The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-28
TWO MORE DECISIONS
YET TO BE ANNOUNCED
What Solicitor General Richards
Has to Say of the Courts Die
tum in the DOvvnes Case
smstaininer Cona.ress

WASHINGTON, May 81. 49, Solicitor
General Richards. Of the department Of
justice, who had charge of the insular
cases before the supreme court tonight
made the following statement containing
his Interpretation Of the decisions Of the
court today:
THE important question involved in
these cases was whether the cession Of
territory contained in the treaty of Paris
made Porto Rico and the Philippines an
integral part Of the United States with
in the meaning of that provision of the
constitution requiring 'all duties, i'm
posts and excuses to be uniform through
out the United States The court held
that the cession simply made Porto Rico
and the Philippines domestic territory
Of the United States, subject to the full
control of congress, which control could
be exercised without reference to those
limitations. This limitation, the court
held, was intended to apply to the states
of the Union, and does not apply to &C
quired territory unless by treaty and by
subsequent act Of congress 1t is incoT-
porated within and becomes an integral
part of the United States. The decisions
are substantially a victory for the gov
eminent. They sustain to the fullest
extent the so-called insular policy of the
administration The government now
has the sanction Of the supreme court
for governing these islands as their
needs require. The court holds that the
constitution did not Of it's own force at
once apply to those coded territories
placing their people, their products and
their ports on an immediate equality
with ours and comforting upon them al
the rights, privileges and immunities en-
joyed by the people, products and ports
Of the several states. While their funda-
mental rights are preserved by these I'M
derlying principles of the constitution,
which apply everywhere, the status Of
their citizens and the nature Of the Gus
toms and commercial regulations are to
NPtpTpO
else of the power vested by the constitu-
ton in congress to make all needful rules
and regulations respecting territory be-
longing to the United States. Obviously
what l have said regarding Porto Rico
applies equally well to the Philippines
so that the president Is perfectly free,
under the Spencer act, to govern the
Philippines as their needs and our in
terests may require.
'At the same time that the court has
sustained to the fullest txtent the con-
tention Of the government in these cases
1t has decided as a matter of statutory
construction that the Dingley act could
not be held to impose duties on goods
brought from Porto Rico, because by
ceSSiOn Porto Rico became domestic ter
ritory of the United States and there
fore ceased to be 81 foreign country
The decisions of the court call for no
change in the administration of the law.
The court did not decide what is known
as the second Dooley case, which invOlV-
ed the validity of the collection OF duties
under the Foraker act on goods taken
into Porto Rico from the United States.
While [ have no information on the SUBJ
ieet, it may be that the court thinks
there is involved in the case another
question as TO whether such duties would
not amount to duties On articles export
ed from a state. The court also failed
TO dispose of what is popularity known
as the fourteen diamond rings case, in
volving the entry free of duty Of rings
brought into the United States by a re-
Soldier
There were no decisions affecting the
Philippines today, and [ presume both
of these cases referred to will go over
Until the fall term of the court