Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-03-01
An Infamous Measure.

The debate on the Porto Ricau tariiI
| bill in the National House of Rcprcscn-
tativrS has brought out, in the most
striking manner possible, til" purpose of
the Republican party to establish a colo
NAL system Of government for the new
| island possessions crlcd to the United
states rs aIrSult OF the war with Spain.
The bill will place duty Of ., per cent
"n the exports of Porto Rico and work a
| discrimination against the people Of that
| island which they declare means ruin
and l"vrrty t" them.
The bill is the first step the Ecpubli-
can party has taken in the open indicat-
ing the policy to he pursued in rcgar,. to
the new possessions, and it shows clearly
hat it is proposed to tax the ,eoplc
Of the islands and deny to them the
benefits Of free trade with Amcrica, i'm
spite of the fact that they were promised
such benefits when the American army
entered Port" lico and found Il peace.
able people waiting to be taken in under
the American llag.
/" place discriminating duty on the
trade and commerce Of Porto Rico places
a burden on the people of that island
which 'orS not rest upon the people Of
the nltcd States, therefore the Porto
i'iranS Will not enjoy the benefits Of
favored States trade regulations, and
Will, in consequence, become subjects of
inns nation, having no claims exccp: as
r"l"niStS. Under the pending bill Porto
II'" l. To become the first Of the colo
mes t" be established under Republican
regime, and this marks the dcparturc
from Tn" old system of one rule for all
The peoples Of the nation, without spc-
cial favor
The position Of the Democrats in op-
posing this bin is that it is unconstitu-
h"nal in that it seeks to discriminate
ana Cypress Il people who have accented
the American IIag and the American gov
rrnncnt rs supreme, and that it can have
no other effect than to establish tho colo
maj system which has 80 long been re-
pn%nant to the American people, and
from the oppression Of which the fore.
fathers fought more than Il century ago.
!" 20 back now and establish such a
system would mean that the nation has
been wrong since l1I6, and that it should
expand by conquest or purchase, with
ont regard TO HE wish of the pc0p,cs in
t"rcStcd, and without regard to the Oft
quoted declaration Of ITi'i that all lust
governments are derived only from The
consent of the governed The Porto
iIramS have already made Il vigorous
protest against the pending bill, and they
are drmouncinG the breach Of faith SO
i"rrIbly pointed out by such Republican
mrmhcrS ri the House as Iittlcficld, OF
Maine; Mctall, Of Mas ,achuSctts, and
Cromwell, of Ohio, and others who have
drrlinrd To be party to this departure
from tn" American principles Of govern
mrnt
Surely, there is food sufficient in this
on" question to produce enough thought
To forever nndcmn the Republican party
i"r It's effort to destroy the principles of
the government for the sake of greed
and power. II is ihr meat of the uucs
ii"m OF Imperialism and brings tho ma.
tiun face to face with the uucst,,n.
Shall the | nitcd States remain a rcpub
lie, or shall it become an empire, with
tir infamous colonial system ami attend.
ant evils which have brought shame and
SharklrS to the European nations for cen
tmirS" Atlanta Journal
The Atlanta Semi Weekly journal
and TnE '"rEIEH for -. 80 year.