The evening times., 1900-03-31
CIRCULATION STATEMENT.
SATURDAY. MARCH 81. 1900,
Mr. Proctor's speech.

In The course of his speech in the senate
YESTERDAY in opposition TO the proposed
Payne-Foraker outrage upon Porto Rico,
Senator Proctor had read from the Sec
retary's desk letter received Tor the
Honorable George F. Edmunds, in which
the latter takes strong grounds on the
constitutional question involved in the
legislation which the Administration is
attempting 10 force on the country.
Whatever may be said in criticism OF
Mr.. Edmunds. there is not a shadow ot
doubt that he is one of the very greatest
of living American constitutional lawyers.
nor that his principles and views a1e al
ways sound and patriotic in cases where
they are free from the qualifying effects
of self interest The letter sent to Senator
Proct o. is an APT illustration Of this. What
we wonder at is that its author should
have been left free to write il. One would
naturally expect that some trust would
have retained him if only 10 keep his
mouth and pen quiet at the present juno
ture. Since that has not been done there
is nothing to prevent the Old Roman from
speaking his MIND. and he has spoken il
with force and logic that the country
Will feel and heed.
Mr Edmunds argues that the Constitu-
tion lis not subject to the control of CON
gress either to enlarge or diminish. 10
expand or to contract or TO be applied 10
or withdrawn from any people OF place.
He asserts that a law passed by Congress
is merely the creature of the Constitution.
l.. s. frr lion -,
Porto Rico depends upon an act Of Con
guess then ir would, in the island. be only
astautory Constitution. and repeal OF the
statute would repeal the Constitution it,
self He says that NO one doubts that if
American citizens or subjects ia Porto
Rico were 60 rebel against the authority OF
the United States or ccnspire with its enc
mics they would Doe guilty Of treason
But treason is an exclusively defined con-
stitutional crime. and it cannot exist on
The island unless the Constitution that de-
fines il is in force there"
With the forceful speech Of senator Proc
Tor the useful portion Of the Porto Riean
debate on the part OF the few Republican
consd,utionalists in the Senate has about
come TO an end. and that end finds the Ad-
ministration without a leg 10 stand on. lis
insincerity. in claiming that the CGnstilu-
ti0n OF the United States does not extend
ex proprio ygore beyond the confines OF
the several component States Of The Union.
has been thoroughly exposed by the reyc-
lations concerning the Nasoou reports. II
is charged and not denied that Judge Ma
goon prepared a careful opinion holding
..rrf f.srr
possessions from the moment the Treaty Of
Peace and cession with Spain became up-
eratiye. and that this opinion guided Presi-
dent Mckinley in his plain duty. rec
concentrations TO Congress Il also has
been charged that when the trust mag
mates came over from New York and
threatened Nr Hanna and Mr.. Mckinley
with a withdrawal OF their campaign sup
port unless the persecution OF Porte Rico
was continued, Judge Magoon was order
ed 10 prepare another opinion diametrical-
ly in opposition to the first.
The Administration has squirmed and
wriggled under daily lashings by the press,
which. without regard TO politics. has de-
uounced the sudden and abject surrender
TO the oil. sugar. tobacco. and rum trusts
as an act Of perfidy ana total depravity
Speaker Henderson in his desperation has
descended TO the tn quoque line Of argu-
ment and asserted that the very trusts
which bullied the party into the perpetra-
ton Of Dingleylsm in Porto Rico, have been
and are now trying to secure free trade
with the island. How much truth there is
in this Saint Elizabethan proposition is in
dicated by what is reported to have hap
pened between one of the trusts and the
Administrator. The staff correspondent OF
the New York J5urnal' in Porto Rico ca
bIes the following TO his paper, undeE date
of March 80:
''The STANDARD oil Company got the President
to remove the tariff crude Oil entering Porte
Rico, but TO retain the tariff refined oil. Th'
Standard oil Company has a refinery here anC
having arranged matters To it, own satisfaction
with the Mckinley Administrator IL Immediate,
proceeded to put up the price OF ite product
That must strike everybody as a most re
markable instance Of trust seen in tht
act of lighting for free trade! The debat,
in the Senate has been not only interest,
ing. hut highly instructive. II has result
ed in popular knowledge regarding the is
slle which is destined to dominate and OBJ
scure every other in the Presidential cleo
tion; and when the people go to the poll
next November they will be perfectly Ger
tain what they are voting for or against
1t is the trusts or the Constitution,