The Portland daily press., 1900-03-14
CURRENT COMMENT.
THE PORTO RICO EMERGENCY
BILL.

Hartford Courant, Senator Hawlsy S
PaIer.)
A week ago the President sent an ur-
gent message to Congress. He asked the
Senators and Representatives 10 relieve
deeolatsd, hungry Porto Rico at ONCE
''without waiting for the enactment OF
the general legislation now pending"
The sane day the HOUSE. passed bill
putting at bis disposal, for that purpose,
something over two millions OF dollars.
In the Senate this bill was read twice
Is It's title and then referred to the COM
mittee on appropriations. Ii has been
reported favorably-wlth an amen dment.
1t should be- put on Its passage immedi-
ately.
senator Foraker. as everybody knows,
has slowed away the HOUSES Porto Rioan
tariff bill-the ''l5 per cent. 'bill-in his
general bill for the temp orary govern
msnt OF the island. In his speech Thurs
day afternoon, In reply to suggestion
that the present distress In Porto hioo
be relieved by direct appropriations, Sem
ator Foraker eaid, as reported: I'VE chn-
not depend upon such appropriations.
The people would be ell dead Of starvation
before the relief could reach them"
What he meant We can only conjecture.
A Washington ctrrespondeDt,-tne
';Iribune" We believe-has predicted that
the debate in the Senate on the Foraker
bill will rCn on for three weeks or
month longer Then the House will de-
bate 1t, mors trietiy. Then, we suppose,
it Will 20 to committees of conference.
Then there will be mere debate In the
Senate, and perhaps the bill will then be
passed and tbe Porto Ricana viii begin
get such relief as Is contained In itifor
their empty pockets and empty stoInachs
In n re oent report to the war depart
ment Porto ktso's American governor,
SJpueral Davis. aays:-
In some sections the Inhabitants are
beginning to Icise sweet potatoes, but in
the center of the island. or the coffee
growing district, there Ia nothing for the
poor to eat. Any discontinuanoe OF the
food distribution, therefore. under these
conditions, would result in o large In
crease of sickness and Of the death rate.
The coffee planters ara making strenuous
Efforts to clear up their flt Ids. but, hav-
ing no money for tie payment OF their
hands. ths laborers have necessarily been
laid of, and are drifting into the towns,
thereby be coming public charges. Unless
fed at public expense, starvation VIII
result. and tho military governor has,
therefore, requested a shipment OF 6OU
tons Of rice, goldfish and BACON, In addi-
tion to the 900 tons asked for about three
weeks ago.
publican national COMMITTEES is quoted In
the newspapers as saying about the pro-
posed Legislation for Porto Rico; "Let US
not make haste"
But hunger makes hasts; the diseases
produced by bad food and not enough OF
that make haste; starvation Dever yet
oourteously halted for the convenience OF
senators DESTROYS OF expressing their Visws
on pol ats Of constitutional law; the devil
In disappointed, famished and desperate
men Is sometimes anything but deliberate
In his movements.
The plain duty of last December Is the
plain duty Of March. The only change
In the conditions in Porto Rico sirce the
reading aloud OF President Mckinley q
humane annual message in the two
houses OF Congress has been a change for
the worse. The distress is sharper now
than 1t wss then, the call for relief more
i'm Fortunate.