Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-04-19
Porto Rico Bills Real Meaning.


"Never was a bill so misrepresent-
ed and misunderstood as our Porto
Rico BILL" writes Speaker Henderson
in a letter addressed to friend In
Iowa concerning the pending meas
ure to provide revenue and a tenn
porary fiscal arrangement Tor our
island possession in the West Indies.
The purpose Of the letter was that OF
supplying needed information How
well that intention has been carried
out may be Judged from the follow
ing incisive paragraphs in Speaker
Henderson's letter.
"First-There are large quantities
Of tobacco and sugar in Porto Rico,
bought up by trusts and syndcates.
They want to get that into the
United States free Of any duty and
when once in, OF course 1t will sell in
the markets at the same rates as the
tobacco and sugar which have to pay
the full tariff rates; thus giving hun.
dreds Of thousands Of dollars profit
to the syndicates, etc
THE trusts and syndcates are
fighting the bill, and have given
you the reason why, There has not
been nor is there now to my knowl-
edge lobby here working for the
Porto Rican bill, but these syndicates
and the Goldfish interests OF New
England and other interests, includ-
ing the flour interests, are all trying
to get into Porto Rico without paying
the 10 per cent duty on their product,
proposed in the bill. While dnder
the Dingley law tax Of 81, to illus
trate, is imposed upon certain arti-
Gle, under the house bill it would
only pay 10 cents
Second-Now, why have we impos-
ed this 10 per cent Of the Dingley
tariff? Let me answer this, and fix
it in your mind Porto Rico is poor,
and has been swept by devastating
and destructive floods. Her people
are not at this time and in their pres
ent condition able to pay the expenses
Of their government.
"No one wants the United States to
pay the expenses Of running the gov
ernments Of any Of our several new
possessions. The people themselves
in each Of the islands or groups
should pay their own expenses. How
is Porto Rico to do this, now that
she has no local government We
must first give her local government,
and both houses Of congress are at
work upon that problem, and in my
opinion that problem will be wisely
solved when it is done"
1t will be observed that Speaker
confines himself to peril
nent, practical facts, and does not 20
into any complicated constitutional
questions. Facts like these were
needed in order to make clear q mat
ter about which many people seem to
be curously muddled. 1t is to be
that the letter did not reach
Iowa before the Republican legisla-
ture Of that state committed itself to
the singular proposition Of absolute
and instantaneous free trade between
the United States and its outlying
possessions. Sympathy for Porto
Rico was obviously the worthy motive
which prompted the adoption of the
Iowa resolutions. A better knowledge
IF the facts in the case would have
shown that 1t is the "trusts and syn
and not the people of Porto
Rico, who are the real objects Of leg
slative sympathy in Iowa, and who
would be the gamers by the removal
Of all tariff duties on articles passing
between the island and the United
States. There is no doubt of this, A
little knowledge is dangerous thing
sometimes. 1t has seldom proved to
be more mischievous or more danger
Gus than in the case Of the Porto
Rican tariff controversy. Seldom has
a public question been so misrepre-
scented and so misunderstood.