New-York tribune., 1900-05-01
NEW PORTO RICAN LAW.
ssFEGTARDS FOR FRANCHISES Az
PROVED BY CONGRESS AND
THE PRESIDENT.
INV TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE,l

TELEGRAPH TO THE ThibuNh"I
vo.,,,y+on April 3o-It is hoped and be-
,iexaa that the action taken by Congress to-day
an6 apnroyed by the President proNioes SUM
Gent restrictions and safeguards u Pr ~
t,,,r,,,-,dent 1r improper granting OF Hancnlses
d. T, seemed for a time. however,
-. hono of such a result would not be
,,s After a meeting and serious discussion
- 1buredav lasting three hours, in which no
,-osress whatever was made toward an agree
wont the Senate and House conferrees sepa-
ra,ed and did not meet again until TINS morn
,,g In the meeting then both sioes at hrsl
saeroed to he as stiff and unyielding as before,
and the conferrees again separated win an un-
5ars,anding that report should be made to the
House that they had been unable to reach an
agreement Before this report was ready TO be
s,,,r,itted and while Chairman Cooper, of the
F5ouse conferrees was engaged in preparing
Il Speake. Henderson sent for him, and they
remained in conference some tir1e 1t has been
an open secret that the Speaker has felt and
EXPRESSED keen socitude in behalf of the adop-
ton of the proposed restrictions and safeguaros'
md Immediately after the conference with him
~botrnoan Cooper and his colleagues decided TO
make another effort TO secure an agreement
with the Senate conferrees.
ADOPTION OF CONFERENCE REPORT
This effort was happily successful and later III
.he afternoon the report was submitted 10 inc
rTo,es bv which il was unanimously adopted
,.to,,+ debate as soon as it had been read II
was then late in the day, and time was precious
Thu ioint resolution not only provided how ana
49, whom charters should be granted in Porto
Pico and under what restrictions, but also 10Y
the administration Of civil affairs IN the lsiaIu
,andfng the appointment and quallhcauoh oi
the civil officers provided for by the act ap-
r,royed on April II. which will take erect TO-
roorrow 1t was therefore necessary tha' Coll-
e-ress should act to-day The report OF the con-
ferrees was hurried TO the Senate as soon as the
House had adopted 1t. and Chairman Foraker OF
the Senate conferrees, promptly ashec uhaiii-
,,,o,,s consent for its immediate consideration
and followed that with a brief but plain ana
1ucid exclamation of the nature, scope and effect
Of the House amendments. One Senator now
ever did not or would not understand the eA-
planation. He Mr.. Petugrew senator
Cockreu the Democratic conferree, then exer-
cised his power of explanation, and senator
Teller privately tried TO sharpen the obtuseness
of Mr. Pettigrew's mental vision but In VAIN
Al one time he seemed 10 have caught snll-
rner Of light but il quickly vanished. ano ne
Was left groping in denser obscurity than BEFORE
Senator Foraker then withdrew MS request
for unanimous consent and moved, as ne hao
perfect right TO do that the conference Fepolt
ba considered. Even the Senator from oouth
Takota did not vote against the motion, but ne
remained in a state of querulousness ana uls-
content He had objection TO the aieIiu-
rlents but wanted the matter TO go over ul'i
tomorrow, when 1t would be too late ne Was
unreasonable, he sometimes is lncilneo 10
be and il necessary for the rest OF the oe
lucrative body to bear patiently with him. and
stroke the fur the right way, lest he oe1nanu
the presence Of a quorum, which at that lale
bnnr n would have been diffcult and might have
been impracticable TO secure The danger !" as as
escaped and. after another brief explanation ~, ny
Senator Foraker in response questions ILe
renort of the conferrees was unanimously
adopted. - co,o.o- Coclrer
admired in the course of their remarks that
the House had a substantial victory anu
that the amendments as mohihed We're a', caiou
lated TO cure serious defects in the act approNeu
April - Such frank admissions are not usu-
ally made in cases of this sort, after coIIeriees
have separated, agreeing only to disagree.
THE FRANCHISE RESTRICTIONS.
The original Senate resolution extending the
tenure of military officers in Porto Rico until
their successors appointed is retained un-
changed The sections added by the House are
considerably changed and in their final form
are as follows:
Sec That all railToaa street Tailway T. tsle- de
be approved by the President OF the United states
shall be operative until 1t shall have been so ap-
cessions granted under Section 90 Of said shall
p9d @ h or reee ha al orbd the sue
stock or bonds except IN exchange for actual cash
the par value of the stock bonds issued; shall
forbid the declaring of stock bond dividends, and,
IN the of public service corporations, shall pro-
vide for the effective regulation Of the charges
thereof and for the purchase taking by the pub
lie authorities of their property at fair and rea
sonable valua ton. No corporation shall be author
ized 10 conduct the business of buying and selling
real estate, be permitted 10 hold or own real
estate. except such may be reasonably necessary
to enable it to carry the purpose for which it
was created, and every corporation hereafter au-
rhorized engage in agriculture shall by it's char
ter, ne restricted 70 the ownership and control of
not TO exceed five hundred acres of land, and this
provision shall be held prevent a member of any
corporation engaged in agriculture from being in
any wise interested in any other corporation en-
gagged IN agriculture. Corporations. however, may
loan funds upon real estate security and purchase
real estate when necessary for the collection of
loans; but they shall dispose Of real estate OBJ
talned within i've years after receiving the title.
Corporations not organized in Porto Rico and doing
business therein shall he bound by the provisions
Ia Ear IT, - .-II..Ll