the United States Treasury. We
Porto Rico, too, but every dollar so col
lectcd viii be returned TO the Porto Ricans
and be used for their benefit"
Most of March 23 in the House was
devoted to the consideration of private
pension bills in Committee OF the Whole.
n. f,,,V 4.
ably acted OF and II passed before ad-
iournment.
One hundred and forty-two bills were
disposed OF in Committee of the Whole
three of thcm, House bills duplicates of
Senate bills; being laid on the table. Mr..
Talbert, of South Carolina. endcavored to
get into the3"Roeord" a letter. written by
Representative Cummings, Of New York,
about the proceedings at the session OF a
week ago last night, in which he referred
to Mr.. Ialhrrt ;is u school teacher. FIR.
Talbert had,madt previous unsuccessful
attempt to 5ecnte its insertion, and he
spoke CT it now as a newspaper article,
written by 4 Fftteral soldier who had re-
ceived a modal for gallantry on the field,
but that did not move Hr. Payne, of New
York, who objected to the reading Of the
article by tltn Clsrk. Mr.. Talbcrt thought
the objection caprlons. and gave notice that
if he were .deflied the privilege asked, he
would require the presence of u quorum to
pass the bills scported by the committee
1lfis did not slI6rh MI. Ptync, vino said:
81 do not propose to be. bulldozed into doing
something 1 think ought not to be DONE"
and Mr.. GrosYenor described the situation
to be that IF the gentleman from South
Carolina could not burden the Record
w'ith q LOT of trash he would blockade public
business"
The Committee rosa, and when the vote
was taken on the passage of the first bill .
Mr.. Talbert made good his threat and de-
manded the presence OF a quorum. After
threc-quarters of an hour quorum was
secured and the pension bills were passed
Then u Of the bills We're passed, and the
previous question ordered on the remainder.
At 400 O'clock Saturday afternoon last
President Mckinley signed the bill appro-
priating for use in Porto Rico 81, ,O05. 900
being the amount Of duties collected in the
Enited States on Porto Rcan products since
the occupation Of the island by the Ameri-
can authorities The action Of the Prcsi-
dent followed almost Immediately upon the
adoption by the House of the conference
report.
The money. viii be turned over. to Sccrc-
tary Root and by him sent to Gen. George
W. Davis, Military Governor of Porto
ment.. A large part OF it will be used at
once in carrying out Gen. Davis's plan
of improving the roads of the island.
In the Senate, after routine business, the
statue of Oliver Perry Morton, presented
to the Nation by the State Of Indiana,
was accepted BY the United States
Senate. Impressive ceremonies in the
Senate chamber, preceded the adoption.
of the ntresolution of acceptance. There
were present in the gallery Mrs Morton,
widow of the deceased statesman; Mrs
Gill. her sister, and her sons. John aud
Walter. On the floor interested partici-
pants in the exercises were Congressmen
Watson, Brick, Cromer. Hemenway. Over
street, and Steele, of the Indiana Gelega-
ton, while Sergeant-at-Arms Ransdell,
of the same State was also present.
Senator Fairbanks's Grafton, which fol-
lowed the presentation of the resolution of
acceptance was comprehensive review of
The public services of Morton. HI told clio
qucntly the part which Gov. Morton took
in the civil war; what he did for his State
and her troops in that critical period, and
now he won the love of the soldiers and
an imperishable reputation at the same
time. Next. he told how the distinguished
statesman, already in the grip of IA deadly
disease. came to Washington as a Senator
from Indiana. That he might do his
duty TO his State and TO his country, lie bid
even death -dsfiance. He worked un-
ceasingly that tho. Nation, which had Just
emerged fronR .thG fiery baptism OF war,
might be put in II jiihe highway of enduring
peace. ,h uf -'.