The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-05-03

the Attitude of the eAdministration--
War Taxes Likely to Stand.
Washington correspondence:
The Porto Rican question will not
down. The Republicans are SO abnor-
mally sensitive over 1t that they cannot
refrain from explaining" every time a
Democrat mentions the administration.
Gen. GrOsvenOr constitutes himself the
special champion of the concrete phrase
Of Imperialism embodied In the Porto
Rican tariff and government law. One
Of the Democrats the other day jocu-
tarly remarked that President Mckin-
ley had not changed his mind about the
plain duty" Of free trade, but had per-
mitted 1t to be changed for him.
That happens to be the exact truth,
but the Republicans seem to think that
they can improve matters by making
excuses and evasions that would not
deceive a 1O-year-Old school boy. In
this Instance Representative GrOsvenOr
repeated with parrot-like insistence the
argument that Senator Foraker made
just before the measure was voted on
in the Senate, only GrosvenOr did it
much more clumsily than Foraker.
The President didn't mean free trade
right away" pleaded the member from
Ohio; ''he meant 1t whenever Porto
Rico had become prosperous enough to
stand the change" Getting still deep
er into the argument Mr.. Grosvenor ad-
mitted that perhaps the President did
not care for the measure, but disliked
to antagonize his Congress.
| The Democrats receive this sort OF
explanation In about the same spirit of
derision that the whole country will
express. The Republicans seem not to
understand that they are making bad
matter worse when they insult the in
telligence Of the country with this sort
Of subterfuge and evasion. Although
the discussion ragged In the House for
nearly two hours, the Republican men,
bers lodged the fact that by their gov
ernmental bill they had left Porto Rico
as a colonial dependency. They are
not anxious to discuss that phase Of the
matter.
1t is announced by the administration
that the new civil government of Porto
Rico will be ushered In with true mill
tary pomp and splendOr. There will be
soldiers In shining accoutrements on
land and grim battleships In the har-
Dor at Ponce to warn the confiding
Porto Ricans that beneath this velvet
glove of civil authority and behind the
reign Of the carpet-bagger there Is al
ways the iron hand of militarism and
imperialism ready to exact the pound
Of flesh II the demands Of the civil in
vaders are resisted in the slightest de-
gree 1t will be a sad contrast to the
Porto Ricans when they remember how
they welcomed Gen. Miles two years
ago. with garlands Of flowers and pro-
cessions of white-robed children. They
thought they were welcoming the ad
vent of freedom and independence.
They will be made to realize that they
exchanged the imperial rule Of masters
Of noble birth for the more vulgar one
built up by corporate power in this
country.
The administration evidently intends
to make great capital, in the coming
campaign, Of this change from military
to civil rule In Porto Rico. 1t sends
iamboyant message to Congress beg
ging for further time until 1t can de-
eide on which carpet-baggers 1t will
send to the island to replace the mill
tary rulers, who presumably are to be
withdrawn.
Some cynical critics wonder II the
military is really to be withdrawn or
only suborlinated to the civil branch
of the government. 1t is limited in ad-
ministration circles that II the Porto
Ricans prove rebellious under Mr.. Nc
Kinley's new Oligarchy, they will find
the military In the saddle again very
promptly.
War Taxes to Stand.
There Is no indication that the Repub-
lican majority intends to repeal any
Of the war taxes. There is already a
surplus of $l5O.OOO, 600 in the treasury,
and it is estimated that the excess col.
lections next year will be about $50.
100000. The Republican leaders would
not be averse to a slight reduction in
some directions for campaign purposes
but to take the tax of one kind Of goods
is to mOrtally offend those that are still
left to bear them. Anyway, the Re
publicans think that ut is easier to
handle a surplus than a deficiency"
and then they hate to spoil the chance
Of spending this big surplus themselves
il they should be successful in the fall
elections. The druggists are petition
ing for a repeal Of the tax on proprie-
tary medicines, and there are many
requests for the abolition Of war taxes
on articles of common use, but 1t is not
at all likely that anything will be done.
The express companies don't care
whether the war tax is repealed or not
because they have the recent Supreme |
Court decision saying that the shipper |
and not the company pays the tax.
Senator HOar's speech against the |
TeteutlOu VI tuc uiuppiucS u1S thrown |
the Republicans into CONSERVATION. He |
disposed very thoroughly of the various |
petty pretexts on which they have been
building the imperialist argument. He |
quoted President McKinley's "forcible |
annexation is criminal aggression" and |
pointed out that the policy Of criminal |
aggression is still being carried on. He |
showed that We undertook to buy a
sovereignty which Spain did not pos
sess, saying, you cannot buy the lib
critics Of people from a dispossessed
tyra.t. liberties they have bravely won
for themselves In arms"
Going farther Senator HOar pointed
out that Twice our commanding gen.
erals, by their own confession, assured
these people Of their independence"
He declared that war could have been
prevented If there had been "a single
assurance that wp intended IN raSuact