Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-04-04
WANTS A FREE HAND.
5EvERtOGE ON AMERICAS COT.
ONlAL PROBLEM.
Indiana senator Says No Precedent
Will Serve for Government of New
Possessions Advocates Recipro-
city and Free Trade for Porto Rico.

Senator Beveridge of Indiana Thursday
delivered in the Senate his long-eypected
speech on the United States new pos
sessions and the policy that should be
adopted in governing them. He began
his speech rs soon as the Senate CON
vened, The keynotes OF his utterar@e
were free trade aud reciprocity for Porto
Rico. lie favored separating the civil
government and tariff features of the
Porto Rieau bill so that the former might
become a law at once, whether free trade
is carried or not, Mr.. Beyeridge said i'll
part:
To treat Porto Rico as We treat Ha-
wall and to deal with the latter as we
deal with the Philippines, and to apply
to all without delay the same fixed for
mula of laws which custom and intention
of statehood has prescribed for our ter
ritories from which our Stat,sS axe form
ed, is proposition as mad as y is novel.
More than any people Of history
events are placing US where we may Gem
mand and compel the peace of the world.
Porto Rico, Cuba, the canal, Hawaii. the
Philippines, make us literally the SOW
ereign power among the nations. l say
make us the master people of the world,
for never win believe that we will sur
render our possessions to others because
we cannot invent sane and appropriate
methods for their government and con-
trot. will never believe that our con
stituiion manacles our hands and narrows
our vision and numbs our brain. | will
never admit that our constitution is such
charter of death,
Issue Involves Keeping Islands.
THE first issue under debate involves
the keeping of our new possessions. For
one | rejoice that we have them, For
one believe that we have them by the
DEGREES Of Providence, which, in all
our history, has outrun the weak and
hating wisdom Of presidents and con-
crosses. For one | accept the privileges,
duties aud the burdens of our situation,
in the spirit expressed TO me by our
great admiral, as we stood on the Oiym
pia's heroie decks and looked across the
beautiful city to the blue mountains Of
Luzon, when he said to nae: a higher
power than mine was in this business; a
higher will and a wisdom than ours un-
fnrled that flag over this ocean empire,
ours now and ours forever. Ii we sur
render them 10 more discerning and pow
erful peoples, succeeding generations will
curse the folly aud the crime that not
only yielded our high advantage, but plae
ed the republic at the mercy OF its posi-
bic future foes
After dealing wiki the constitutional
question involved at considerable length
Mr. Beyeridge came TO the question Of re.
ciprocity and free trade He said in
part:
Reciprocity wi Porto Rico win help
that island; il cannot hurt us. No, it Will
help us more than it will help Porto Rico.
1t affords us Il safe experiment with our
possessions AT the very beginning OF our
experience as an administering power.
For nation OF 7o,000,000 people with an
imperial continent for its home, and prac-
ticcd in all the arts Of industry, cannot
suffer in competition with little island
smaller than a single county Of Texas,
ZOO miles from our shores, and peopled
by less than one-seyentieth Of our number
of inhabitants, poverty stricken and pros
trate. ignorant OF the meaning of self
government, and hebolding modern civil
ization as through glass darkly. Ii the
American republic, just embarked upon
=
fears competition with the least OF its
possessions, let US strike our coiors as a
sovereign power, tack from our course
marked out by the high inspiration Of
great events, put back 10 the port OF de-
cay, go out Of commission, and let the
mighty vcyagr on which We started be
sailed by holder hearts. loftier faiths and
eyes Of clearer vision.
Measure of Economic Wisdom.
Reciprocity with Porto Rico is not
only a matter Of duty; it is measure Of
economic wisdom. II IS the reciprocity
for which the great statesmen OF the re-
public have planned and toiied. And ii is
reciprocity not with foreign country,
but with our own possession. 1t Is re-
ciprocity of nature; Porto Riean products
supply what we need aud cannot so well
produce. When our markets are open TO
Porto Riean products industry viii. and
must of necessity. he stimulated as by
the wine OF life itself all through our ISL
and the people will prosper, money will
pour into their wiiheretl hands and Porto
Rico, now desol0te, viii be placed in the
position Of prosperity justified by It's re
sources. It's location and It's possibilities,
cnd0w us. Her markets viii exclusively
be ours; for our tariff against Europe
and the world will be her tariff against
Europe and the world, aud so our cloth
ing and -four aud corn aud implements
aud all the products Of oar farms and
mills and looms wiil have exclusive mar
kets there.
But to close on markets TO Our own
possession or 10 make those markets dear
and difficult is 70 take from our masses
the necessities produced on our own ter
ritory, and 10 make the markets Of our
owr dependency dear and difficult to our
producers is 10 deny to ourselves the OPP
poFtuuity to sell our own products TO our
own possession II ~ situation which
even the necessity for instant financial
relief could not render endurabie to the
Government Of the United States. aud 50
the President Of the republic, true 70 his
fatherly ssiicitude for Porto Rico true
to his constructive craftsmanship, has
through the legal and constitutional
method Of an executive message 70 the
Senate and .e House, recommended the
relief TO the island by the appropriation
Of more than S2.0o0,00 which, in turn.
relieves the Congress Of the United
States from committing an oneHse
against statcsmanship to which it was
driven by the absolute necessity for funds
for the island. And that recommends
ton we have adopted.
But 10 continue tarig between the re-
public aud territory belonging 10 he
United Statcs" IS TO leave uusoiyed all
the Problems before as. aud unanswered
. 3. .f..-- In.
duty to Indulge jas ihjusing 81 -, best