The Southern herald., 1900-03-09
our Washington Letter.

House sEe sIiil shaking from the
fright given them by their narrow
e>capstrom ! humi!isting defeat on
the Porto Rico tariff bill. The fig
uratiye sack cloth and the ashes Of
Ash Wednesday came very near 10
being real for them on that day
They amended the bill By reducing
the tariff from - 10 Is per cent.
which Representative Berry apily
said merely changed The crime from
grand 10 petty larcency, and by
limiting i,s operation 10 Two years,
which was an acknowledgement
that the whole principle OF the bill
was a wrong one, and then they
could not ge, the votes needed to
pass II wIlhou; resorlIng 10 every
known form of political bull-doz
ing and eyolery. Had the rrpuO-
lcans Of the House voted their real
sentiments, the bill would have
been defeated by more than q two
thirds vote instead of being passed
by a vote Of l72 to l6l. The con-
s,ituiinnal question involved in this
hill will not down. Il will be heard
when the bill is taken up in the
Senate, aud it will be heard all
during the coming Presidential
campaign, and like other great
questions, will never be settled un-
I'll j. Is settled right.
Senator Aldrich explained the
gold standard bill agreed upon BY
the Conference committee, to the
Senate, but he did not attempt the
impossible task Oi defending the
measure, which indeed ought
TO be officially entitled "A bill to
put money in the pockets Of the
rich at the expense of the poor, /"
Within - hours of the time that
the House was passing the bill To
rob the poor Porto Ricans by i'm.
posing duty upon the products
they have 10 sell, the Senate was
taking the hrsI step towards max.
lug Hawaii a state, by passing a
bill providing a territorial govern.
ment for Hawaii. If there is any
logical reason for making this un-
/ Just distinction between prosperous
Hawaii and hait.siarved Porto RI.
CO, It has been carefully concealed
from the public.
The House Military Committee
has endorsed two pet schemes Of
the administration TO provide pro.
motion for favorItles-that to give
the AdJutant General Of the army
the rank, pay and allowances O
ma jor-geuersl, which will be tht
nature OF the reward to Gen. Cor.
bin for his subserviency to Alger,
aud his underhand attacks upon
Gen. Miles, his superior officer;
and that authorizing the President
to selec, a retired brigadier genera
Tor promotion TO major general
which is intended to give Gen
Shaiter the difference between tn,
pay and emolument5 OF "A brigadiel
general and major general, retlr
ed, as Il reward for the Cuban cam
palgn, the greater part of which h,
spent lying in a hammock. Fun
ny" old world.
Representative Bailey, Of Texas
made the closing speech on th'
democratic side against the Port,
Rico tariff bill, and it was a power
ful plea Tor the maintenance Of th'
Constitution as its trainers intended
it to be maintained. His last words
which were received with uproari
GUS applause by the democrats ant
the occupants fthe galleries, were
"When emotional statesmen wer
asking who would haul down tn
+ flag, dared 10 say that | woult
take il down from any place wher
the constitution could not follow it
: Do you desire to present the ano
| maly oil government restrained 0.
the Constitution in one quarter U
the globe, and possessed OF a dps
poiic power in the rest cfthe world
How long is the Constitution t,
shield US and our children if il
protection is withheld from III,
humblest inhabitant? Let me Dor
row the words Of Lincoln: This re
public cannot endure one.balf fre
and one.half slave We must al
be citizens, or in time we must al
be subjects. did not want to as
simulate these alien and inferio
races, aud | prayed God to delivet
US from the task. But you viii
take them, they must share ou
destiny with u.s."