The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-14
CONES n LONG AGAIN
Honor in Connection With
the Porto Rican Bill
ASA CAMPAIGN DOCUMENT
His Speech on the Pending
Measure to be Used.
ASA CAMPAIGN DOCUMENT

|
the Puerto Rican question, for distribu-
| ton: That Of Mr. Payne, Mr. Dalzeu and
| Mr. Long. 1t certainly must be crafty
ing to Kansas to know that the speech OF
| one of its representatives is considered OF
such great Importance by big campaig n
committee that it will print and dis
tribute hundreds Of thousands of copies
of it throughout the country.
There has been a good deal of talk
over the country to the effect that the
| Davis amendment to the Puerto Rican
tariff bill will be adopted by the senate.
1t viii probably be Withdrawn by its
author before it is many days older 1t
does not represent the policy of the ad-
ministration. The administration is
sQuarely with the house in relation to
this bill and neither will recede or con-
| sent to material amendment. The Davis
| amendment seeks to extend the constitu-
| ton over Puerto Rico with respect to that
part which provides that all duties, i'm
posts and excuses shall be uniform
throughout the United States In other
words, the amendment implies that Iegis-
lative action is necessary to extend the
constitution, or portions of it, over newly
acquired territory, and at the same time
admits the free trade end Of the contro-
versy. Thus it is obnoxious alike to Re-
publicans and Democrats. Senator Davis
Is strong, able man, and as one of the
peace commissioners to Paris, and chair
man Of the committee Of foreign rela tons
of the senate, is one of the foremost men
in public life in the country, but on this
question, he does not stand with nor rep
resent the administration
The two phases of this question are:
First of all, the great, overshadowing
question of precedent for the Philippines;
the question as to the point to be de-
cided SO that congress may know what to
do with the Philippines, and secondly,
generosity to Puerto Rico. which is en-
bodied in every letter and syllable of the
Puerto Rican bill passed by the house.
The question of precedent for the Phil
ippines must be decided. The supreme
court must in some manner pass on the
proposition as to whether or not the con-
stitution extends of its own force and ac-
cord to newly-acquired territory. If it
does not, then congress can make tariff
rates; If it does, then there must be free
trade with these islands, and their citi-
zens are citizens of the United States as
much as those of Kansas, and they and
their goods and wares can come into this
country in competition with our Ameri-
can labor and their goods and wares. As
etaoin taoin taoitaoin taoin taoin, -,
to Puerto Rico, the islands impoverished
condition can in no manner be more bene-
flied than by the provisions of this bill
expended for the improvement and gov
renment of the island. Not only that, but
the 100000 collected since the United
States took the island, under the supple
mental bill lately passed by the house
also go for the same purposes. The presi-
dent is squarely with the house on this
question Though he favored free trade
at first, it was from humanitarian
standpoint, as he considered it, to the
Puerto Ricans. Now, he believes that the
rates to be imposed will provide the
means for lettering the islands con-
dition. From the time the Democrats
took the position that congress had no
power to impose rates-and that the con-
stitution was self-extending-and that the
island must, therefore, have free trade,
the president has stood by the house and
the house bill, and is doing so today and
will continue to do so.