The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-13
Mr.. FORAKRR'S BOLD THREAT
INTIMATED THAT HE WOULD IN
THE SENSATIONAL ORDER
RIGHTS OF A TERRITORY
Ohio Senator Said His Amendment
Would Make Puerto Ricans Full
Pledged Citizens of the
United States.

WASHINGTON, March 12.-The senate
chamber and adjoining committee rooms
today were the scene of a conflict Of opin-
ion which found no place in the congras S.
sional record.
The basis of the disagreement was Sen
ator Foraker's bill providing for form
of government for the island of Puerto
Rico, and only Republican senators par
ticipated in it.
The controver:-:;- grew out of efforts to
have the bill amended. There are some
senators who admitted legislation for
Puerto Rico, for the present, at least
should be confined to providing for the
Immediate needs of the inhabitants Of
Puerto Rico and not include efforts to
establish a form of government. These
senator's generally believe that Puerto
Rico should receive DO favors in the way
Of tariff reduction, and are content to
allow the present tariff rates to continue,
as they put 1t, until there is more time,
and the senate is better prepared for the
dispassionate consideration of the ques-
tion Their idea is to leave the island in
the control of the war department..
Senator Foraker, representing the
friends of the pending bill, and as chair
man. Of the Puerto Rican committee, met
the proposition OF inactivity with a dec
laration that If it was persisted in he
would not only drop the bill now before
the senate entirely, but would Introduce
as substitute for 1t a measure provid-
ing for the organization of the island as
territory, giving it all the officers and
all the privileges and immunities Of such
territories as Oklahoma, New Mexico ana
Arizona-not only making the Puerto Ri
can people full-fedged citizens of the
United States, but establishing complete
free trade between the island and the
United States proper. His further pur-
pose, as he outlined 1t, was to introduce
1t as an amendment to the bill passed by
the house, and now pending in the SEN
! ate, appropriating the revenues collected
from the island for use of the people of
the island.
HURRIED CONFERENCES.
! When the purpose of Mr.. Foraker be-
came generally known, there were many
hurried conferences among the Republic
an leaders, and the Ohio senator was inn
mediately besieged by Republicans Of all
shades of belief on Puerto Rican policy.
While several of them supported his prop
oslt1on as wise one, many others con-
tended against it, as calculated to CON-
nit the country to course which might
be more easily repented of than remedied
They held that it would be easier in the
| future to change from the present policy
OF imposing a tariff to free trade than
it would be to change from free trade
to tariff. Fear was felt by the advocates
of tariff that such an amendment would
be passed, with the assistance of the
Democratic free traders.
The conservatives held out for the pres
ent bill. Some of them expressed the
opinion that the bill was now strong
enough to win its way through the SEN
ate. Senator Foraker himself is welded
! to the bill under consideration, and, on
account of his prediction, he decided,
| after comforting with almost every one
of the Republican senators. to allow mat
ters to drift for few days.
SENATORS CONFER.
| After the senate adjourned a number
of senators held an informal conference
In Senator Allison's rooms, but they de-
! clared with one accord that no definite
conclusion had been reached as to a line
! of policy to be pursued with reference
! to Puerto Rico. All admitted that the
/ conference was devoted to an effort to
secure harmony on that question, but
said that no satisfactory conclusion had
been reached The most definite state
ment that could be obtained was that
| Mr.. Foraker had consented to attempt
to amend the pending bill so as to make
! 1t conform, If possible, to the conflicting
views of the various interests. This, it
| was intimated, was to be done by provid-
! ing movable scale of duties, but what
! articles, if any, were to be favored, no
one could say. Some of the senator's at
! the conference expressed the opinion
! that an agreement would be reached that
would insure the passage of Puerto
Rican bill in some shape, but the most
general opinion was that the present sit
uation was described by the words cha
otic.''
A majority of the Republican senators
profess to know nothing of the terri
torial proposition, and Senator Foraker
said that when he left the capitol tonight
that he thought the immediate occasion
for such measure had passed and that
nothing in that line would be attempted
for several days at any rate.
STIR IN THE HOUSE.
han O,.I oI,,o