The Washington times., 1901-12-19
UNDER THE CAPITOL'S DOME.

pine tariff bill brought the discussion
! nearer to the substance OF the question
directly before the House Messrs. Will
| liams, of Mississippi, and Mcclellan. Of
| New York both made excellent speeches
! from the Democratic point OF view. These
gentlemen frankly admitted that what
| ever might be their judgment as to the
wisdom of permanently holding the Phil
| ippines. the islands. under the Supreme
| Court decisions are American territory,
and. therefore. subject to the legislative
| control of Congress. Their argument was
| that the proposed legislation was in itself
| unwise, and for that reason should be de-
| feated
Upon the Republican side the speech
of Mr.. Williams was regarded as the
strongest made in opposition to the bill,
| although in Justice II should be said that
MIR Mcclellan did not have time to fully
develop his argument. fhe latter gentle
man made what considered by many
one OF the most forceful points against
the enactment of the proposed measure.
This Is, in brief. that its tendency Will
| be to embitter the Filipinos. prolong hos
| tilities check the growth of an American
sentiment among them, and very greatly
increase the difficulty and expense of
complete pacification.
Mr. Mccall. of Massachusetts,, also made
somewhat notable. although brief,
speech against the bill. He based his op
position upon the broad ground that the
islands are American territory, and that
despite the recent decisions of the Su-
preme Court he believed such legislation
TO he unconstitutional. As a national
legislator. he claimed the right so to re-
gard it. and cited the attitude of Lincoln
7 ri ha n
cision in support of his position.
The leading speeches upon the Republi
can side in favor of the bill were made by
Hepburn. OF Iowa, and Dalzell, of Penn
sylvania. The remarks of Mr.. Hepburn
we're brilliant in their rhetoric and were
punrtuated by the keenest repartee. He
fully sustained his reputation as an ac-
complished orator and ready debater. He
was especially happy in his rejoinder to
a suggestion from the Democratic side
to the effect that the Philippines might
be exchanged for more des sirable terri
tory nearer home This he said was in
Itself an admission that the islands be-
| louged to us, for otherwise We could have
no right to sell them.
On this point he was eloquent and
sarcastic, and the Democratic side acted
as though il felt il had been placed in a
somewhat awkward position.
Mr.. Dalzell made what was clearly the
best legal argument in favor of the right
of Congress to enact such n measure, al
though 1t was scarcely necessary, in view
of the decisions OF the Supreme Court.
His purpose was to turn the Democratic
arguments back upon that side by showing
that Jefferson jackson, and Monroe all
pursued essentially the same policy with
reference to new territory as that which
the Republicans have adopted toward the
Philippines. While few of the Democrats
are willing to admit that his parallels
were fairly drawn, none. perhaps, will
venture 10 deny the dexterity and refined
acumen with which his argument was
made His effort distinctively strengthen
Ell the position of those who championed
the bill
The speech OF Mr.. Robertson. of Louisi-
ana, in support of the measure shows
how completely local interests predom-
mate in the minds OF men when economic
questions are under consideration. This
gentleman is a Democratic Representa-
tive from Louisiana, State deeply inter-
ested in sugar. The Philippines also pro-
duce sugar, which, IL admitted free of
duty, win compete with the product OF
Mr.. Robertson's State. Hence, while in
general sympathy with his party, he is
opposed to the free admission of sugar
from the Philippines. II is worthy of note
| also that Mr.. Swanson. of Virginia. failed
to place himself on record as favoring
the free Importation of tobacco from
those islands, save as it resulted in
ferentially from his general opposition
to the bill, which. IL defeated, would al
low both sugar and tobacco to enter our
ports free of duty.
a rather amusing feature of the debate
so far as it related to sugar was the cir
cumstance that while Mr.. Robertson ia
yored the bill in the interest of Louisi-
ana's cane sugar. Mr.. Mcclellan of New
York, opposed it upon the ground that
ii was intended solely for the benefit OF
a few beet sugar growers.
y question which bids fsir to take
marked sectional turn is that of irriga-
! tion by Governmental aid in the arid and
semi-arid regions of the West On this
subject there is said to be complete
! unanimity among the Senators and Repre-
sentatives from the States lying within
! the belt in which irrigation is necessary
for successful agriculture.
The Representatives of those States are
already actively at work in furtherance
of their plans, which they believe will
convert the Western deserts into smiling
and productive farms. A committee of
sixteen has been formed, of which SEN
ator Warren of Wyoming is chairman.
and Representative Newlands of Nevada
secretary The committee has been in
session almost daily since the opening Of
| Congress.
The purpose is first to frame general
bill and then take up the subject of
| special Legislation, II IL be deemed neces-
sary. The general bill is practically
| shaped. and will follow more or less
closely the lines of the Newlands bill
| introduced in the last Congress.
The idea is to make the whole scheme
self-supporting. and involve the Govern
| ment in no expense whatever The
money derived from the sale of the lands
| is to be devoted to their reclamation.
and when lands belonging to the Govern
ment are thus reclaimed they are to be
sold to actual settlers at s. an acre. 1t
| Is said that this method will create fund
| of 50 900 600 annually to begin with. The
| lands are to he disposed OF exclusively
under the homestead laws. and no more
! than eighty acres can be taken up by one
person, the aim being to prevent the
| growth of anything like a land monopoly
! as result of the operation of the act.
The law will provide that present set
| tiers may also acquire water rigt-s for
! eighty acres. and that ultimately the
I works excepting the reservoirs shall be
| turned over to the settlers interested in
| them Actual use of water is to be
1 the measure OF proprietary rights. The
entire project will be given national
! character. and be under the general con-
| troll OF the Secretary Of the Interior.
The matter is one OF vast Importance
! to the States Immediately concerned. and