The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-23
SENATE STILL DISCUSSING 1T.
PORTO RICAN RELIEF BILL MEETS
WITH OPPOSITION.

Republican Position with Regard
to New POssessiOns-BacOn Wants
Free Trade With Porto nicO at
lican Attitude.
Washington, March 22.-Almost the en-
tire session of the Senate to-day was
spent in the discussion of the conference
report on the Porto Rican bill.
The Democratic senators manifested
disposition to critcise the restoration of
the House provision covering future col
iections of revenue, protesting TO find in
this action a desire to continue the Ding
ley tariff
| Speeches were made on these lines by
Messrs Bacon, Cockrel, Jones of Ar
kansas. Berry and Allen.
The Republicans met the taunt with a
| proposition to take a vote Immediately
upon the House Porto Rican tariff bill,
| and it looked at one time as If unanimous
| consent would be secured for a vote on
the tariff measure tomorrow. Senator
| Proctor objected however, on behalf of
the Republican free traders. and when he
| indicated willingness to agree to a vote
next week, Senator Pettus put an end to
the proceeding by calling for the regular
order of business.
The following resolutions were passed:
BY Mr.. Allen requesting information
as to the tariff rates in force in the Phil
ippines, Guam Porto Rico and Cuba, and
| the amount collected in each instance
since the American occupation; by Mr..
tba af fIa
ury for information as to the bank char
| ters granted since the passage of the cur
rency bill, and for other information con-
cerning the operations of the bill.
Bacon Made Objections.
The Senate then took up the conference
report on the Porto Rican appropriation
| bill.
Mr.. Bacon of Georgia, objected to the
| changes made in conference. The report
would, he said, indicate that mutual con-
| cessions had been made on behalf of both
| the Senate and the House, but he held
that analysis would show that the
| Senate had yielded practically everything
! and the House nothing. Mr.. Bacon OBJ
! jected especially to the concession on the
part of the Senate to the House conten-
! ton that the appropriation should cover
future collections as well as those up to
Jan. /.
The appropriation bill, he said should
| be definite in terms, and especially was
| it believed by Mr.. Bacon that IL was the
| purpose of the bill to provide for the con-
| tingency that the tariff bill now pending
may fail In that event the revenue ar
| rangement would continue. That, he
| thought. was a legitimate conclusion.
| Mr.. Bacon then launched upon gen.
| eral argument against the Republican pol
| icy with reference to trade between the
| United States and the islands acquired in
| the war with Spain. No such outcry had
! recently been with essed rs that which had
| gone up from ali over the country after
the passage of the House bill, which was
intended to oppress an unprotected people.
| Naturally, the Republican leaders had
sought to find protecting shelter from
this storm and this bill was intended as
a peace offering to appease the indgna
! ton of the people. Not only had there
been trouble in the country at large, but
! in the Senate as well, and as a conse-
! quence the Senate. for the first time in its
| history, had a peace committee-a COM
mittee appointed by the Republican eau
GUS of the Senate TO preserve peace among
! its members.
would Leave the Tariff wall.
Mr.. Bacon also dwelt upon the insist
| ence cf the House upon the language
| continuing the collection and return OF
! the revenue, under existing law" Thus,
instead Of having free trade with Porto
| Rico or a reduction to Is per cent as
promised, we are, he asserted, to con-
| tinue the present relation, enforcing the
full rate of the Dingley law. To adopt
! this conference report meant the leaving
! CT the tariff wall standing and senators
| who professed to be favorable to free
! trade could not afford to shut their eyes
TO this fact. If then, Congress should ad-
! journ without passing another law those
! who should vote for the conference re-
port would be responsible for leaving this
! great burden upon people for whom
! there was so much expressed commiser-
| alton. The House could have accepted
! the Senate amendments and he said there
! could have been no such failure but for
| the intelligent direction of the bill by the
interests which We're advocating a tariff
on the exchange of our commerce with
| Porto Rico.
Not only did Mr.. Bacon want free trade
with Porto Rico, but he wanted 1t quick
! ly. The great need of the Porto Ricans
was to have such legislation as would
| put them In position to help themselves
and this could not be done by the course
| at present proposed. The talk of charity
! and humanitarianism was derided by him
as mere pretense. He also contended that
! the money TO be returned would not go
| to the people from whom it had been col
! lected.
Mr.. Bacon urged that Porto Rico was
| entitled to free territorial government
| with all its privileges.
Others Who Opposed II.
| Mr. Cockrell of Missouri and Mr. Sui
| liyan of Mississippi also opposed the con-
! ference report. Mr.. Allison defending the
report. arraigned the Democrats for their
| delaying tactics, and incidentally predict
! ed there would be a deficit under any rev.
enue system that might be devised for
! Porto Rico.
Mr. Allen of Nebraska criticised the Re
| publican party. The appropriation bill
| was a makeshift to permit that party 10
| escape from an awkward dilemma. The
general bills, he predicted, would be al
! lowed to drift until the temper of the
! people could be ascertained and a way
| out of the difficulty discovered.
Referring particularly TO Mr.. Bever-
| idges indefinite postponement of his
| speech, he spoke of the wonderfully or
| ganized system which controlled the
| movement of the Republican party. Mr..
Allen challenged the Republican side of
| the Senate for a vote on the House bill,