Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-03-20

| Against Amy Part OF
the Constitution to the Island.
WASHINGTON, March Blowing
| to the absence of Senator Spooner,
the Puerto Rican steering committee
has not yet held a formal meeting and
none will be held until his return.
Members of the committee, however,
have been making a canvass of the
Senate to see If there can be a basis
of agreement which will be satisfac-
tory. So far no great progress has
| been made. The Senators who an
nounced themselves in caucus as
| against the tariff portions of the bill
have shown 10 inclination to yield.
| The introduction of a free trade
amendment by Senator Beveridge
would indicate that that Senator in
tends to vote for free trade. 1t is GER
tain that a number of other Republic
| cans are determined not to vote for
| the tariff, although the friends of the
measure say only five or six will stand
out when the final test comes. A
| statement was made by a Senator to-
day to the effect that If those who OPP
| posed the tariff could not be won over
to the majority. the majority would go
| over to them, but so far there is no
| disposition to abandon the tariff fea-
| ture of the bill manifested by its
friends. The prospects are that any
action will be delayed as long az pos
sible.
The tariff feature of the bill will not
be separated from the government
features at present, although Senator
Foraker, having the bill in charge, will
take that action as soon as it is APP
parent that the government bill can be
passed and that there is no prospect
upon an early agreement upon the tar
iff provision.
Senator Beveridge to-day offered the
following substitute for the tariff sec
ton of the Puerto Rico bill:
"All articles coming into the United
| States from Puerto Rico or going into
Puerto Rico from the United States
shall be admitted free of duty, but this
act shall not be construed as extend
ing the United States Constitution, or
any part thereof. over Puerto Rico,
and it is hereby declared that the
Constitution of the United States is
not extended over Puerto Rico"
Speaking of the amendment offered
to-day, Senator Beveridge said:
"We have followed the Presidents
suggestion appropriating two million
dollars for the immediate relief of
Puerto Rico, which is more than the
House would have given the island
in the entire two years of its life.
| This removes the reason which mem
bers had for voting for the bill, and
| restores us to the position first an
nounced by the President. On the
| great principles involved we are in en-
| tire harmony with the President The
| object of my amendment is the same
as that of Senator Davis's amendment,
| but the latter extends all Of the taxa
ton and revenue provisions of the
| Constitution over Puerto Rico, and
when any part of the Constitution is
extended, it is there forever. 1t may
be that experience will demonstrate
that we shall want to change the laws
of taxation of Puerto Rico, and il so,
fear that the extension of the tax
ing provisions of the Constitution
would prevent us. On all questions of
power, Congress should be left with
an absolutely free and ~unshackled
hand
The House to-day refused to concur
in the Senate amendments to the Puer-
to Rican tariff bill. The Democrats
supported a motion to concur on the
ground that it would avoid further de-
lay in extending relief to the inhabi-
tants of the island. but the Republi-
cans stood firmly behind Chairman
Cannon in his demand that the House
should insist upon its original provis-
ion to appropriate not only the money
collected on Puerto, Rican goods up TO
January !, but all subsequent monies
collected or TO be collected. The re-
mainder OF the day was devoted 10
District of Columbia business.
JUMPED THE TRACK.