The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-02-23
THE REPUBLICAN, PARTY
AND THE PUERTO RiCAN
BILL.

AND lHE ~ ERDo ht\ a
BILL.
A very important debate has been going
on in the House of Representatives this
week 1t is the Puerto Rican Taitl
bill.
One of the Republicans who strongly
opposes the bill and who is to make lead
ing speech in opposition analvzed the
situation as follows:
THE Republican party is in a most I'M
pleasant position. 1t is extremely unfor-
tunate that this time was chosen to push
this question. To win the party must
first pass the bill, next secure a favora-
BILE decision from the United States
Supreme Court, and finally have its action
ratified by the people at the polls. If the
party loses in any one of the three con-
tests it will be ruined. We are putting
into the hands of the Democrats the most
powerful weapon they could have against
us.
What answer are we to make when
they charge us with attempting to replace
Spain in her relations with her late colo
MES and to grind them down and bleed
them as Spain did? | asked leading
member of the House that question and
he admitted that was Il correct view OF
the matter. What then becomes of the
platitudc and Understanding statements
of the Republican party about freedom
for all and our great desire to extend the
blessings of liberty and civilization over
the earth? We cannot in one breath say
we are engaged in such mission and in
the next disprovc our own utterances by
passing laws which operate against those
people and in favor of our own.
Everyone knows it is not the poor
Puerto RicanS who are to be considered
The harm their products could do ours is
entirely insignificant. 1t is Il question OF
the products of the Philippines and, over
all, the labor question W ,'th is the main
spring of the whole affair. Weare afrat
of the invasion of America by gangs OF
Filipinos brought over under contract
but this only to a minor extent.
THE great danger confronting us is o
the employment of cheap Filipino labor
in actories in the Philippines and tn.
invasion of Anne. lea by their products
If they are to be admitted free they vii
come into direct competitor with Ameri
can products, as will the cheap labor O:
the PHILIPPINES with the dear labor of thu
United States.
"Theres the rub, and if we want t,
hold the Philippines we must find some
excuse, some authority, for discriminat
ing against their products, agricultural {:
manufactured, or protection to the Ameri
can workingman beco mes thing of tn,
past"
The labor phase of the question wa:
also discussed by other Republican mem
bers, who admitted they feared the com
petion of the cheap labor of the Philip
pines, and even that of Puerto Rico t
some extent. This was given by TIL
other members above quoted rs the rca
son the Philippines would be abandoned
in case the uerto Rican bill as declare,
unconstitutional.
The Republican members of the Way
| and Means and Insular Affairs Com
mittees have been eXerting themselves tC
win over Representative Littlefeld, o
Maine, who made so great an impression
by his admirable presentation of thu
| minority view of constitutional law a
| applied to the Roberts case. There ART
| no indications, however, they succeeded
and Mr. Littletield is expected to make
brilliant argument from constitutions
standpoint against the bill.
A leading member of the committee
mentioned said recently that Mr. Little
field was making a great mistake in op
posing his party. No man in Congress
he declared, ever made point of orpos
ing his party and made success of hi
career. He predicted that MIR, Littlctiel'
would reach tue same conclusion befor
he had served in the House very long.