The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-16
TROUBLE IN MINORITY RANKS.
Continued from First Page.

Spooner why ii would not he well for
| Congress 10 wait until the courts had
passed upon the question before appro-
priaSing this money.
YES" replied Mr.. Spooner vehement
ly wait. Let the people of Porto Rico
starve until the courts have determined
| whether we shall pay back the money col
| lected as duties to the sugar and tobacco
| trusts. l cannot believe the Senator
would stand by any such proposition as
that"
Mr. Clay Of Georgia inquired Of Mt
| SpOoner if it We're not true that in the
midst of their distress we have collected
this burdensome tax from the people of
| Porto Rico.
NO it is not" replied the Wisconsin
Senator. The duties Were paid by a COM
parativeiy few people and those are not
| the poor people We were right in impos-
ing the tariff and we are right in making
this appropriation"
MIR. COckreII's View.
Mr.. Cock1ell Of Missouri said he had al
| ways believed in the great economic
theory that the consumer of an imported
article pays the tax and he therefore OPP
posed Mr. Jones' substitute
we all know" concluded Mr. Cockrell,
that some excitement has been created
throughout the country by this proposed
! Porto Rican legislation. The President,
Secretary OF War and the governor gem
eral of the island recommend free trade
between the island and the United
States.
This question was presented and anoth-
! er legislative body which had authority
decided the matter so far as ii was con-
| cerned. This body or part of ii has
! been put in a dilemma, but that has lit
! tie pertinence here and now. This appro-
| priation ought to be made, and at once
because the people need it and because
it is right"
Bacon Took Same Ground.
Mr.. Bacon took the ground covered by
Mr.. Cockren. While ne favored the bill,
he did not. he said, by any means shut
/ his eyes 10 the fact that the measure was
intended, not so much as a great humani
| tartan project as TO afford the Republicans
! an eSress from a serious political dilemma.
He said that after the action of the House
had raised storm throughout the coun-
try this bill had been sprung suddenly in
order to assist the Republican party in its
political maueuvering.
Mr. Allen offered an amendment declar-
ing the Paris treaty had the effect of ex-
| tending the constitution over Porto Rico
| and its inhabitants.
Mr. Foraker said it was his purpose still
to press the governmental bill.
\ Political Necessity.
Mr. Petigrew announced his opposition
to the passage of the bill, saying that its
only necessity was political. He thought
the bill did not provide any money for
the relief of the suffering Porto Ricans.
He contended that the only reason for
urgency in the passage of the measure
| was to allay the political clamor. Evil
IDENTIFY the Republican party had decided
that to betray Porto Rico was preferable
to changing the system of protection
Mr.. Pettigrew admitted that the situa-
ton was embarrassing.
IF you don't put duty on tobacco and
fruit he said, the tobacco raisers of
! Connecticut and the fruit raisers of Cal
ifornia are liable to vote against the Re-
publican ticket, while if you do provide
for duty you violate the pledge made to
the Porto Ricans when we took posses
sion of the island
Mr.. Fairbanks of Indiana urged that
there was a great need for assistance. 1t
was no time to play politics in the Sen
ate, but rather time for action in the in
terest of humanity, Mr.. Fairbanks con-
! GUIDED with a motion for an executive ses-
| sion.
Senator HOar's Views.
Mr. Hoar addressed the Senate on the
Porto Rican appropriation bill. He an
nounced his willingness to let the appro-
| priation bill pass for humanitarian rea-
| sons, but took occasion to repeat his
views on the general question of eXpan'
! sion.
I have not" he said, changed or mod
flied my former opinions" and he pro-
ceeded to say that his study during the
! last twelve months of the situation in the
Philippines had only served TO convince
him that he had been right in his original
| position. He had read with great enthusl-
| asm the state papers of the leaders of the
| Philippine revolt and had found them TO
be modest, temperate and eloquent APP
| peals to the love of justice of the people
/ of the United States" and he hoped and
| believed that in time these appeals would
| make their way to the conscience of the
people of this country insuring justice in
| the end if not now. He announced he pro-
| posed to vote for the pending bill and
against any proposition that may involve
debate
1.-The American people will not tolerate
| any paltering with solemn obligations.
| Recognizing the national good faith as the
| nations chiefest glory, they VIII condemn
| any violation of b as the blacklist crime.
| All over the country this Porto Rlcan
| question has stirred to the deepest the
national heart and conscience, legislation
| inspired by a breach of good faith will
bring a terrible Nemesis 1t is said that
| a tariff is needed between Porto Rico and
| the United States to provide case for the
courts to decide the extent of our Jur1s-
| diction over the new dependencies, espec-
/ tally the Philippines. l answer that no
| convenience, no eXpediency, no other OBJ
legation ever justifes a breach of the ma
tional good faith.
Let me add, too that this Porto Rican
legislation is testing us before the eyes
of the Filipinos who keep well informed
of all our doings They win judge by this
| legislation of the value OF the American
| promises When the ablest and most
statesmanlike of Aguinaldos emissaries to
the Philippine Commission once expressed
the fear that the American government
might moi keen its promise it was making
| for Spain said he made promises and
broke them, l slenced them with the re-
ply: Senior, the United States is not
Spain Is he now to learn, are all the
Filipinos now to learn, that in
the first legislation for our new
dependencies we must prove faithless
90 our pledges and recreant TO our obli-
cations? Such an exhibition of ourselves
will strengthen the hands of Agunaldo
and the insurgents, because unhapplly IL
can be used to support their persistent
statement that the Americans are no more