The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-19
THE DEVIL AND THE BLUE DEEP

THE DEVIL AND THE BLUE DEEP.
The troubles Of the imperialists accu-
mulate daily in the direction Of the tariff
regulations to be adopted in "our new
possessions" The recommendation of
the president in favor of free trade with
Puerto Rico rises up day by day to
plague its authors. It places these de-
voted persons between the devil Of pro-
lection and the blue sea of imperialism
The imperialist crowd advanced joyous
ly to the conclusion that the Philippines,
Puerto Rico, Hawaii and even Cuba,
when the conditions were favorable,
should all be incorporated into the
Union. This position was held very
strenuously, and the man who had the
temerity to declare the Filipino brother
to be without the necessary qualification
for American citizenship was scoffed at
and abused as a traitor and dough-face.
The change which has come over the
dream of the imperialist as time has
grown older has been really affecting.
President McT<inley's thoughtful sugges-
ton with reference to Puerto Rico may
have been the outcome Of conscientious
repinings on account Of his former re-
sponsibility for prohibitive tariff legisla-
ton, or it may have been suggested by
the promoters Of some of the many enter
prising syndicates which have fiourished
like the proverbial green bay tree Of
late in and around the city Of Washing
tom But, from whatever source the
suggestion emanated, 1t has been produc-
tive Of great and enduring mischief to the
protectionists.
If we are to admit Puerto Rican prod
ucts free, we can only do so after the
island has become Incorporated In our
political system. If Puerto Rico is so in
corporated we have the high authority of
many administration oracles for the ar
gument that the troublesome Filipinos
should have a corresponding privilege ex-
tended to them. But just at this point it
is that the imperialist shoe pinches so
that the imperialist cobbler has been cali
ed in to remove the difficulty. His ap-
pliance may be described as the cobbler's
last Of colonialism.
The New England tobacco growers have
which will enable us to go into the colo
NAL business and still enforce the pro-
hibitive tariff. And now comes that high
priest of protection, the New York Trib-
une, none too joyous in the undertaking
of helping the imperialists out of their
hole. 1t is not that it loves Mark Hanna
and the other promoters less, but that 1t
loves protection more. And SO 1t puts
forward its own little nostrum, whereby
the life of the patient may be saved 1t
begins: "It is not to be supposed that
congress will adopt territorial policy
for any Of the new possessions" Why,
of course notion your lifeI And SO
there will be forced on its attention the
necessity Of considering a broad system
of government applicable to all dependen-
cies alike for some years to come" A
broad system, certainly; but not toe
broad Just broad enough to Offer
some appearance Of constitutional war
rant for working the protectionist racket
And the number Of years to come? Oh
well, that may be safely left to the dim
and distant future.
But, in the meantime, there rises agar
the specter Of the favored nation clause,
which we have Incorporated In so many
of our treaties with foreign nations
Aye. There's the rub. If we are to have
free trade with our colonies "some time
to come" in the future, how about Ger
many and England and the other nations
Must we give them free trade, too, or alb
rogate our treaties with them, including
the reciprocity fad?
1t is truly a desperate situation II
which we find ourselves, and 30 our sag,
protectionist contemporary sadly declare:
that the problem now before congress Il
ito devise system of government anc
of duties applicable to outlying islands
which are the property Of the United
States, but not part Of the United States
as self-governing nation"
Yes, yes. That is the problem. to b.