El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-20
THE PUERTO RICO SITUATION.

WASHINGTON, April 19.-In the
senate Mr.. Foraker introduced re-
solution providing for the 40 lniS S!
sfon of civil affsirs in Puerto Rico
pending the appointment anu quallno"
zion of civil Ulcers.
The Puerto Rican tariff bill Is law
DESPITE every obstacle that the free
trade democracy could throw In It's
wav, and the above dispatch, puoilsheo
in the HERALD yesterday, shows that
active steps are being taken to give
the island civil goverum ent. Coulo
the democrats have compelled the en-
sctment OF measure establishing I'M
mediate and absolute free trade "lGo
Puerto Rico they would have had OPP
portunity to assert that the precedent
thus established must be applied to the
Philippines, to Hawaii, aud to any
other non-contigu ous territory "hlcn
might subsequently, come into slmiiar
relations with the United Statee, aoo
that by the act of the republican party
the cheap labor OF the Orient ana the
tropics was thus to be brought INTO
direct competition with the working
men and agriculturists OF the United
States. That was the political oppor-
tunity for which the democrats were
fighting, but they failed to accomplish
1t.
The bill as it stands proposes to tenn
porarfly collect on goods passing from
Puerto Rico into the United States and
from the. United States into Puerto Rlco
Is per cent Of theregular Dlngley tariff
and to pay into the empty treasury OF
the island every dollar so COLLECTED
this plan to continue only until the leg
islature of.Puerto Rico shall have pro-
vided local taxation sufficient to meet
the necessities of the island and In no
event to continue beyond March L,
1902, after which date there is to De
absolute free trade between the island
and the United States.
One OF the objects of a tariff upon
Puerto Rico's products imported here Is
to establish right to impose such
tariff in later years, should 1t be founo
necessary. Ttis will be precedent
in our legislation for our new posses
sion, the Philippines. The proposed
import rduty-15 per cent of the Ding
lev rates-is merely nomin al, within {
per cent of free trade. Back OF 1t is az
established power aud recognized au-
thority to deal with these quest loni
as shall seem wisest and best when We
know more about the whole matter
and shall better understand the true
stu ations with which we have to deal
What Puerto Rico is today we know
-whatit may become ten or twenty
wears from now, under the influence o
American ca pital and enterprise. we
can only conjecture. Cotton may be
grown there, and cotton manufacturing
might become large industry. With
cheap island labor, the product of oul
own northern and southern mills
could thus be undersold :. Would 1t bs
right to expose the agricultural anc
Industrial interests OF the United
States to such competition. II the
principle OF tariff be not Tow main
taiued, it might be difficult, il not i'm
possible, to impose one hereafter, If L
should thus become necessary
Then the republican party would b'
blamed, and justly so, for its regleo
to protect the interests OF Americas
citizens on the mainland. and for 1t
lack of forethought.
1t may be that the sugar yield there
may grow to such an extent as to cur
tail the available market area for GU
growing beet industry. The same ma
be true of tobacco, nof vegetables, @
oranges, of rice, of hides, of hemp an
other products. 1t is not claimed tina
there Is Danger today. But that TT er
is strong probs bility Of danger Il
American industries through the e.
tablis hment of free trade relations wit
Puerto Rico as precedent for our pol
icy in dealing with all our outly ing pos
sessions, 10 one can deny, after havini
given the subject careful investiga tior
What applies to Puerto Rico might b
held to apply equally to other posses
sious, and who can say what may de
velop IN that much larger sni equal.
fertile area in the east, with its sbun
dance OF cheap labor.
This Is what we must guard against
Without a precedent, and the estat
lished right to impose a tariff upon an
of the products of our island posses
siong, the United States may in year
to come feel.the effect of such lack {