St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-03-07
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Work in the BOuse-The Porto Rican
Rhl-The Aldrich. Il ObbinsI Election
Senator ClRrks Observation-Disclosures
tiOnal Methods Marriage of Lord
PauncefOte's Daughter-BOer Re-
YeFses-Pr0f. Wilber's Lectures.
From our regular correspondent

!, From our regular correspondent
Ie The time OF the House OF Represe
er tatives has been largely taken t
r. with lively ard exciting debates c
o. the Porto Rican bill, its amendmen
y and final passage. Representa-,
o Payne, of New York, first advocate
.e a duty of rs per cent. to be collecte
r on merchandise and held as a sepa
{ ate fund in the United States trea'
= ury, lat the disposal of the Presiden
n to be used for the government an
;, benefit OF Porto Rico until otherwis
: provided by law" but finding tina
there were over 100000 pounds G
tobacco and great amount ofsuga
, ready to come in, which would brinl
} in large sum OF money for the pres
ent emergencies, he amended it by
placing the duty at Is per cent. The
treaty between the United States anc
Spain was concluded April II, 1899
and the name of Puerto Rico was
given 10 that island and to those
adjacent; but since that time, the
terrible hurricane of August s has
swept the island, when they were
getting ready to harvest the crop OF
coffee, and it brought great desola-
ton in its track. The important
question before Congress and the
country is what is the wisest and
best course to pursue under these cir
cumstances, in order to give present
relief to the impoverished inhabi-
tants.
This bill has brought out a great
many speeches, from both sides of
the House. Representative Grosve.
nor, of Ohio, considers this is one of,
if not the greatest, debate that the
American Congress has ever had pre-
sented to the country. He said that
the free trade recommendation sup
ported by the President involved
nothing beyond the island of Porto
Rico, but "the suspicious support of
the free.trade measure on the Demo
cratic side and wonderful zeal to de-
feat the measure" showed the deep
Importance of the substance of the
bill. One of the owners of a great
Republican newspaper criticized the
bill, for taking money from a poor
helpless people to put it into the
United States treasury, when, in fact
every dollar of the money raised at
either end of the line went into the
treasury and for the benefit of the
Porto Ricans, and when the matter
was explained he was amazed. A dis.
tinguished minister, Ia Mugwaump)
wrote, "you are hard-hearted PEG.
pie" How many of the people of
the United States understand that
two commodities owned largely by
trusts in this country are awaiting
shipment to the United States free of
tariff duty and yet people thunder
through the press at trusts 1t has
been suggested to take 100000
from the United States treasury and
defeat the bill. He preferred to take
the money from the spectators in
the produced crops of Puerto Rico,
OF from our treasury. The
democrats argue that the constitu-
ton OF the United States is being
Mr.. Berry, of Kentucky,
would prefer to loan money to the
people, three or FIVE million dollars,
to repair damages, rather than vio-
late the constitution. We have no
right, he claimed, to make those peo-
pie pay tax, but the trouble is
they say about the Philippines, if
you make rule for one, it may de-
termine the action about the Philip
pines in the future. Representative
Grow, OF Pennsylvania. stated that
Puerto Rico has military govern
ment and the laws are in force there
now, until Congress takes action on
the subject and all of their imports
into the United States pay the duties
OF the Dingley tariff, and the bill is
simply to provide the best method of
relief to those people in present dis
tress, and revive PROSTATE industries,
yet gentlemen denounce this as rob
berry, of whom OF the United States
treasury, he exclaimed. No dollar is
taken from the people OF Puerto
Rico; only two methods are open.
One to vote money from the treasury
or to borrow on bonds bearing six
or seven per cent. Representative
Richardson, the leader on the demo
cratic side, presented a petition
signed by the commissioners of the
island showing its condition and
capa, ity for paving taxes. and de-