The Portland daily press., 1900-02-21

tapts can scqeirs only ri zhts ns We may
give tbs m IL follows that We can have
separate customs, revenue and uavisaiion
lave for these islands.
have created la their imaR matt On bosy
man ana with hi n are try Ing to Tighten
tbs lsbuTing peoy ls Of the country. They
are assun ing that the peopls OF oistent
troI icai ioli mes viii cone to the cold reg
Ions Of the norsh to drive out our labor
ing men vish cheap labor. more
gr0undlsss argument was never urged. tt
Is almpst fsntastiosl. 4 here Is DOT
malay in this country today and there
will not be 100 years from now Nhyf
because they prefer Go stay In thtir own
cpuury. We can pro- lie thsm win
yttem sf goyerumert adapted nos Only
70 20, ir conditions frcm u cli nstic stand
pfins, bns 20 thti. oonUi ions from
eli ana 4, standpcint, hue 10 thSir political
dsyelcpment We n Ill start them on an
era Of progress unknown In their history.
Wbila q IL IL b. ing dcpe we must have
a G; ahls govern nent thefe and an army
suftcisntly Urge to roli1s the fsiands
ana i've out fres bso;ers Cur daty Is
clear. We mus, fesrlsssiy and const len
tiously pror ie for the great emerRency
that has psen plsosa up,n us by ttii war
wi spain Let US discharge our duty
wish q firmn sss anu irtreTi iity that
character izsu the ac in OF our fathers
bs sng our national hciizon and the teorle
OF today " ill sssursdiy approve our con-
quot as uii the people 0f a eensrati Bn
age, approve the conduct OF Pfesitent
Iiuccln and his adsissrs when they were
exeTti ing every poser OF the conssitn-
tion for the mt intenance Of ths union and
the ialegrity OF the republic.
Mr. swanson OF VirHini' 'ther
member Of the ways and n ear. nit
tse, followed MIR. hopkins he Sta that
the Pre- sidsnt, in his message, had an
nounced tsat it was "our plain duty"
to alb lish all customs tariffs bstween
the United Stntss and Porto hico, az d
quttsi the reasons and conditions given
by the President that made this duty
Imperative.
Mr.. Swans,n said that the conditions
In Porto Rioo had not changed, yet the
Rspubiioan party had. since tnis message,
entirely. chsnged Its policy In dealing
solely on account OF political exigen-
ciss. He discussed the injustics Of iegis-
la.iHg for tie people of Portl Rico on &C
count OF political condrions here and
denounced tbs doctrine upon which the
I'LL was founded.
sponsor for government ty iojunotion In
tine United States and thas &c now pro-
posed u new dootrine-govsrnmeutw with
out the constitution. He Eaid that II
Congress should govern tbs territories
and rev pt tssessioDs without the cons.i-
tuticbai nmieations, it would create a
oona arsssiepal dsspotism precisely similar
70 that claimed ty Great Britain at the
time OF the Revolutionary war; that tie
power claimed to enact this bill, was pre-
cisely the power tlet was claimed by the
British Parliament for the enactment 0f
the stamp eot. He said: "Every rerson
who votes for this oill ennour ces him
plE f.ll of -
he argsed the inj astioe Of Congress
fixing the terns upon which the Porto
Riosns should sell their goods In this
couhtry and at tbs same time the terms
upon which they must purchase from
this country. This power he said, haf'
been snd always would be abused. Ihe
inter .ion Of this bill. he asserted, was
t. force sil Of the leaf tobacco 60 be ex
ported reSs for manufactures and thereby
psralyzs the manufacturing industries
Of the island. He then argued the tpJus-
tics cf psrpitting the 300,0 600 tons of sug-
ar In hawaii to be admitted irse Of duty,
while the bill imposed n heavy custom 5
duty upon ths 60.000 ions of sugar from
Eorso Rico, the difference in this treat
msnt, he said resulting from the fact tina
the sugar inter st of Hawaii was owned
by few millionaires, wbiio thatcf Porto
Rico was owned by several thousand
small farmers. He SAID that the pre- sc nj
of all territories and new possessions any
Of ths rights of citizens and imposing
heavy penalties upon them, would have
q tendency to give new life to the insur-
reotion in the Philippine islands and
make the inhabitsnts have little faith IN
receiving justice from this country. Ee
arautd that the Supreme court had de-
oided that the constitution extended to
al! territory aud e. at there n nst bs every
" hero uniformity in customs duties and
"a leS.
lie wisdom of this interpretation was
'thGG none of the restrictions OF the con-
= itution could be q ourfe to Porto Rieo
ID, 10 the Phil ppine islands; that those
Sho upheld .Ai5 new doctr Inc did SO be.
saafe they knew that the equality and
iGsUce of the Constitution would pre-
bis them from exploiting the nsw pos
sions for their own sellsh ends.
sc argued that II the new doctrine
= u. the constitution did not extend to
~ c new possessions-prevailed there could
bs no eIpapsion, for no people wouid
willingly unite with Us whsn they we're
told that they we're TO be absolute ehAstels
OF congressional dsspotism, He dis
oussed at length the turmoil and discon-
tens that would arise II Congress ore
Ated q difference In the taxes, tariffs and
custom duties In the various possessions. 8.
In closing, he said:
1.-THE passage of the pending bill will
end the history of the republic and open
the history of the empire
"It destroys constitutions government
End creates congrea slonal dsspotism.
At the conclusion of Mr Swanson's re-
marks Mr.. Hepburn again tried to reach
an agreement for the consideration of tbs
Nicsrsguan bill on March 6.
MIR. Payne OF New York, objected.
The House then adjourned.