Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-28

the United States Congress shedding tears
Tor the poor people of Porto Rico. yet they
benefit of the island. So far as the mer-
chants association of New York was con-
cerned, it was interested in free trade with
/, all the world.
To Operate for Two Years.
A verbal amendment to section was
adopted. Mr.. Payne then offered the fol-
lowing additional section. agreed upon at
the conference of republicans on Monday
night:
This act shall be taken and held to be
provisional in its purposes and intended to
meet pressing present need for revenue
Tor the Island of Porto Rico and shall not
continue in force after March L. 1902
Mr. Powers (Vt), who was the author of
the amendment. supported it. With him,
ne SAID. there was a question as to the
consututionalty of the bill and one as to
its expediency. A case was already in the
courts, he said. which would eventually
settle the question of constitutional law.
AS to the expediency. this section would
make the measure temporary and pro-
visionaL 1t was, he understood satisfac-
tory to the President and, that being the
case, he was willing to give the amended
Dill his support. Republican applauseD
Mr.. SibIey for the Game.
Mr.. Sibley Pa) announced his intention
of voting for the bill in ten-minute speech
that attracted much attention He said
that all the testimony before the insuIar
committee showed that the people of Porto
Rico were in deplorable condition. While
we were debating the situation they were
starving. For himself, he considered 1t his
duty to support this bill. But Porto Rico
was mere incident to the broader propo-
sition.
The emergency" interrupted Mr. Will
liams Ull-), ':is not in Porto Rico but in
me politics OF the republican party" Dem
Mr.. Sibley-"You have located the politics
on the wrong side" Republican ap-
plause.)
Mr.. Williams-"It is pretty hard to locate
Mr.. Sibley replied that as he had said
before, his seat could be considered con-
structively on the republican side. Con-
.inuing. he said that if it was established
that every foot of territory owned by the
United States was on an absolute equality
then he was opposed to the whole policy
OF expansion. If the inhabitants of the
Philippines could compete with American
production and American labor he was will
ing to give the archipelago to Aguinaldo.
This bill did not exploit the people of Porto
Rico; every dollar it raised went to relieve
the distress which every witness testified
existed in Porto Rico. Mr.. Sibley conclud-
ed with scathing characterization of his
democratic critics.
Mr.. TOmpkfns Won Over
Mr. Tompkins On. ", who was one of the
original republican opponents of the BILL
announced briefly his reasons for giving his
support to the amended measure.
Mr. Hepburn Qowa), in the course of his
when he said that the treaty by which
Porto Rico and the Philippines became
ours could never have been ratified without
democratic support.
You gentlemen said he, addressing the
democrats, are responsible And now you
contend that there is no power under the
Constitution by which American labor can
be protected against the competition of the
pauper labor of 10000.GO0 Asiatfcs'
Mr.. Carmack CTennD suggested that the
democrats had voted to ratify the treaty
because they believed on the assurance of
republicans-Mr. Hepburn among them
that the Philippines were to be treated as
Cuba was to be treated-that they were to
be retained only temporarily.
Mr.. Hepburn Indignantly denied that any
pody, speaking for the republican party,
mad ever offered such an assurance.
Preamble offered
Mr.. Payne's amendment was then agreed
to without division, and he offered the fol-
lowing to come in before the enacttng
clause:
whereas the people of Porto Rico have
been deprived of markets for a large por-
| ton of their products and have lost prop
erty and crops by severe and unusual
storms, whereby they are Impoverished and
are unable to pay internal revenue and d.
rect taxes, and,
Whereas temporary revenue is necaSSar,-
Tor their schools, their roads and their in
ternal improvements and the administra-
uon OF their government; now, therefore g"
etc
Mr. Cummings Stfrs Up the House.
AT this point Mr.. Cummings On W threw
the House into furore of excitement.
He described how he believed it to be the
| duty of every man in a great crisis to rise
above party and support the government
as he had done during the Spanish war
| 4 believe now We should follow the lead Of
| the President" said he emphatically. land
| will vote for this bill
This statement electrified the House. The
republicans, without waiting for him TO I'm
ism his sentence, rose en- masse and cheereo
Whlie the democrats sat stunned and daZed.
MIR. Cummings stood with arm upraised
| until the republican applause ceased
Il will vote for this bill he continued,
\ addressing the republican side ..in accord
ance with the advice of the President for
! absolute free trade with Porto Rico
| 1t was now the turn of the democrats to
cheer, and for several minutes they made
| the rafters ring.
The excitement and confusion increased as
| the time for the voting drew near. The
seats on the floor filled up until both sides
| showed very full representations.
The public galleries were packed with
| crowds extending far out into the corri-
| dors. The private gallery of the President's S
| household and the diplomatic gallery were
| also well filed. In the front gallery sat
| the Duke de ARGOS, the Spanish minister.
| who listened to Mr.. Cummings ringing
| sentence, addressed to the republican side:
| You have snatched Porto Rico from the
| talons of Spain.''
Preamble Adopted
| Upon the amendment of Mr. Payne to in
sert preamble before the enacting clause
the rising vote was 163 yeas to 151 nays.
| THE SENATE.
| Soon after the Senate convened today
| Mr.. Aldrich Or. l. called up the confer
| ence report on the financial bill. and made
| an explanation of the differences between
| the Senate bill and the conference bill.
The first change was In the section de-
| filming the standard. 1t was, he said, purely
| verbal change-a change in phraseology
| and undoubtedly strengthened the sec
| ton.
| The second change was a provision in
| serted in the bill making 1t the express duty
| of the Secretary Of the Treasury to main
!