Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-30

Photograph by Prince.
cluded in this bill a provision for a tariff
on basis of Is per centum of the rates of
duty prescribed in the Dingley act of 1897.
Il greatly regret that these two measures
naturally separate and distinct should be
thus combined, and still more regret that
in declining to support the tariff provis-
ions of the bill this unwise union compels
me to vote against the excellent govern
mental features which it contains. My re-
marks will be directed exclusively to the
tariff portion of the bill.
History of the Tariff Proposition
Mr. President, let us briefly consider the
history of this tariff proposition. The Pres
ident in his annual message. a document al
ways prepared with great care after much
thought and consultation with his advisers,
says:
"'Our plain duty is to abolish the Gus
toms tariffs between the United States and
Porto Rico. and give her products free
cess to our markets.
The people of the United States. Mr..
President. know that sentence by heart.
THE Secretary of War, in his very able
annual report. had said:
The highest considerations of justice
and good faith demand that we should not
disappoint the confident expectation of
sharing in our prosperity with which the
people Of Porto Rico so gladly transferred
their allegiance to the United States. We
should treat the interests of this people as
our own l wish most strongly to urge
that the customs duties between Porto
Rico and the United States be removed
Note the words of the President our
plain duty, and of the Secretary, Justice
and good faith demand
Following these recomme nda tons a bill
was introduced in this body by the senator
from Ohio, the chairman of the committee.
giving Porto Rico free trade. A like meas
ure was introduced in another body, but
presto. with little notice or apparent rea-
son a bill comes to US levying a tax upon
Porto Rican exports and imports.
rs it strange that some of US in lack of
an official statement or apparent reason for
this sudden shift, should be slow to give up
a line of action which We believe to be
based on principle and justice which we be-
lieve to be the only honest and consistent
course? 1t is charged do not know with
what truth, If any-that this change was
demanded and brought about by the sugar
by organized labor.
Il. however. have failed to see that the
representatlves of this latter interest APP
peared before the committee. 1t is practi-
cally admitted that free trade with Porto
Rico does not harm these interests mate
rally, but they claim that it creates a pre-
cedent that may harm them if adopted in
reference to the Philippines and Cuba II
VIII be time to cross those rivers when we
come to them, and, in my opinion the
crossing will not be difficult when the
proper time comes for action"
Ex-senator Edmunds' Letter.
Mr.. Proctor read a letter from Former
Senator Edmunds on the subject of the
proposed Porto Rican tariff, in which he
said:
Il have yours of the Goth instant, and.
both as an American citizen and an origi-
nal and constant republican, am very glad
to learn that you are opposed to legisla-
ton having the effect of imposing on the
people of Porto Rico whether we call them
citizens or subjects of the United States)
any kind of revenue burden OF benefit that
is not common to the whole people of the
acted. will, 1 believe, be UNIQUE in our
whole history. 1t will initiate and parallel
the acts of the British parliament which
forced our fathers to just resistance and
revolution, and led them to establish a
Constitution which in studied and explicit
terms forbade any such discrimination
know there are many gentlemen en-
gagged in public affairs whose intelligence
and patriotism above question who be-
heve that our Constitution does not en-
brace the territories, and that as to them
the President and Congress possess the
same omnipotent powers that the British
crown and parliament have always Dos
sessed over their possessions. While l
think that position is untenab,e as a mat
ter VI law, DeleVe the proposed action Is
still less defensible viewed in the light of
those principles of liberty justice and
equality of rights We all profess to believe
in. and which. whether we believe in and
practice or not, are still living and will live
and bear fruits more and more among men,
in spite OF all the Observation-Disclosures
or otherwise-in the world"
Mr.. Edmunds in his letter gave additional
reasons why he believed the Constitution
is in force in the territories of the United
States.
Sentiment of the People.
Continuing, Mr.. Proctor said:
But. Mr.. President admitting for the
sake of argument that Congress has plen-
airy power under the Constitution, that
right must be interpreted in the fair and
generous sense which the American people
give to that instrument, and not given the
Interpretation of absolutism. We may do
many wrong and foolish things without
violating the Constitution, but 1t does not
follow that We must do them or ought to
do them. and l claim, Mr. President. that
the plain people, the sensible, honest
American people, who look at this ques-
ton from no standpoint of interest, who
men who have any commercial or class
interests. which it is claimed must be plac-
ated by our action, are the best judges of
what is fair and right and honest, and
that their judgment in the end must and
will prevail.
IF We are not bound by the letter of the
Constitution, we are bound by Justice and
humanity TO deal with these questions in
the spirit OF American institutions and