The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-29
HENDERSON ON PORTO RICO.
SPEAKER TELLS WAY A TARIFF
SHOULD BE IMPOSED.

In the First Place, He Says, the
Trusts and Syndlcates Have
Bought Up Porto Rican Products.
In the Second Place the Island
Needs the Money to Support It's
Government-DecIar "a Tariff Bet
ter Than Direct Taxation.
Dubuque, Ia, March 2S.-The following
letter, written by Speaker Henderson to
Hon. Ed Knott, United States marshal for
the Northern district of Iowa, was receiv-
ed to-day. 1t shows his position and that
of the other Republican members of the
House, who voted for the passage of the
Porto Rican tariff bill:
MY Dear Mr. Knott: Yours oath about
Porto Rico is received. I cannot gather
from your letter what you personally think
of our action in the House, or what you
think of the President, who thoroughly
agreed with US and worked with might
and main to get the House bin passed,
and has been working in the Senate.
'The question for me to settle as an
individual representative is, What is my
duty? That question 1 asked and answered
when l worked with my associates 10 pass
the Porto Rican bill. Now let me get this
matter clearly in your mind, Mr.. Knott
for sooner or later the country will un-
derstand our position.
Controlled by Trusts.
"First-There are large quantities of to-
bacco and sugar in Porto Rico bought
up by trusts and syndica tes. They want
to get that into the United States free of
any duty and when once in, of course it
will sell in the markets at the same rate
as the tobacco and sugar which have to
pay the full tariff rates, thus giving hun
dreds of thousands of dollars profit to the
syndicates, etc The trusts and syndicates
are fighting the bill and / have given you
the reason why. There has not been, nor
is there now to my knowledge, a lobby
here working for the Porto Rican bill,
but these syndicates and Goldfish interests
Of New England and other interests in
cluding the -four interests, are all trying
to get into Porto Rico without paying the
10 per cent. duty on their product as
proposed in the bill. While under the
Dingley law tax of one dol12r. to illus
trate, is imposed upon a certain article,
under the House bill it would pay only
Is cents.
Porto Rico Needs the Money.
"second-Now, why have we imposed
Porto Rico is poor and has been swept
by devastating and destructive floods.
Her people are not at this time, and in
their present condition able to pay the
expenses of their government. No one
wants the United States to pay the eX
penses of running the governments Of any
of our several new possessions. The peo-
pie themselves In each of the islands or
groups, should pay their own expenses,
How is Porto Rico to do this now that
she has no local government? We must
first give her a local government and
both Houses of Congress are at work on
that problem, and in my opinion that
problem will he wisely solved when it is
done. But it will take a year end half
or two years to formulate a government
for her, and to put 1t in running order,
so that those people with their own gov
ernment machinery, may raise money TO
run their own government
I'm the meantime what should we do?
Follow the advice of the syndicates and
trusts and tax this desolate island or
their lands, or their limited productions?
or do we proposed and put their trifling
duty upon their exports and imports and
give every dollar of it back TO them and
run their government? This will be felt
by none except the syndicates and trusts
and rich interests that will do the buying
there and the shipping to Porto Rico In
directly, of course, some of this will be
paid by the consumers, but 1t will fall
lightly upon them and the burden will be
impercepuble, while direct tax would be
simply brutal and inhuman. The bill also
provides that this tax shall expire in two
years. which is time enough to allow the
government machinery of Porto Rico to
get into working order. There is no propo-
siton TO put a permanent burden upon
Porto Rico, but it is merely temporary
eXpedient for her own interest.
II
my friend, never was a bill so misrep-
resented and misunderstood as our Porto
Rcan bill and the time will come, in
the near future when those who propose
a direct tax, which would result from alb
solute free trade, will suffer in every
possible way for their misguided conduct,
for their selfish acts.
What the Senate is going to do is prob
lematica 1t has its share of towards.
The Senate is always the body upon
which the great interests concentrate
their efforts to defeat proper legislation.
But this fact remains, that 1 have the
knowledge that ! have done my simple
duty, and have done ii in consultation and
cooperation with the President of the
United States whose heart is quick TO
feel the Affections of this little island; 1
have done it in conference with such men
as Allison, Foraker and the earnest pa
triots of the Senate, who, defying spe-
cial interests and combinations, are try
ing to map out a plan for the present
needs of Porto Rico and to keep our
country so that it will be unfettered and
fitted for the wise treatment needed for
all of these new possessions.
81 am, my friend, your very truly.
%. b. Henderson.
Hon Edward Knott, Waverly, Ia"
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