Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-30

American civilization. Our mission must
be to prepare these people, who have come
by the fortunes of war under our control,
for self-government according to American
ideas, and during this process We must
treat them with absolute justice and good
faith. The fundamental principle of our
government is that it must be for the BEN
eft of the governed
Mr. Proctor read Gen. Miles proclamation
to the people of Porto Rico in which he de-
clared that the American forces came to
promote your prosperity and to bestow
upon you the mmCnities and blessings of
the liberal institutions of our government
Mr.. Schurman's Views.
He also had read a letter from President
Schurman, member of the late Philippine
commission, in which he said in part:
Dear Sir: l agree with you that the
United States is under obligation to extend
its tariff laws to the Island of Porto Rico.
But cannot accept your contention that
this obligation is derived from the Consti-
tuiOn, which. in my Judgment does not of
its own force apply to annexed territories.
The obligation is moral, not constitutional.
As the President said, with equal truth and
felicity, ii is our plain duty.
I'VE are bound to this course by solemn
promises. The supreme and irresistible rea-
son for removing all customs barriers be-
tween the United States and Porto Rico is
the promise made by Gen. Miles, when first
landing American forces on the island, that
the Porto Ricans should enjoy the same
rights. privileges and immunities as the
people of the United States. On this under
standing the Porto Ricans accepted Ameri-
can sovereignty, not only without OPPOSE
ton but with joyful trust and confidence.
Let me add, too, that this Porto Rican
Legislation is testing us before the eyes OF
the Filipinos, who keep well informed of
all our doings. They will judge by this
legislation OF the value of American prom
,Io.,,
like of Aeuinaldo's cmissarics to the Phil
lppine commission once expressed the fear
that the American government might not
Keep the promises it was making-'for
them'-I silenced him with the reply: Sig
nor, the United States is not SPAIN
is he now to learn. are all the Filipinos
now to learn, that in the first legislation
for our new dependencies we prove faith
less to our pledges and recreant to our OBJ
legations? Such an exhibition of our
selves will strengthen the hands of Agui-
naldo and the insurgents. because unhap-
PLY it can be used to support their persis-
tent statement that the Americans are no
more trustworthy than the Spaniards
AT the very moment when VIC need to in
spire confidence in the minds of the con-
quered F'ilipinos, shall we commit an act
which will confirm their distrust of U.S.
quicken their suspicious and breed new and
perhaps, ineradicable antipathies? God for
bid"'
British Parliament Acts Para1leIed.
Senator Edmunds,'' said Mr.. Proctor
says that legislation imposing any kind of
revenue burden and benefit on the people
Of Porto Rico that is not common to the
whole people of the United States
" will initiate and parallel the acts of the
British parliament which forced our fathers
to just resistance and revolution and led
them to establish constitution which in
studied and explicit terms forbids any such
discrimination
in this connection / submit in parallel
columns. the statement of the purpose of
the measure taxing the colonies and the dis
position Of the proceeds and that Of our
bills In regard to Porto Rico The state
ment Of the act Of King George is an ex-
tract from Lord John Russel's Life of Fox:
1.-The bill '.impos- Under our meas
ing duties on certain ures Porto Rico is to
kinds of merchandise, NC .aAeu. anu the Isl
when imported into on m r q h Il co
the colonies, required which they ship to or
the payment of such receive from this
duties to be made in nror;doi "iu We nave
gold and silver, and amount heretofore ~
ordered them to be herea fter so recaiyed
paid into the ex- "shall he placed OF
chequer, where, with the DISPOSAL of tho
the produce of all President to he used
former parliamentary for the government
duties, they were to now existing or
be set apart as a sep which NAV hereafter
arate 1und TO De ap- be established in Por-
plieo under the daspo- to Rico. for the aid
sltion OF parliament and relief of the peo-
for def-aying the fu- pie thereof, and for
ture charges of pro- public education pub
tecting, defending and lie works and other
securing the col governmental and
onies."' Russelrs public purposes there
Life of Fox, volume in" until otherwise
/, page 40. provided by law
Mark the resemblance in these two
propositions that the duties in each case
both past and future, are to be set aside
for the benefit Of the country taxed One
difference is that while our measure taxes
merchandise both going to and coming
from Porto Rico. the British bill only taxed
a limited number of articles coming to this
country. did not tax our exoprts, and this
difference is In favor Of King George.
Difference Between the Two Cases,
But there is another vast difference IN
the two cases: King George and his minis
try undertook to impose a tax upon English
people-people Of their own blood and race
who knew their rights and dared maintain
them; who knew that the hearts of the
English people were with them We i'm