The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-03
IN THE SENATE ON AMENDMENTS TO
THE PORTO RICO BILL.
FREE TRADE MEASURE DEFEATED
Several Other Amendments Proposed.
Some of Them Adopted-The Bacon
Free Silver Amendment Under Dis
B~everidee's Speech In Favor of Free
Trade House Passes Army -lppro-
priation Bill.
SENATE.

consular appropriation bill was agreed
20 by the senate soon after il con-
vened.
A concurrent resolution offered by
Senator Culberson, of Texas, directing
the. secretary of war and the secretary
of the navy to keep ~"seasonably ad-
vised' the families of wounded SOL
diers and sailors of the condition of
the men was agreed to.
Consideration of the Porto Rico
tariff and government bill was then
resumed.
Senator Beveridge addressed the
senate in support of the proposition
for free trade between the United
States and the island of Porto Rico.
While he advocated reciprocity be-
tween the United States and Porto
Rico, he announced that if all efforts
to secure it should fail ne would sup
port the pending bill. The bill was
under discussion throughout the ses-
sion, several important amendments
being agreed to.
At the conclusion of Senator Bev-
eridge's address, Senator Foraker ask
ed that the senate proceed with the
consideration of amendments.
The first amendment was n impoS-
ing a duty Of 5 cents a pound upon
coffee imported into Port Rico.
enato Pettus, of Alabama, moved
to strike out the amendment, and de-
handed a vote on his amendment
which involved the question whether
a tax could be imposed on products
imported into Porto Rico which was
not imposed on the same products i'm
ported into "other parts of the United
States" The amendment was de-
feated.
Senator Bacon offered an amend
ment in the form of a substitute for
Sections 2 and 3 of the commit
tee bill, establishing the regular Ding
ley tariff rates of duty On articles i'm
ported from foreign countries into
Porto Rico and providing that no du-
ties shall be levied on articles import
ed into Porto Rico from the United
States or into the United States from
Porto Rico. mate Bacon explained
that it was his idea to establish in
Porto Rico the tariff system in vogue
in this country. He said the amend
ment presented a square issue of the
question now before the senate.
Senator Lindsay, of Kentucky, Of
fered an amendment to Senator Ba-
cons amendment. providing for alb
solute free trade between his country
and Porto Rico. He wanted to afford
the senate opportunity to vote directly
for free trade. Mr.. Bacon accepted the
amendment. Pending action upon the
Bacon amendment, Sections 2 and 8 of
the bill were perfected by the commit
tee.
Senator Pettus. of Alabama. then
o to strike out the provision in
Section 8, providing. for a duty of Is
per cent. of the Dingley law rates on
products of Porto Rico imported into
this country.
The motion of Senate PettuS was
defeated-16 to 33.
At the request of Senator Bacon.
his amendment was passed over until
tomorrow.
Senator Foraker, in charge of the
bill, offered a substitute for Section
8 of the house bill in relation to goods
already imported and the substitute
was agreed to.
The next committee was
that which provided that the Spanish
or native inhabitants Of Porto Rico
and their children should be citizens
of Porto Rico and as such entitled to
the protection of the United States"
The amendment was passed over I'M
til tomorrow.
Senator Morgan offered an amend
ment to the section of the bill which
proposes to redeem the Porto Rican
silver coins in United States money,
giving go cents Of American money for
the Porto Rican peso. The amend
ment proposed to pay 100 cents for the
peso. Senator Morgan held that in
the proposed exchange of coins the
United States was taking advantage
of the Porto Ricans because the peso
contained the same amount of silver
as the American dollar. The Porto
Ricans. he said, are entitled to 10O
cents for their pesos, because that
amount of silver in money woul be
worth 100 cents on the dollar.
Senator Jones, of Arkansas, and
Senator Bacon, of Georgia, took the
same position
Senator Foraker maintained that
the position of the democratic senators
was not correct. There was no inten-
ton to deprive the Porto Ricans Of
any value, as an American dollar now
was worth in debt-paying power prac.
tically two pesos in Porto Rico. He
believed the proposition of the bill
was entirely liberal to the Porto
Ricans.
The discussion of the amendment
look a wide range and had not beer
concluded when the senate at AS;
o'clock p. m. adjourned.
HOUSE o REPRESENTATIVES.
After four days of stormy debate
the house today passed the army ap
preparation bill. As passed the bill i:
only slightly modified from the form
in which it came from the committee
Mr.. McRae, democrat, of Arkansas
moved to strike from the provision TO
the manufacture or purchase O
small arm ammunition the words 20
purchase He declared that the gov
had ample facility for tn
manufacture of ammunition.
Mr. Hull vigorously opposed tn
amendment. 1t might be necessary t
purchase ammunition, and the hands
of the government should no be tied
He called attention to our helples
condition for lack of ammunition a
the opening of the Spanish war an'
said he favored the accumulation o
munitions of war.
|. Mr.. Underwood, of Alabama, favor
ed the amendment. He was opposed
to placing discretionary power to pur
chase in the hands of the war depart
ment. He was inclined to think it le'
to extravaganza and jobbery, and call
&c attention Of the house to the fact
ELECTED yesterday regarding the ran
port Sumner.
This reference to the Sumner arous
ed Mr. Parker, who detailed the his
tory of the vessel, which, he said, ha'
} been wildly distorted. He said tn
> Sumner was an old collier refitted. an,