The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-13
FLEMING ON IMPERIALISM.
GOVERNMENT BTyrwEF:N TWO
horns or A DILEMMA.

NNNA Nhffthce htNhcr COLONIAL Ina
Periallsm or Protective Tariff
Tenth District ConGressman Makes
a strong showiaE-some Interest,"
tng chat of the Statesmen at the
Capital and Their Doina-.
Washington. u. c., Dee i2-Advocaies
OF anu-imperlalism are looking anxious
~ and hopefully for the supreme Court
q the United States 10 sustain their po-
sitlon In the forthcoming decision In the
Porto Riean cases. TO be handed down
next week. As these cases involve the
question OF whether the constitution fol-
lows the nag. a decree OF the court in
support OF that theory will Il Ia believed
so a Ions way towards inducing the adj
mlnistTation 10 reverse. or materially al
ter. It's policy In the Philippines II Is
coa,oudcd chat tho Republican party Is
brought face to face with the alternative
OF either aboiishing the high protective
tarln system or abandoning It's colonial
policy.
Congressman william IT, Fleming has
from the nrst. been a pronounced oppo-
nen' OF the adminis,ration's policy OF i'm
periaiism. as developed in tho manage
ment OF the Philippine question. lie saw
We should have aimed at trade expansion
without political sublugailon. and that
We can obtain the former without the
after Ills nrst speech IN Congress on
the sub1ecs dealt chiefly with the legal
ana economic aspect OF the problem His
second speech was on the moral aspect
Of imperialism. subsequently he wrote
an Article for the Conservative Review
entitled. The Question OF National Hon.
or he also contributed 90 the Chicago
Record a paper on "Our Duty IN the Phil
ippines. His last contribution was on
imperialism and the New Ethics"
speaking on this subject to your cor
respondent Mr.. Fleming said:
This question OF imperialism Is not set
tied yet by any means. There were so
many cross-issues In the last campaign
that II cannot be said even now that the
people have ratified the policy OF the adj
minlsiratlon.
But We anti-imperialists are looking
with strong hopes 20 the Supreme Court
which viii soon be called upon TO de-
clare The law fixing the status OF our
new possessions In their relations 10 our
Federal Constitution. especially as re-
CARDS our tarim laws. Argument h set
for next Monday. the nth on a case In
volving the Porto Rican tariff The Court
may have great surprise In store for
those who think colonial imperialism can
be engrafted by Congress on oar consd-
tutional system without amending the
constitution as provided tn that instru-
mcnt
III the court should hold that the con-
sdtution goes with the flag. the Repub-
iican party will have 10 sacrifice either
rs colonial Imperialism or its prote tive
iarin. The open door IN the Philippines
viii make breach In the home tariff
laws through which foreign Imports viii
pour The truth Is that many adherents
OF the administration are. In the emphatic
language Of one Of their number. a
tired u this Philippine business"
You may be surprised az tho state
ment." Mr.. Fleming continued. but I
have heard by sort OF Erupc-vlne-feio-
graph that some very influential members
Of the administration would hail with
delight an adverse decision by the su-
prcme Court, because IN that event the
administration would be able 10 extricate
Itself from che consequences OF this mis-
cradle hluu1cr Ia the Philippines. Re-
publican voters love the protective tarif
more than they love colonial Imperialism,
and under the compulsiOn OF a Supreme
Court decision the administration would
have IT'S best excuse for reversing as
policy OF subjugation and adopting new
policy looking towards the technical in
dependence Of tho Fiipinos under close
trade arrangements with us. as ought TO
have been done In the first instance.
Some persons 10 80 far a. go say that
the President himself would be highly
gratined al such a decision OF the su-
preme Court This may not h. true but
stranger things have happened. and the
President IS one OF the best politicians
pure ard simple that ever sat IA the
White House. No man could reverse him
self more gracefully than the President.
THE Supreme Court by a decision on
tho civil rights law saved the South from
the fanatic!sm Of Republican partisans.
BY It's decision on the Porto Rican tarin
law. 4 may save the whole country from
the disastrous policy % our colonial i'm
per .alists.
not an PLATA sailing,
Danger signals are being displayed along
the pathway Of the Hanna Payne ship
subsidy bill Although the friends OF the
measure arr confident Of It's passage
through the Senate. Senator pettigrew
ciaims TO have organized a formidable OPP
position which may delay Il n not defeat
the final passage % the bin. Several Dem
ocrauc Senators who finch az the word
Pettigrsw to prevent the passage Of the
bin II f. also asserted by a Republican
senator that a number Of Republicans are
iukewarm IN their advocacy Of the bill.
Not only because they have no special in
tcrest In It's provisions. but because they
are disposed 10 resent what they conceive
10 he a breach OF senatorial courtesy and
dignity by senator Hanna.
They claim that IN his efforts 10 push
the bill forward. he has incenred many
senator's by writing them n dictatorial let
ter practically commanding them 10 be IN
their seats on n certain day 10 expedite
the consideration Of the Hhip-subsldy bill
In any other body but the senate such
communication as Senator Hanna address
Cd 10 his party associates would have o.
casioned no unfriend,y feeling. Certain
senator's. however. are quite sensitive on
the subject Of senatorial courtesy. ana
Senator fInnna'E assumed leadership IN
the Senate has given onense In quarters