The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-28
EDDY's ANSWERS.
Seventh District COngressman's Re-
plies to the GIobe,s Questions.

NohiS w. <AllU Ine promise or threat mat
you Will arouse my constituency to The
absolute necessity of having another rep
resentatiye' does not alarm me- In 1894
was elected by a plurality Of about 700.
in 1896 by over 1,500S.but In 1893 when che
q o b e went into the "arousing'' bust
ness in earnest, and attacked me mora
vigorously. and. 4 might say, vieiously.
than any other Republican candidate for
congress, my constituents became 50
aroused" that they gave me plurality
of more than ,s,O0es, over the strongest,
cleanest and ablest Populist In the state.
Please don't stop '-arousing" on my ae-
count. ia
d, First, Mr. ;,Id EDDY, Is It not a fact that
second. Is it hot fact that Secretary
of War Root recommended free trade
Third, is not a fact that Coy. Davis, of
Puerto Rico, recommended free trade be-
tween the United States and Puerto Rico?
Fourth. is IL not fact that the ways
and means committee of the house of
representatives introduced a bill proyid-
ing for free trade with Puerto Rico?
If you had carefully read my statement
which you think fair "to -crticise without
printing" you would have found these
first four questions answered in the af-
firmative therein.
Fifth. have President Mckinley Secre-
tary Root or Gov Davis at any time of
ticially indicated to congress that they
have changed their opinions or positions
as to free trade with Puerto Rico?
If you mean by Officially" by message,
l will answer no. 1t would be an unheard
of precedent for the president to send a
message to congress Oil a measure pend
ing therein. The Republican members of
the committee on ways and means did
hold consultations with him before the
SHhSfitnta
was introduced. The secretary OF war
drew the same. The president, to my
knowledge, sent for at least twenty mem-
bers and urged them to support the meas
ure. His closest personal and political
friends on the floor of the house urged
it's passage. Any one possessing the least
knowledge is aware, If he had but raised
his finger in opposition. 1t would have
been defeated. Such being the fact, / AM
willing to let the country judge whether
or not we had right to infer that the
president wanted the bill passed
Sixth. why have the Republican mem
bers of the house of representatives. with
on this Puerto Rico measure, and, from
being in favor CT free trade. changed over
! and voted for the imposition of a tariff?
Because after a full investigation they
came to the conclusion that this was the
best way to raise a revenue tmperatiyely
and Immediately needed for the island,
| with the least burden on the masses of
the people of this country and Of Puerto
! Rico.
Seventh-"At whose solicitation was
| this change nader"
| To the best of my knowledge. it was
| due to an honest investigation of all
| the circumstances. know Of no solicita-
i ton.
| Eighth-'Has any section of the United
! States demanded or petitioned for the
! imposition of duties on imports and ex-
| ports between the United States and
/ Puerto Rico?" iQ s..l.4
/ Yes. The cane sugar producers of the
/ South, the beet sugar producers Of the in
| terror, the people of the Paciiceeoast, and
/ the Democratic members representing the
hsections of the country interested In, this
] production voted with the Republican
members for the bill. I may also add that
the cigarmakers unions almost without
/ exception protsStedi
| Ninth-'HaVe the people of any part
| OF the United States protested against
the passage of a bill providing for free
| trade with P1erto Rtco?
Yes, the people mentioned (answcr to
l question 81. r
Tenth-''If it Is true. as you claim,
| that the trusts were. opposed to the tariff
| and that free trade is In their interests,
| why did you not favor the imposition of
! the full duties under the Dingley bill,
/ There are two questions under consid-
! Grafton. The question as to whether the
| congress had the constitutional right to
! pass such legislation. On this all the Re-
/ publicans save three were practically
agreed. t'+
| Secend-The question of ,expedieaey,
| whether this was a wise and just meas
/ ure or not On this there was VIDE di-
| Vergency of opinion, ranging all the way
fraa IN &.
! Fifteen per cent Was the result of a con-
! ference. One was a question of p-inci-
| pie, the other of eXpediency. In matters
| of Judgment a man can honorabiy yield
| or modify his views for the sake Of party
1 harmony, but not on question or pT'in-
! ciple. Personally, 1 favored full DinSley
| rates OH raw sugar and leaf tobacco, all
other island products free, and the exten-
| sion OF the internal revenue laws TO the
| island.
Eleventh-''Does not the imposition of
| even q Is per cent tariff give the tobacco
and sugar trusts an undue advantage by
| throwing all imports into the custom
houses and bonded warehouses of Eastern
! seaports, and surrounding such imports
with barbed wire fence OF red tape,
| West? And is not this just what the
| trusts Wanted?'
No. The imports are raw sugar and
leaf tobacco. Merchants of the West are
| not purchasers of these articles.
Twelfth-'Is it customary for the lob
byiSts Of the trusts, when they undertake
| to fight g. measure in congress, to hire
a brass band and searchlights?'
NO And there was no such information
in my statement The court rules out
this question on the ground 'that 1t is
| incompetent, irrelevant and immate11al
,Thirteenth-"Does the constitution of the
| United States prohibit free trade between
| the United States and any part or Its
ttry?"
No. Nor does It make ''free trade"
| mandatory between foreign countries, nor
! its own possessions" that have not been
organized into states or territories.
Fourteenth-''And. lastly. Mr.. Eddy. do
you think your vote. on the Puerto Ri
| can bfH was in accordance with the wish
/ es and opinions of your constituents OF
| the Seventh congressional district OF Min
! nesota? II not, whose wishes and opln-
ions was 1t in accord with, "a and whom
| de you represent in congress-?
| Up to the time of casting my vote /
had not received a syllable, either for
or against this measure from the Seventh
district 1 am frank to say from
| what i have learned since its passage
! that the sentiment is strongly against 1t.
l believe that sentiment is founded on a
misapprehenslon Of the bill, misunder-
standing of its effects and q general lack
| of knowledge of the conditions prevailing
in the island. I always expect there will
be a difference OF opinion as to the con-
stitutional question but 1 believe,
when the people fully understand all the
/ circumstances surrounding the case, that,
] with practical unanimity, they VIII agree
! with me on the expediency and justice of
! the measure. 1t may seem like unwar-
ranted self f-conceit on my part to make
4 ~. .