Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-04-03
IN CONGRESS-.
Continuance In Senate Of Porto Rlcan
Bill Debate.
STATEMENT BY MR.. VEST
lie Says That II He Had Been present
He Would Haye Voted Against
Any Duty on Porto RI
can Products.

Washington, April 3.-The senate con-
vened early in order that the debate on
the Porto Rican bill might be extended.
| The public galleries were crowded.
| Mr.. Vest Dem.), rising to question
Of privilege, said upon his return to the
city after an absence on account OF Ill
ness he had found that on the vote TO
strike out the provision in the Porto III
| can bill for duty Of ID per cent OF the
| Dingley duties he had been noted as an
sent and not paired. He explained that
he had general pair which he thought
was sufficient. Had he been present lie
would have voted to strike out the duty
on Porto Kican products.
Proceeding he directed attention to
notable case which, he said, had been
| overlooked in all the arguments. "A sailor
named Ross had shipped Oh an American
merchantmen from New York to Maya
saki At the latter port he had murdered
fellow seaman on the vessels deck ana
was convicted and sentenced to death by
consular court. His sentence was COM
mufed to Imprisonment for life in the
Albany pcnitentary. He sued out
writ of habeas corpus, the ground being
that he had not been given trial by
jury as insured by the constitution. The
supreme court decided that he had had
a fair trial and must remain in prison;
that in order to avail himself .f the
right to trial by jury the vessel must
| have been within the territorial limits OF
the United States.
| Mr. Vest said he would like any sena-
tor to explain how the supreme court
could come to that conclusion and state
emphatically that within the territorial
limits of the United States the constitu-
| ton applies without act Of congress or
treaty stipulation and yet agree that Il
different tariff can be imposed on the
people of Porto Rico from that imposed
on the people of Missouri.
Mr.. Bate (Tenn.), after the Porto Rico
bill had been laid formally before the
senate, delivered his announced speech
in opposition to the pending measure.
| Spoke Also on Expansion.
! Mr.. Bate directed his argument partic-
| ularly against the pending Porto Rican
| bill, but his speech embraced the whole
| question Of expansion and the treatment
| by the government and by congress of
our insular possessions. He took strong
ground against the acquisition of Span
ish territory under the treaty of Paris,
against which he had voted.
| "a tariff for Porto Rico" he said.
(which protects certain interests in the
| United States and denies to all other peO
| pie in the states the benefit of competi-
| ton. creates a virtual trust on cigars, Gig
arettes and tobacco and helps the actual
! trust in sugar, for the benefit of manu-
| facturers at the cost of consumers in the
| states and producers in Porto Rico.
| While 100000 tons of sugar in Hawaii,
| the property of the trust king in the
| United States, enters free of all duty.
the 10000 tons of sugar produced by the
| impoverished planters of Porto Rico are
taxed under the power which the treaty
| of Paris was manipulated so as to give
| to congrcss-the power which has been
| thus abused"
In discussion on imperialism Mr..
| Bate said: 81 rejoice in the conviction
that neither in England nor in the Unit
ed States are the sentiments, opinions
| and convictions of the people represented
| by the administration. The treaty of
Paris has proved itself to be the Pando-
ra's box out of which has flown all the
evils which are now embarrassing this
! government. dividing it's people along
lines of policy which threaten the very
existence of the constitution and opening
the way of imperialism in policy. to I'M
natural expansion of territory. to the
| overthrow of the Monroe doctrine, to the
incorporation with our people of millions
of savages totally unfit for self govern
ment and unable to comprehend its forms
and purposes"
Mr.. Depew IN. W followed in an ex-
haustive address in favor of the pending
measure. He reviewed at length the po-
litical and industrial situation in Porto
Rico and held that the tariff proposed by
the bill would conduce to the prosperity
Of the island.