The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-03-29
Don't Make a Second Mistake.

The country knew all the Sins and-outs"
Of the proposal to impose a 10 per cent.
tariff on Porto Rican products it would
fling duty to the winds, dismiss its
fears and join hands in substituting
charity for justice in the performance
of national obligations. The west is
told that its zeal for the ma
tional'honOr has outrun its knowledge
OF conditions and constitutional limita-
tions. One senator goes so far as to
suggest that the opponents Of the Porto
Rico tariff might we'll visit Washington
that their minds might be illuminated
by that food of light which caused a
transformation without parallel since
Saul was stricken as he journeyed to
Damascus.
Let not our senators be so wise and
stiff-necked in their own conceit as to
cherish the delusion that they alone
possess all the knowledge and wisdom
on this subject. Since it is clearly i'm
possible for the millions who believe
that the momentous blunder has been
committed by the republican majority
to travel to Washington, suppose their
representatives in Washington visit
their homes and try to enlighten the
darkness on the Porto Rico subject that
they pretend envelops the minds of
nine out of every ten men who have
given it thought.
If these representatives cannot come
now, let them remember that they will
have to come next November, when, if
their knowledge is not revelation
and their wisdom foolishness, they may
never go back.
In the meantime let some republican
of national reputation state what new
light has been thrown on the subject
since Gen. Miles pledged to the Porto
Ricans.
"We have come to bestow upon you
the blessings and immunity Of our gov
ernment."
Or since Governor General Davis
said that free intercourse with the Uni
ted States was absolutely necessary"
to the prosperity sof Porto Rico. Or
since Secretary of War Root told us
that
"The highest consideration of justice
and good faith demands that we should
not disappoint the confident expecta-
tion of sharing in our prosperity, with
which the people of Porto Rico so glad
ly transferred their allegiance to the
United States"
When Mr.. Root also urged "most
strongly" that "the customed duties
between Porto Rico and the United
States be removed"
What light has President Mckinley
had, denied to the rest of US, since he
proclaimed that it was "our plain duty
to abolish all customs tariffs between
the United States and Porto Rico"
What light does chairman Payne, OF
the Ways and Means Committee, po-
sess now that he did not when, on Jan.
26 last, speaking of Porto Rico, he
said:
"a free admission Of her products to
the United States (Which is now &C.
corded to every other state and terrific
ry and to Alaska, not organized into a
territory would give her relief. II
would not hurt us, but on the contrary
will give us market for SIC, 900, 900 an
nually, largely of the products of oul
farms, which will increase as American
prosperity come to Porto Rico. am
heartily in favor of extending this re-
lief to Porto Rico, while 1 don't in any
way commit myself to extend the same
privileges to either the Philippines OIL
to Cuba"
If any one in the United States has
any light to shed upon our duty tc
Porto Rico that was not possessed by
republican senators and Representatives
when the original "free trade" bills
were introduced by Senator Foraker
and Congressman Payne, there ough
not to be days delay in shedding il
before the country with all the illumi
mating power latent in the electicity
that connects Washington and every
hamlet in the land. 1t cannot be shed
abroad too soon, nor diffused too gen
orally.
But if there is no such new light LEI
not the republican leaders in Washing
ton hug the delusion that the country
lacks knowledge and 80 misunder
stands the Porto Rico problem. lie
them not come before us with constitu
tional arguments in their mouths mo-
try to turn us from 'tour plain duty
with the bugbears of the Philippines
and Cuba.
Courts follow precedents; the Ameri
can people break them as well as max,
them.
The American people have seen th,
constitution stretched to cover new ter
ritories beside which Porto Rico is fl,
speck on the map OF the Western Hem
isphere. The republic which has swal
lowed the Alaskan glaciers will no
gag at the tropical plantations of Port,
Rico.
Let not the republican leaders com
nit the second mistake Of attributin,
ignorance of the facts to those who ex
press amazement at the startling polit
ical blunder which converted the fre
trade DUTY of December into IS pc
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