Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1900-07-18
Didn't Want to "Embarrass Bryan"
and so They Turned Down the
Germans for the POpulists.
Speaker Henderson Gives True
Facts in Reference to the
Porto Rican Tariff Bill.
1t Furnishes Means to Run the Gov
eminent of the Island Until they
Can Tax Themselves.
President Mckinley Accepts His Second
| Nomination In Wise and Patri-
otto Words.


Dies MONIES, July 16, 1900.--In their
platform adopted at Kansas City, the
democrats attacked the republican ad
ministration on account of the tariff
aaw for Porto Rico passed by congress
at its session recently closed
About the time the democrats were
Framing their platform, Speaker Hen
derson, who was nominated at Water.
loo for the tenth consecutive term in
congress by reclamation, told the peo-
Dle the truth in regard to Porto Rico
Hear what he said, and compare these
ntterances with The attempt of the Kan.
sas City platform to befog the people
on this subject.
What Speaker Henderson Said.
"The first impression among many
people in regard to the Porto Rican
bill was that we were taxing that isl.
and for our benefit. What are the
facts? The Porto Ricans have been
down-trodden by the tyranny of Spain |;
they have been storm-swept all over
that little island; they have been fam
dne swept, and had no government
OF their own. They had to have
money to run government II
any party will try to take the money
of the United States to run a govern
ment outside the United States, they
will find themselves showed under at
the first election. Porto Rico had moth
lng, and yet she had to have a govern
ment, and there had to be means pro-
vided to run this government. When
congress took the matter up, the
Porto Ricans were paying the Dingley
tariff duty on all imports, and the
money thus derived was going into the
treasury of the United States. We pro-
posed, instead of collecting the Ding
ley tariff, that we would collect fifteen
per cent of it, and give them back the
money; for instance, IL the tariff on a
certain article was $1.00 under the
Dingley law, we would make it fifteen
cents, instead of dollar, and after
collecting that fifteen cents, we would
turn it over to Porto Rico to help run
her government. But the impression for
sometime was that we were turning 1t
lnto the treasury of the United States.
That Is not true, and my friends, we
adopted that tariff to give the island a
revenue, until we could give them a
government of their own, under - b
they could collect money to saeir
government We did more than that,
we turned around and took that two
million dollars that had been paid by
the Porto Ricans under the Dingley
tariff law, and we gave 1t back into
their possession, not one dollar of it
stayed in the United States. All this
money went to help the Porto Ricans
run their own government Then too,
the Porto Rican tariff bill is only for
temporary relief, until the Porto Rican
government Is established so that they
can tax themselves and raise sufficient
revenue of their own, and then the
Porto Kican bill becomes of no force"
This is plain statement of the posi-
Zion taken by the republican party in
congress, and 1t should be complete
answer to all the claims of the demo-
cratic party, that the republican party
has imposed burden upon the Porto
Ricans which those people are not able
to bear.
Cato Sells Takes the Blame.
Since the democratic national plat
form Is a re-embodiment of the Chi
cago platform, including the heaven
born ratio of 16 to l." there has been
considerable inquiry among the Ger
man sound money democrats of Iowa.
as to why 1t was that this state, in
which the democratic party has made
such desperate attempts to capture the
German vote, should be deliberately ar
rayed among the supporters of the 16
to theory. In this connection, there
Is little story, which fairly illustrates
~ 80 he 10 -.
shows that while apparently anxious to
secure the German vote, they thought
more of the populistic and free silver
element. than they did of the sound
money people who always stand for
good government and correct financial
policy. When the convention assem-.
bled at Kansas City, the conservative
delegates from Iowa realized that the
people of Iowa were opposed to 16 to
/, but there were several of the leaders.
such men as Charley Walsh, OF OF
tumwa, and j. 8. Murphy of Dubuque,
who could see no other political prin-
ciple than free silver. They were not
strong enough, however, to control the
Iowa delegation and so they set about
to secure recruits. They finally cap
tured Cato Sells OF Vinton. who aspires
to be democratic leader and who was
the real choice of the democratic con-
vention one year ago for governor. In
place of Fred White. Now Cato was
at one time sound money democrat.
He made fight In the convention at
Marshalltown for sound money, and
subsequently carried his county against
free silver and went to the Dubuque
convention In 1896 as reputed be-
liever In sound money. Later on that
year, he went to the national conven-
ton at Chicago and when the heaven
born ratio" was born he suddenly ex-
perienced q change of heart and got
In line among the sponsors for this
idea. When he joined hands with
Murphy and Walsh at Kansas City
they proceeded to dictate the policy of
the Iowa delegates. and thus Iowa was
added to the list Of states, which voted
Cor IS to l and gave the deciding vote
which put free silver In the platform.
This Is no campaign charge. but Is
eubstantiatcd by the admissions of Mr,
Cells himself. A few days ago. he