The sun., 1900-04-05


Rican bill has become law, the wonder
lie, what all the fuss was about? The in
tent of the BILLS reasonable and meets
the conditions existing and consequent
upon the passage Of the island from the
sovereignty of Spain to that OF the
United States. The bill provides Tor
government by the people upon whom
the title OF citizens of Puerto Rico is le-
gally conferred. The statutary laws OF
the United States are made to include
and apply to the territory OF the Island.
The governor of the island is to be ap-
pointed by the President and the legisla-
tive assembly for lo,al purposes is to be
elected by the people. The existing
tariff law applies to imports from foreign
counties as in the case of the states, and
special provision OF tie law provides
tariff on xports from the island to the
states in the absence of any system oil
l3cal taxation and public revenue, the
proceeds to be applied solely to local
needs, and to cease whena revenue sys-
TEN has been devised and applied
through local legislation. What more, or
what better could be done in such case
is difficult to determine, and probably
nothing else would have been suggested
ii it were not for the deplorable (?) ex-
igencies confronting the Democratic
party. Bereft of all it's pet theories-the
necessity for slave labor to insure cheap
products, and for free trade to secure a
market for cheap, ,slaye-labor products
that party is beating the bush in search
of political issues; is trying to complicate
the political conditions, and to hinder
the solution of incident problems by
nonsensical and sentimental objections
| just now they are long on sentiment
! and short on facts Democratic senti
ment goes long way,-to Puerto Rice
and the Philippines-but Democratic OBJ
8 servation of fact does not include th,
: conditions, rights and needs of their fel
: low citizens and neighbors who live will
i them in what is indisputably United
{ States territory-the States OF the Union
8 In Delaware, for instance, the local law
T have been made to, and do now, exclud
q American born citizens from citizenship
y rights. While Democrats in Congres
y have been bowling about the automati
l. enfranchisement of Puerto Ricans ant
v Filipinos, Democrats in every State S
f,,rft ta tn c,tffa rat
e local rule, are cudgeling their brains tt
y invent legal means by which America
p citizens who do not vote Democrat
/ tickets at local and national election
it may be disfranchised. The provisions {
}, the constitution which these Democrat
n claim apply, and are effective automatic
e ally, do not apply, and upon the sam
e authority are not effec i've in the ol
e States Of the South; that what this col
y stitution gives instantly to foreign Dor
; Puerto Ricans and Filipinos, it does nc
give to men born and reared within th
States, educated in American schools an
L imbued with American ideas of polite
and government; does not give to me
t. who have served in the United State
rs army and navy, and who have helped
is fight the nations battles-:he colore
American veteran soldier, and h
of American born children, are denied th
ct rights which these Democrats ara no
J. demanding for foreigners who are nj
a. residents Of the country, and who hav
N not legally applied for citizenship.