New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-12-19
A FALSE PARALLEL.

A FALSE P4hALLEL.
The Porto Rican legislation is in court. but
the critics of expansion promise that they will
hv no means cease their fight if the cOnstitu-
tionality of the ADMINISTRATORS policy is af-
firmed They will have 10 cease attacking that
policy as a usurpaton and violation OF the
fundamental law but they will make their
appeal ia behalf of abstract human rights and
liberties. and strive to convince the American
people that such a law as that setting up
government for Porto Rico is wrong even if it
is constitutional They take the position with
ex-President Harrison that though the taxa
ton of Porto Rico by Congress is not OPP
pressive. il is nevertheless as much an unjust
ifable piece of tyranny as the taxation of the
American Colonies by Great Britain.
A recent dispatch to 1.-The New-YOrk Evening
Post" describing the Porto Rican Legislature
throws considerable light on the validity of this
parallel. The correspondent points out that not
one of the thirty-five members of the House had
ever seen a legislative body I'm session. that not
a man had the slightest idea of any sort of
parliamentary procedure. that civil government
in Porto Rico was an experiment and that the
people had never before had any voice in their
own government The American Colonies on
the other hand. had governments long estab-
| lished and fully competent TO perform all the
functions which the British Ministry attempted
TO usurp Edmund Burke in his defence of
America laid great stress on these settled gov
ernments, founded On the principles of the
British constitution. If they had not existed.
and America had been an unorganized territory
inhabited by people with no facilities of their
own for lawmaking. there would and could have
been no question of the right and even the duty
of the sovereign to perform that function for
them directly. That was precisely the situation
in Porto Rico 1t has not generally beer the sit
uatOn IN, other Territories of the United States
peOpled they from the first exercise OF
American authority by men trained to seIf-gov-
eminent. but in the case of Orleans and of Flor
ida Congress did take upon itself the function
of governing directly and through Federal ap-
| pOintees without representation or recognition
| of constitutional guarantees. And even over
purely American Territories the Congress in
which those Territories had no vote has al
ways exercised the power of direct legislation
| concerning local affairs.
In Porto Rico there was nobody to levy taxes
or make laws. Congress merely performed it's
| duty the local legislature for Porto Rico lust
as it sometimes performs the same duty in levy
| ing taxes and making laws for the District of
| Columbia For local needs and not for Federal
4 purposes, ii undertook 10 raise money in the way
/ il was thought most convenient for the island
considering its condition and the distribution Of
| its wealth. Nobody now pretends that as a
practical scheme Of local taxation il has not
worked well and been less burlpnsome than
any land tax or other mpOst. What then was
there tyrannical about it? What parallel does
1t offer to the stamp tax? Porto Rico had 70 he
| governed. and there was only one body in exist
ehce win power to govern it, and the cry 'Tax-
alton without representation" raised against its
| acts is a meaningless phrase which might ips,
| as we'll be shouted about every ! nv ,,boso
affairs in its infancy and inconvenience are room,
| lated by laws about which il has nothing 10 SOW.
AT the same time that Congress took action n
the local legislature of Porto Rico II also GOT ~
a local representative government 10 relieve II
OF that duty as soon as possible That is the
/ government which THE Evening Post's' corro
| spondent describes as Of doubtful comno,o,,oo
1t naturally would be- Inexperence IN soI,
| government Is no discredit 10 those ,,,bo H.
never enjoyed 1t. But if the Porto Ricans oro
| not yet prepared for the measure Of cole 80,
ment we have given them where Is tho +.,,,-
III not having given them more? Where is H.
wrong IN not having turned them loose vitho,,.
even the preliminary local legislation 70 moi
taln order and provide them with ravon,,o 81.
thelr Imperative local needs till tbav ,ro.o -
10 attend to these things for tbemsalvosa tn
Aieilcdh revolution would never have h.,
Ioueht over the attempt Of Great Rritain . "a
themselves no' 10 Tor