The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-12
SENATE AT ODDS.
Vain Attempt of Republicans to
Unite on Porto Rican Measure.

New York, March ia special to the
Herald from Washington says:
All attempts to unite the Republicans
of the senate on a compromise Porto
Rican bill have thus far failed.
Senator A1drich and other members
of the steering committee are trying to
bring about an agreement, but Senator
Foraker is still unwilling to go any
further than to accept an amendment
allowing all the food products to be i'm
ported into Porto Rico from the United
States free of duty. He is not inclined
to yield the management of his bill to
the steering committee. He thinks that
when he and his committee have de-
cided upon a measure as proper they
ought not to yield their Judgment to
Senators who have not given the mat
ter the same amount of consideration.
Senator Aldrich is still hopeful that
some compromise may be reached and
he is anxious to bring it about, if posi-
BILE, before he leaves for Cuba, about
the middle of the week.
The plan of compromise advocated by
some senators is to have the pending
bill amended by cutting the tariff fea-
ture entirely loose from the general
government bill and attaching it to the
Porto Rican relief appropriation bill, so
amended as to permit all imports from
the United States into Porto Rico free
VI QUlS dnu u I6QUCe the QuIy Porto
Rican goods imported into the United
States below the proposed Is per cent
of the Dingley rates.
This, it is commended, would still pre-
serve the principle at the bottom of the
pending bill and would enable a test
case to be made before the supreme
court to determine the question as to
the power of congress to impose duti-S
on commerce between the United
States and the insular possessions.
One of the arguments against accent
ing this proposition is that it would
weaken the contention so strenuouSly
made by the Republicans in the house
that the tariff was needed to supply
revenue for the insular government 1t
is pointed out that if no duty whatever
should be collected at the Porto Rican
end, and if the rate at the United States
end should be reduced below Is per cent
the bill would yield so little revenue as
to make it of very little benefit to the
treasury of Porto Rico
1t is also contnded that the loWering
duties at this end will be directly in
the interests of the sugar trust and the
tobacco trust, which are alleged by the
advocates of the tariff to have acquired
practically all of the sugar and tobacco
in the island. Those taking this view
OF the situation say if any change in
the rate of duty is made the % per cent.
rate originally proposed by the house
committee should be restored.
The revulsion of public sentiment in
IdFOI VI Tie Dll WHICH the Republican
leaders in the house predicted with so
much confidence would take place is
not yet being felt in Washington, and
senators and representatives continue to
receive letters and kilograms urging
that the original recommendation of
the president be adopted and that the
free trade be given to the island
These evidences of public opinion are
having effect in the senate, and while it
is still probable that the principle of
the original will be preserved and a
tariff will be imposed, it is evident that
the fight against it in the senate will
be a stubborn one.
Not all the pressure from outside is
one way. There are some committees
like those Of the California fruit grow
ers, the tobacco raisers of Connecticut
and the cane and beet sugar growers,
which advocate even a higher rate of
duty than the original 25 per cent, and
there are several Republican senators
who will support amendments proposing
higher rates.