Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-05-27
AND YET ANOTHER SCANDAL.

AND YET ANOTHER SCANDAL.
The New York Tribune has been for
over generation n stalwart Republi
can newspaper and has consistently
policies Of that party. 1t is still Re-
publican and Is an advocate of i'm
perialism. 1t WILL therefore. be unnec-
essary to take with even n grain of
salt anything 1t may say adverse to
either imperialism or the Republican
party. 1t is, moreover, most conserv-
ative paper and as far as may be from
any indulgence in sensationalisrn
A recent dispatch from Its Washing
ton correspondent, dealing with Cuban
affairs. is. therefore. the more interest
ing In that ii lays bare an entirely new
scandal and one that makes Neely's de-
falcations appear petty by comparison.
The dispatch in question charges that
Robert p. Porter. former Director of
the Census and the special commits
sioner sent to Cuba to revise the tariff
laws of the island with having made
reductions in the schedules affecting n
railroad syndicate with which he is
connected, and which numbers Cen
eral Alger and other prominent politi-
clans among it's members.
The Cuban tariff which went into eff
feet January LIST. 1892 placed n tariff
OF 40 per cent. ad valorem on railroad
supplies. This rate Mr. Porter cut
down to 10 per cent. ad valorem. The
Tribune continues:
None of those articles were manu-
featured or produced in Cuba, except
to an insignificant extent if at all. and
therefore the tariff duties. whatever
they might be, would come out OF the
pockets of the great syndicate. OF
course. therefore, ii would make a con-
siderable difference to them whether the
tariff was 40 per cent. or only 10 per
cent. In fact, the total duty on 81, 000.-
600 worth Of railroad materials, machin-
cry and supplies at 10 per cent. ad
valorem would amount to $500 900 less
than it would if the rate were 40 per
cent.
Between the date OF approval OF the
revised tariff and the date of its pro-
mitigation, and after Mr.. Porter is sup
posed to have severed his official rcla-
tions with the Government. he made
the voyage to London in company with
the railway capitalists before referred
to. Doubtless the desrability of rail-
road development in Cuba may be un-
selfishly urged. both there and in this
country, and strong argument in
favor of substantial reduction of the
duty en- railroad supplies might be
made in the interest Of the island Mr..
Porters friends likewise may be able
to furnish n satisfactory explanation of
his connection with the affair, but thus
far they have not done so. and until
they do 1t is likely to be regarded as
rather unfortunate that the author of
the Cuban tariff should appear to en-
joy such close relations with the syndi-
cate that Is directly benefited by this
reduced rate of duty"
There has been scandal within scan
dal in this Cuban railway business. Al
ger, as Secretary of War, controlled
Cuban affairs. and after he retired it
came out that syndicate of which he
was n member had Gobbled up the rail
way franchises and would have n prac-
teal monopoly of the profitable rail
way busintss of the island. Porter was
sent to Cuba to revise the tariff and it
was only the other day that the publ
cation Of his expense account became
a feature of the current exposures of
rottenness in the island. Now comes
the showing that in his revision of the
tariff schedules he contrived to save
railroad syndicate with which he is al
lied cool 100000 in the short space of
the year within which his schedules are
to run.
Surely the worst enemies OF this
country must be rated with the specta-
-elc of its disgrace and humiliation by
the hcnchmen of Mr.. Mckinley in Cuba.