The Irish standard., 1900-04-28

can imperialism, and they will have to
grin and bear it under the benefcent
rule of Mark Hanna and his man Fri
day.
Why did congress impose tariff on
Porto Rican products against the pro-
tests of both Americans and Porto
Ricans? And why is the tariff levied
for only two years and not always as
in the case of foreign countries be-
yond the jurisdiction of the United
States? Why not treat Porto Rico like
Hawaii? Governor Lind, of Minneso-
ia, throws light on the subject in the
following interview in the Minneapolis
Journal Of April IA:
"Why does Congress enact tariff
against Porto Rico and take Hawaii
into the American economic as we'll
as political system? 1t is we'll known
that Hawaii is a much more formi-
dable contribution to the American
sugar market than Porto Rico. l be-
lieve that the sugar trust dictates the
Porto Rico tariff while favoring free
trade with Hawaii. This is my rea-
son: The sugar trust owns practically
all the sugar lands of Hawaii; the
sugar lands of Porto Rico are mostly
held by small proprietors, eighty acres
being large farm. These farms are
for the most part heavily mortgaged.
10 save them from foreclosure the
military government has twice extend
ed the date of foreclosure. The time is
now up. If free trade were estab-
lished, the sugar planters would have
such easy access to the American
market that they would generally be
able to realize enough to meet the
mortgages. But even the small tariff
required by the law will so restrict
freedom of trade that the sugar ex-
ports will be controlled largely by the
trust, which has bought and will buy
at it's own prices. Consequently, the
small planters will not be able to raise
enough money to redeem their farms,
which will be lost by mortgage fore
closure and will eventually pass into
the hands Of the sugar trust. BY that
time the tariff will be a thing of the
past and the sugar trust will not have
to pay duties on the produce of it's
own lands. At present the trust wants
a tariff, so that it may get control of
the sugar lands; as soon as it does that
it wants free trade, and that is the rea-
son why the tariff was imposed at all
and for two years only
Ten days after Governor Lind's in
terview appeared in the Journal a
dispatch from Washington appeared in
it's pages in confederation of his views.
We select the following from the dis
patch referred to:
'Some facts have recently come to
the knowledge of the members of the
insular committee convincing them
that it is absolutely necessary that
safeguards should be thrown around
the granting Of franchises in Porto
Rico without delay, to prevent prac-
tically all lands and all industries in
the island being absorbed by few
great corporations, or possibly one cor
poration. 1t is understood by the COM
mittee that plans are already on foot
in this country for the formation of
company to buy up the mortgages on
Porto Rican property, with the object
of getting control of as much as pos
sible of the sugar, tobacco and coffee
lands in the island. Promoters of this
enterprise believe that in view of the
depression in business that has pre-
vailed since the American occupation
and especially since the hurricane of
last year, most Of the mortgaged lands
will have to be sold.'
What congress has done during the
present week, if anything, to save the
Porto Rican farmers from the grasp of
the American trusts, we do not know;
but the shrewd statesman who is the
reform. governor of Minnesota, was
perfectly correct in his explanation of
the motives for levying the tariff on
Porto Rican products for only two
years.