Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-03-08
WAsHINGrON NOTES.

W -kSS ~ 1oN Nv E-sEs
On Thursday the Senate committee
on Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico, to
which the House Puerto Rican tariff
bill was referred. acted very promptly
and substituted for 1t the Foraker bill
for the civil government of the island,
amended by reducing the rates of duty
therein provided to 10 per cent, instead
of %, thus making it conform to the
House bill.
The Quay case was not taken up, but
Penrose said he would ask for a note
at an early date.
While Senator Depew, of New York,
was making his maiden speech in the
Senate few days ago, there sat in
the back row, an attentive listener, a
bowed and white haired old man who
had returned as 4 spectator to the scene
in which he was once Il prominent
figure 1t was ex-senator Philetus
SAWYER, of Wisconsin. Mr. Sawyer is
in his 64th year. but the sturdy CON
stitution given him by his Vermont an
cestors successfully resists the advance
OF years He entered congress as a
member of the House in 1860 and
served in that branch 10 years In 1881
he was elected to the Senate and served
there II years, but the Cleveland land
slide of 1892, which swept Wisconsin
from her Republican moorings- retired
him to private life
On Friday two speeches We're made
in the Senate on the Quay case, and
there was running debate lasting an
hour and half
The House passed Il bill putting the
revenues of Porto Rico in the hands OF
the President, TO be used for the benefit
of the island, and sent it to the Senate
The fund on hands amounts to over two
millions.
On Saturday Senator Ross of Yer
mont spoke on the Constitutional ques
ton involved in the Quay case and end
ed his speech with the sentence Hold
ing these views, 1 would consider l had
disregarded my oath if voted to seat
Mr.. Quay.
On Monday the bill to raise revenue
for Porto Rico was yet under discussion
IN the House
Representative DaIzell, in discussing
this interesting subject said:
III is absolutely necessary that
money be raised TO run the government
of Puerto Rico. Money is necessary
for schools, internal improvements. and
for the administration of the govern
nent. There are three ways in which
that money can be raised-by direct
appropriation from the Federal treas
ury. which makes Puerto Rico char
ity patient, and against which the
Puerto Ricans themselves protest; 10y
putting a mortgage on the island, bor-
rowing money at a high rate oflnterest,
and turning Puerto Rico over to the
bond holders The committee on Ways
and Means did not believe that the
American people would approve of
starting Puerto Rico upon her new
career saddled with debt. The only
method left therefore. to raise money
is by taxation To extend the United
States revenue system to Puerto Rico
would be to ruin the island. The peO-
pie are not in Il situation to respond to
revenue taxation. 1t was therefore de
termine1 to imLOSe taxation OF the
least obnoxious kind, namely: indirect
taxation. This Is the least felt and inI-
poses the burden where it can be most
easily born. Puerto Rico's exports are
principally OF three kinds. coffee, which
comes in free, tobacco and sugar. The
tobacco and sugar of Puerto Rico IN the
warehouses are owned by the tobacco
trust and the sugar trust, The com
mittee thought it would be Il benetcent
act TO the island to make those two
trusts contribute by way of duties to
the help of the poor Puerto Ricans.
The claim that this bill Is advocated by
the tobacco trust and the sugar trust Is
too ridiculous TO merit consideration
Everybody with any sense knows that
II : In the interest of these trusts 10
have their raw materials come into the
United States free of duty. Another
consideration of very great Importance
in connection with the bill Is the neceS-
slty for having the Supreme Court pass
upon the constitutional question as to
whether or not We are bound 70 govern
our insular possession subject TO the
limitations of the constitution. If We
are. we might Just aS well now give up
the idea of holding those possessions
TC govern them under the limitations
of the constitution means that all the
inhabitants of the Philippines. O.0O0,0eO
or Il. 600 600 SemI-SaYageS- are citizens
Of the United States. entitled TO free
migration into the United States and 10
all the rights and immunitieS OF our
own citizens 1t means the extension
10 the Philippines, as well as TO Puerto
Rico OF our navigation laws, and II
means free trade with all OF them The
last proposition involves the placing OF
their aericUlturalistS, IN such articles
- can be raised IN these possessions,
upon 4 par with our agrlculturaliSIS-
and the competition Of labor at a lew
cents a day with labor II American
wages Ii means more than that We
have committed ourselves 10 the policy
OF the open door in the PHILIPPINES, and
that OF course means that the Philip
pines Will Da depot for the entry into
the United States Of articles free Of
duty There never was. IN my ludS-
menr. a great measure - thoroughly
misunderstood hv the people q the
country
SENATOR Carter of Montana was the
only speaker on the Quay c-~e tla' day-
He a-zusI a-airSt The disposition q
s1sv5~llIv follow PRESIDENTS IN such mat
ters- He said that such presidents sS'r-
misleading and ike Senator HoSar- aTsu-