Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-04-06
PORTO RICO TARIFF.
Senator PrOctOr's Effective Argument
for Free Trade with the Island.

Congress on Friday, when he discussed the
Porto Rico tariff question.
He expressed approval of the civil gov
eminent features of the pending bill and
his regret that on account of the tariff pro-
vision he could not vote for it. He re-
viewed briefly the history of the proposed
Porto Rican tariff, quoting the President in
his annual message and the secretary of
war in his annual report as favoring free
trade between Porto Rico and the United
States. He then referred to the changes
which had been made in the. bill. He pre-
sented a paper from, George +. Edmunds pro-
testing against levying any kind of reve-
nue. upon the people of Porto Rico which
was not common to the people of the whole
United States. This protest was based on
constitutional arguments and an appeal to
Justice. Admitting for the sake of argu-
ment that Congress has plenary power I'M
der the constitution, said Mr.. Proctor, on
resuming his speech, "the right must be in
terpreted in the fair and generous sense
which the American people give to that in
strument and not given the Interpretation
of absolulism We may do many wrong
and foolish things without violating the
constitution, but it does not follow that we
must do them or ought to do them, and |
claim that the plain people, the sensible,
honest American people, who look at this
question from no standpoint of interest,
who are not sugar men, tobacco men, or
men VINO have any commercial or class in
terests which must be pacated by our ac-
ton, are the best judges of what is fair
and right and honest, and that their judg-
ment in the end must and will prevail.
"The people look upon this as a matter
of principle, a question of good faith and
common honesty, and their moral sense has
been shocked and the national heart and
conscience stirred by the fear that this
measure of taxation will be adopted by
Congress. Let us thank heaven that we
have a people whose love of justice and
fair play cannot be triled with with impun-
ity."
Senator Proctor submitted a statement
of the purpose of the British Parliament
taxing the American colonies to and the
disposition of the proceeds TO be compared
with our bill in regard TO Porto Rico, and
added 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 com
ing from Porto Rico, the British bill only
taxed limited number of articles coming
TO this country, did not tax our exports,
and this difference is in favor of King
George.
There is another vast difference in the
two cases: King George and his ministry
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 Eng
lish people were with them. We impose
these taxes upon a people unused to assert
their rights in the past and powerless to
maintain them if they tried upon a people
who welcomed our army when it landed on
their island as their friends who had come
to free them from the misrue of Spain and
who have conducted themselves in the
most peaceable manner; upon a people to
whom we had promised to bring the i'm
munities and blessings of the liberal insti-
buttons Of our government" and to whom
we had said by the mouths of our highest
officials that to establish free trade was
"our plain duty, demanded by "the highest
considerations of justice and good faith
We levy this tribute upon a people who
are in the direst poverty and distress, re-
sulting in a large part from our very action
in taking possession of their island and de-
stroying the existing markets for their
products, and opening no other, and to this
is added, by the hand of the Almighty, the
terrible destruction of the tornado, so that
they are now in the extreme poverty and
restitution, bordering on starvation. They
can make no resistance if they would, and
have no disposition to if they could, and
must!accept and submit to whatever we
may do. Does this better our position
compared with that Of King Georgel Let
us rewrite his biography, or see to it that
we do not make ourselves fit subjects for a
similar one. We claim that our mission in
Porto Rico was to deliver that people from
the thraldom of Spain. viii not they in
their hearts pray to be delivered from
their deliverersi
Again, if this bill becomes a law. it will
stand greatly in the way of the develop
ment of that little island. 1t leaves the
future in uncertainty; for if we levy a tax
of 10 per cent, the next Congress may levy
a tax of so per cent. If we adopt free
trade, it will be accepted by everybody as
a definite policy toward Porto Rico. Bust
ness interests will know what to depend
upon, and capital and enterprise will 90
there and soon change the deplorable con
ditions now existing. Uncertainty will
paralyze industry.
However, continued the senator, "It is
not the effect of this measure upon the peo-
pie of Porto Rico which constitutes the
greatest objection to this bill. 1t is its eff
feet upon ourselves. 1t is the injustice and
unfairness of our treatment of this helpless,
dependent people, for which retribution
will surely come upon us in some form.
Our action must be such as to appeal to
the good sense, to the highest sentiment
and the honest judgment of the American
people, rather than to respond to the de-
mands of protected interests or special
classes.
The constitution may or may not follow
the flag, but the good faith of the Ameri-
can people must stand unquestioned wher-
ever the stars and stripes are seen.
The people, if l mistake not, while they
may and will differ as to what measure of
political rights and privileges we shall give
to the people of Porto Rico, will hold that
they should have the same rights and OPP
portunities and be subject to no other re-
strictions than we are-to raise and mar
ket their products, to buy the food they
eat, which they must largely take from us,
to buy the cotton for their clothing and
that of their wives and children, and tools
to cultivate their land, and to sell their
crops in any market on the same terms
that we do.
These are matters that affect every
household. They are the simplest rights
of the people. To deprive them of these is
a degradation of their manhood. There is
no way to successfully govern or deal with
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