Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1900-04-25
PORTO RiCAy TARIff.
Every Dollar Collected TO be Returned to
the Island Treasury.

the Island Treasury.
Washington, d. c., April Is, 1900.
Special Correspondence.
The Porto Rican tariff bill il law,
despite every obstacle that the free
trade Democracy could throw in it's
way. Could they have compelled the
enactment of measure establishing
immediate and absolute free trade
with Porto Rico they would have
had opportunity to assert that the
precedent thus established must be
applied to the Philippines, TO Hawaii
and to any other non-contlguOus ter
ritory which might subsequently
come into similar relations with the
United States, and that by the act OF
the Republican party the cheap labor
Of the orient and the tropics was
thus To be brought into direct COM
petition with the workingmen and
agriculturists OF the United States.
That was tie political opportunity
for which the Democrats were fight
ing, but they failed to accomplish 1t.
The bill as it stands proposes to
temporarily collect on goods passing
from Porto Rico into the United
States and from the United States
into Porto Rico, IL per cent OF the
regular Dingley tariff and tn pny in
to the empty treasury OF the island
every dollar so collected, this plan to
continue only until the legislature Of
Porto Rico shall have provided local
taxation sufficient to meet the neccs-
sities OF the island and In no event
to continue beyond March /, 1902, af-
ter which date there Is to bcabsolute
free trade between the island and
the United States.
One OF the objects OF tariff upon
Porto Rico's products imported here
IL to establish right to impose such
tariff In later years, should it be
found necessary. This will he pre-
cedent In our legislation for our new
possessions, the Philippines. The
proposed import duty-l5 per cent OF
the Dingley rates-is merely nominal.
within per cent of free trade. Back
Of 1t is an established power and rec
ognized authority to deal with these
questions as shall seem wisest and
best when we know more about the
whole matter, and shall better under
stand the true situation with which
we have to deal.
What Porto Rico Is today we
know-what 1t mny become ten or
twenty years from no" under the in
fiuence of American capital and en-
terprise, we can only conjecture.
Cotton may be grown there and cot
ton manufacturing might become a
large industry. With cheap island
labor, the product Of our own north
ern and southern mills could thus he
undersold. Would 1t he right to cx-
pose the agricultural and Industrial
interests of these United States To
such competition? II the principle OF
a tariff be not now maintained, IL
might be difficult. II not impossible.
to impose one hereafter, II 1t should
thus become necessary. Then the
Republican party would be blamed
and Justly SO, for it's neglect to pro-
tect the interests Of American citi-
zens on the mainland, and for its
lack OF forethought.
1t may be that the sugar yield
there may grow to such an extent as
to curtail the available market area
for our growing beet industry. The
same may be true OF tobacco, Of veg
etables, of oranges. OF rice, OF hides,
OF hemp and other products. 1t Is
not claimed that there Is strong
probability of danger to American
industries through the establishment
OF free trade relations with Porto
Rico, as a precedent for our policy in
dealing with all our outlying posses.
sions, no one can deny, after having
given the subject careful invcstiga
tion. What applies to Porto Rico
might be held to apply equally to
other possessions, and who can say
what may develop In that much
larger and equally fertile area in the
east, with its abundance OF cheap
labor.
This Is what we must guard
against. without a precedent, and
the established right to impose a
tariff upon any OF the products OF
our island possessions, the United
States may in years to come feel the
effect OF such lack Gf legislation to u
very serious degree.
BY the adoption Of this legislation
future protection will he possible q
American interests I'm case IL be need
ed against that source, or against
the Philippines. or against the Dan
ish West Indies. should we acquir,
them, or any outlying possessions
An ounce OF prevention Ia worth q
pound OF cure, and II IL best not tC
fix precedent that will abolish q
right which maintains our national
policy. Moreover, the Republican
party will not be committed To the
policy Of free trade as II so earnestl,