Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-04-03

The Senate convened at II O'Clock in
order that the debate on the Puerto
Rican bill might be extended. The
public galleries Wee crowded.
Vest. Mo. rising To a question Of
privileges, said upon his return To tn
city after an absence on account of i'll
ness he had found that on the vote to
strike out the provision in the Puerto
Rican bill for Il duty of Is per cent. of
the Dingley duties he had been noted
as absent and not paired. He explain
ed that he had a general pair which
he tn ought was sufficient. Had he
been present he would have voted to
strike out the duty on Puerto Rican
products. Proceeding. he directed at
tention to notable case which he said
had been overlooked in all the argu-
merits.
\ sailor named Ross had shipped on
an American merchantmen from New
York to Nagasaki. At the latter port
he had murdered a fellow seaman on
the vessels deck and had been con-
victed and sentenced to death
by consular court. His SEN
tence was committed to imprisonment
for life in the Albany peniteniary. He
q
ground being that he had not been
give n a trial by jury as insured by the
constitution. The supreme court de-
cided that he had had a fair trial and
must remain in prison: that in order to
avail himself of the the right to a trial
by jury the vessl must nave been
within the territorial limits of the
United States.
Vest said he would like any sena-
tor to explain how the supreme court
could come to that conclusion and state
emphatically that within the territorial
limits of the United States. the con
stitution applies without act Of Con
grcss or treaty stipulation and yet
agree that different tariff can be i'm
posed on the people Of Puerto Rico
from that imposed on the people of
NJ sSouri.
Bate, Tenn, after the Puerto Rico
bill had been formally laid before the
in opposition to the pending measure.
Bate. Tenn. then addressed the Sen
ate. He directed his argument partic-
ularly against the pending Puerto
Rican bill. but his speech embraced
inc W lblt question III tNIliUSlDu anu
the treatment by the government and
by Congress of insular possessions. He
took strong ground against the acqui-
sition of Spanish territory under the
treaty If Paris-against which he vot-
ed-and inquired:
can the American people acquire
from another nation by purchase the
moral right to govern 10000 of people
against their consent when attested by
forcible resistance-that rightful rebel
lion which our revolution consecrated
for all people? There is not page. not
n paragraph in our history which sus-
tains the rightfulness of purchasing
peoples-l0, 900, 600 in one batch. like
cattle in box cars
1T is true that the language of the
treaty of Paris provides that the rights
Of the people in the ceded islands shall
b. dett rmined by Congress. but by
Congress as controlled by the consti-
tuition and not by Congress acting with
the absolutism of an English Parlia-
ment. Congress can do nothing not
authorized by the constitution. In no
section, either by grant or implica ton.
is there any authority for two classes
Of people-citiZens of the states, and
subjects of the Congress.
"A tariff for Puerto Rico, that sub
ject of Congress-which protects GER
tain interests in the United States and
denies to all other people in the states
the benefit of competition-creates a
virtual trust on cigars. cigarettes and
tobacco, and helps the actual trust in
sugar. for the benefit of manufacture
ars at the cost of consumers in the
states and producers in Puerto Rico.
While 800 900 tons of sugar in Hawaii,
he property of the trust king in the
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