The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-06

II hope the recommendation will
meet with favor on that side OF the
house" said Mr.. Richardson, the mi
nority leader.
TIL see il it meets With favor on
that side of the house, retorted Mr..
Cannon sharply. I'll now ask for
unanimous consent for the immediate
consideration Of a bill to carry the re-
commentator Of that message into
force"
The suddenness of the request spread
CONSERVATION among the democratic
side. There was no time for c~onsulta-
ton. Mr.. Richardson stood hesitating
a moment.
Better do it at once" said Mr.. Can
non, before you change your mind"
This shaft raised a laugh. Mr.. Rich
ardson said he would not object. but
wanted to Enow how much time would
be allowed for debate.
Mr.. Cannon, finally suggested twen>
ty minutes on a side. To this Mr..
Richardson assented, observing: II
do not suppose gentlemen on the other
side can be Of one mind longer than
forty minutes. Oaughter.) We agree
If it viii help o out Of the hole"
The bill was then offered and read.
1t was as follows:
BE it enacted, etc, that the sum
of 3d. 59, 455 being the amount of GUS
toms revenue received on importations
by the United States from Porto Rico
since the evacuation of Porto Rico by
the Spanish forces on October IS, 1898,
to January l, 1900, together with any
further customs revenue collected on
importations from Porto Rico since
January 1, 1900, or that shall hereaf-
ter BE- collected under existing law
shall be placed at the disposal of the
president. to be used for the govern
ment and benefit of Porto Rico until
otherw: Sc provided by law; n the
revenues herein referred TO. already
collected to be collected, under
existing law. are hereby appropriated
for h purposes herein specified out
of any moneys in the treasury not 9TH
erwise appropriated"
Mr.. Cannon explained that the sugar
and tobacco piled up in Porto Rico
controlled by the sugar and tobacco
trusts. winch vas awaiting shipment to
this country would be shipped to the
United states if this bill passed and
that every dollar of duty paid by these
trusts would be devoted TO the storm
swept n starving inhabitants of the
island. You have been shedding croc-
odlle tears over there. Now come up
and vote for this bill every man of
you.
Mr.. Bailey, of Texas, replying to Mr..
Cannon, evoked a round of democratic
applause by his first sentence. If he
a known when the request for
unanimous consent was submitted that
the bill placed at the absolute disposal
of the president 50, 900, 900 now in the
treasury and IN indefinite sum here
after to be collected, he said he would
himself have taken the responsibility
of objecting. He would never consent,
he said, to turn over to the discretion
of one man money in the treasury of
the United States. Undoubtedly, the
people of Porto Rico had been subject
ed to unjust taxation and there should
be an atonement. But the money
should be returned by the direction Of
congress now at the discretion of the
president. The right to dispose of
money in the treasury belonged to con-
gIess not to the executive.
Mr.. Berry, of Kentucky, said that 10
one smypathized with the starving peO-
pie in Porto Rico more than he did,
but he believed there should be a di-
rect appropriation from the treasury.
Money Mould not be given to them,
the title to which was in doubt. There
had recently been filed in the circuit
court a suit to recover duties collected
on P1cto Rican goods and he was of
opir.Jn hat every dollar collected
since the ratification of the Paris
treaty had been unlawfully collected.
Mr.. McRae, of Arkansas, declared
that the bill was an admission that
the rights of Porto Rico had been out
raged-a confession that money had
been unjustly taken from them.
At this point Mr.. Bailey attempted
to secure the consent of the other side
to an amendment limiting the appro-
priation to the money in the treasury
and to define the purpose for which
it should be used, but Mr.. Cannon de-
clined to yield and turned the 1.oor
over to Mr.. Grosvenor, of hio The
latter said it would be a sourc of
qualification to himself and 20 the
country that the agony and despair
which had so recently rested upon Por-
to Rico had been shifted to the demo-
cratic side of the hall of representa-
tives Republican applause). He said
the democrats had been vastly more
agitated about politics than starving
Porto Ricans.
Mr.. Bailey reiterated his request for
notifications which he sai the whole
democratic side would support.
Mr.. Maddox, of Georgia, denounced
the massage, and the bill as a piece Of
cheap political capital: You were
| bliStered by, the country" he said, "and
now you are using OIL"
Mr.. Sulzer, of New York, said it was
a move of the president to square him
self and the republicans with the peo-
pie, who protested in the name of JUS
| tice against the and
iniquitous tariff bill" for Porto Rico.
Mr.. Richardson, who arose to close
the debate, had but Jour minutes re-
| naming. He appealed for more time,
but it was refused. He protested Wig
orously against the methods employed
by the majority. In all his experience,
he said, he had never known such an
unfair advantage to be taken of the
minority. He denounced the bringing
! in of a bill prepared in secret after a
nights conference with the president
and precipitating it upon the house as
designed to gain a Cheap John advan-
tage. He charged the republicans with
hoping and praying that some demo-
crat would object ito get even on the
loss sustained by the republican party
in the treatment of Porto Rico"
THE republican press" he said, lis
blistering you and you hope in this
way to fool the people. But you cannot
do it. / warn you hat in the ides
of next November a hurricane, in COM
parison with which that which de-
vastated Porto Rico was a mere zephyr,
will sweep over the land and sweep
o out of power in his ongress and
in the White house" prolonged dem
ocratic ~applause.)
After further discussion. Mr.. Can