The evening times., 1900-02-27
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY q, 1900.
4 Compromise with Sin.

Whether the Republican leaders in Con-
gress think that they have savzd tie
Payne Porto Ric@n Tariff bill by means OF
the latest compromise OF not We are un-
able to say. Why any honest man should
fnd himself ate to commit fifteen per
cent crime when one at twenty-five per
cent would he impossible to him, is a
question too abstruse for easy ans ver.
Yet Payne, Dalzen. and cTOsveLor, with
their lucid Hanna bargain counter logi.
appear to think that the difference is am
pie 10 meet every objection, and to 81 ve
every Republican conscience. As to the
latter point they are experts. and ought
to know.
We are happy to see that there are fow
Republicans--men like Mr. Littlefe,d Of
Maine Mr.. Mccall OF Massachusetts,, and
Mr.. Bromweu o. Oh;o-who refuse TO be
lieve that the Constitution Of the ULitsd
States will be violated in a smaller degree
by the proposition Of the amended bill 20
impose only fifteen per cent OF Dingleyism
on Porto Rico instead Of the higher figure
originally intended. In their minds and
in he minds Of all decent citizens the
meusure is no less obnoxious to law ana
public policy because its provisions are
made a little less inhuuIan IN their opera
tion than the great Gil sugar. tobacco.
and rum trusts demanded they should be.
IN short it MY be considered sin doubt
ful it the trust statesmen in jhe House
can pass the bill. and it VIII be far better
for the Administration Il they fsu
The compromise. If it may be 50 called
Is net without evidence of shrewdness on
The part Of those who framed IT, although
its object is necessarily apparent 20 tn,
most casual observer. The theory of th'
sub.erfuge evidently is that the monopo
lies. seeing that they cannot get twenty
five per cent unconstitutional pr0teeion'
against American territory, will take If
teen rather than nothing; and that III,
duties thus unlawfully exacted viii be lov
enough to make it hardly worth while f0i
sufferers 90 engage in costly litigation &c
secure a decision from the Supreme Cour
declaring the act unconstitutional
In any such forecast the trust repre-
sentauves will find themselves mistaken
1t is possible that it may be found i'm
practicable TO get a test case before ths
tribunal OF last resort between now and
the Presidential election. but Mr. Payne
knows that when such a thing shall hap
pen, it will mark the end OF tariffs against
American domestic commerce, and The
opening of an era Of unrestricted free
trade between the American mainland and
the American islands. II Mr. PAYNE UB-
deEstands and realizes this, and most GER
tainly he does. whatever ne may say. foi
party purposes. TO the contrary. the same
facts must be equally plain 10 the people
in whose interests The benevolent inten-
items toward Porto Rice of the President
The Secretary of War. ard the House Way
and Means Committee lave been changed
Persons like Mr.. Rockefeller Of the oil
trust Mr.. Duke of the tobacco trust. an,
the Senatorial protector Of the New En-
gland rum trust-whO is moi Mr.. Lodge
are not likely TO be without excellent lega
advice in matter Of legisia ion. Conse-
quentiy they all know by this time tha
nothing short Of packing the Suprem,
Court can prevent that body f'om declar-
lug tnat free trade between the States and
Territories is guaranteed By the C0usti-
tuition