New-York tribune., 1900-03-27
PUERTO RIOAN TARIFF.
FREE TRADE SUBSTITUTE OFFERED
BY SENATOR DAVIS.
tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuNE.1

tBY TELEGRAPH rR1BuNE.1
Washington, March Ex-senator Foraker to-
day gave notice that and after tomorrow he
would press the consideration of the Puerto
Rcan Tariff bill from day to day until disposed
Of. and Senator Davis gave notice of the fol-
lowing substitute for the bill
Section l. That Puerto Rico is hereby made
an internal revenue district that the laws of
the United States providing for internal revenue
taxation and collection. not locally napplicable.
are hereby extended to and shall remain In
force in Puerto Rico. excepting herein 9TH
erwise provided, for the term stated In this act.
The President. by and with the advice and con-
sent Of the Senate. shall appoint q Collector
of Internal Revenue for said district, who shall
receive an annual salary OF $4,000. and whose
office shall be at San Juan.
Sec. 2. That excepting herein otherwise
provided, ID per cent of all the internal revenue
taxes imposed by the laws of the United States
taxes imposed by said laws upon written or
printed documents shall be collected in said dis
authorized and directed to make all needful
regulations to carry this act into effect and to
prescribe the compensation of all officers and
agents necessary for that purpose.
Sec. 3. The amount of all taxes collected.
less the necessary expenses Of collection is here
by appropriated and placed at the disposal OF
the President to be expended under his direc-
ton for the government of Puerto Rico now
existing and hereafter to be established. and
for public education, public works and other
governmental and public purposes therein.
Sec. 4. Upon tobacco not grown in Puerto
Rico and upon all manufactures Thereon, ana
upon rum or other distilled spirits produced from
substances not grown in Puerto Rico, the full
taxes provided by the internal revenue laws OF
the United States shall be collected. Upon to-
bacco grown in Puerto Rico and the manufact-
ures thereof and upon rum and other spirits dis
titled or made from sugar cane or other agrlcuit-
ural products grown in Puerto Rico, or from the
product Of such sugar cane or other agricultural
product, the said tax of ID per cent shall be
imposed, the same as upon other subjects OF IN
ternal taxation.
Sec <. That the President whenever he shall
be satisfied that local self government has
been established in Puerto Rico adequate TO
raise and collect taxes by its own legislation,
shall have the power from time to time by proc
lamation to decrease the said percentage of tax
ation or to wholly abolish the same.
Sec 6. That duties upon imports or ex-
ports shall. after the passage of this act be
levied or collected any articles imported from
the United States into Puerto Rico or from
Puerto Rico into the United States.
Sec Z. This act shall be taken and held to be
provisional in It's purposes and intended to meet
pressing present need for revenue for the
island of Puerto Rico, and shall not continue in
force after the first day of March, l9oZ.
From the comments made by leading Senators
and Representatives this afternoon it was gath
cred that the substitute would not probably be
favorably considered by the leaders of the ma
jority in either branch Of Congress. 1t was
thought that the plan would be submitted and
discussed in the Republican caucus later in the
day. and that Senator Davis might then be able
to present an estimate TO how much revenue
It would yield 1t may be remembered that Cen
eral Davis when in Washington. declared his in
ability to devise a system scheme of internal
taxation for Puerto Rico that would yield more
than 100000 year under existing conditions
The day until the caucus assembled was
spent mainly in consultations between Republi-
can leaders of the House and members of the
Harmony Committee and other Senators as to
the prospect of passing the tariff bill through
the former body in case it should carry an
amendment providing for the inclusion of the
Executive free list The House leaders had only
one opinion to express, which was that such an
amendment would inevitably kill the bill. Their
earnest representations on this subject appar-
emily made deep impression on the minds or
some Senators who had been strongly inclined
to favor the amendment. and when the caucus
assembled 1t seemed probable that a decision
would be reached to abide by the House bill
without any amendment. This prospect, how
ever, not realized.