The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-04

agreed upon between the Administration
and the trusts the Porto Rican Tariff
bill was passed in the Senate yesterday
by a decisive majority, and now returns
to the House. We have no reason to
doubt that it will be forced through that
body without material change.
The American people are quite familiar
with the character of the measure. In Its
worst and vital feature it imposes tariff
taxes on the domestic trade between a
Territory OF tue United States and all other
parts of this common country. This is
done in direct contravention and defiance
Of the plain letter of the Constitution, and
is resorted &c by the Republican party to
earn a campaign contribution from the
protected monopoiies which are to be the
benefclaries of the crime. The Republican
party thus creates the plain issue of the
Trusts against the Constitution, and the
Democratic party accepts it.
So glaring an example of broken prom
Uses, of hypocrisy. of constituencies con-
tempt for oaths of Office, and of perfdy
generally in high places. has never before
been presented to the citizenship of
America. From the time of the military
occupation Of Porto Rico by General Miles,
down to the day when Representative
Payne withdrew the House bill providing
not a thought in the mind of the Presi-
dent of any member of his Cabinet, or
of any of the Republican leaders in Con-
gress, that free trade with a possession
which had become part of the United
States was not a necessary and mandatory
constitutional consequence OF the estab-
lishment of our flag and sovereignty.
Beyond this, it had been solemnly prom
Used. by implication, in the proclamation
of General Miles to the islanders when he
hauled down the standard of Spain and
raised the Stars and Stripes as a. sign
that thereafter Porto Ricans were Ameri-
cans, endowed by the Constitution, ex
proprio vigore. with the rights of all other
Americans.
When General Miles took possession of
Porto Rico he said to the islanders:
Porto Rico under the American hag will enjoy
the same privileges ard the same irnmunites as
the citizens of the different States and Territories
Of the Union.
When Governor General Davis succeeded
General Henry he said:
Free trade with the home Government / regard
u necessity Tor Porto Rico, and there is no
reason 10 believe that it will be at all detrimental
To the United States. The sugar crop and the
coffee coop are both small. II will make but
little difference with the importation receipts OF
the United States to remove the duties. but II
Will make immense difference to these people.
In his annual report, Secretary Root said:
The highest considerations Of justice and good
faith demand thst we should not disapPoint the
confideat expectation Of sharing il our prosper
~ with which ,he people Of Porto Rico gladly
transferred their allegiance TO the United States.
and that We should treat the interests Of this peo
pie our own. wish most strongly TO urge
that the customs duties between Porto Rico and
the United States be abolished =,
And, finally the President said in his
message to Congress:
since the cossion Porto Rico has been de-
MED the principal markets she had long enjoyed.
and our tariffs have been continued against her
products as when she under Spanish soVcr-
eighty. The markets OF Spain are closed 70 her
products except upon terms 10 which the com
Ynerce OF all nations Is subjected. The Island Of
Cuba, which used to buy her cattle and tobacco
without customs duties, now imposes the same
duties upon these products as IRON any other
country entering her ports She has. therefore,
lost her free intercourse with Spain and Cuba
without any compensatiug benefits IN this
kct Her coffee was little known and not in u-e
mand here Tor tbS one Of her chief products.
The markets Of the United States should be open
I'd up to her products. Our plain duty is tp
abolish all customs tariffs between the United
States and Porto Rico. and give her products
ilee access 10 our markets
Porto Rico
said the Chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee. in a letter written TO a con-
stituent on January 24th-
Porto Rico Is ours withou, dissenting vote
anywhere. Her people are impoverished by rea-
son Of the hurricane which destroyed the greater
portion Of two annual orops- She has no markets.
being deprived q them by annexation 20 the
United States Commercially and indust rally,
without some aid from Congress. she Is without
hope Tor the future. \ free admission OF her
products TO the United States, which Is
corded 10 every other state and Territory and
TO Alaska, not organized into Territory would
give her relief
In his original report TO the Secretary
Of War Judge Magoon said:
BY such ratification ii. =, ratification Of the
Treaty o. Paris by the Sen4tel the Island Of
Porto Rico was incorporated within the terrific
rial limits OF the United States. Being now g
part and parcel OF The United States it Is subject
70 the provisions OF the Constitution OF the
United States.
..No further action by Congress Is necessary
United States, while It remains such Congress Is
as poweriess TO confer the Constitution upon it
as il Is TO take the Constitution away from IT,
SO far the Constitution IS involved. the rights
OF this Government in Porto Rico are established
and secured"
Lastly, Judge Edmunds declared in his
letter to Senator Proctor:
"The instances in which Congress has declared
In statutes organizing Territories that the Con-
siitution and laws should be in force there are
evidence that they not already there for
Congress and all legislative bodies have often
made enactiueuis that, IN effect, merely declared
existing law. In such cases they declare a pre-
Porto Kico and it, people came under the SOW
ercignty Of the United States by .orce OF the
treaty with spain, and think all Will agree that
IL any part Of the people Of the island levied war
against use United States OF adhered to our enc
mics they would be guilty Of treason But trea-
Is exclusively defined constitutional crime
and it cannot exist on the island unless the Con-
s;ifution that defines il is in force there
The foregoing quotations show where the
Administration and the Republican party
stood on the question of Porto Rico's right
TO equal treatment with other American
territory under the Constitution, until their
shameful surrender TO the protected mo-
nopolies. The speeches by trust represen-
tatiyes in the House and Senate since then,
show where they stand now or wound like
the country 10 believe they stand Their
position is untenable and ridiculous. Hay-
ing accepted political infamy and public