The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-28
Long Expected Decision of Supreme
Court on the Porto RiCan
Tariff Cases.
Held That for Purposes of Taxation
They Are Not Part of the
United States.

WASHINGTON, May Pin the Unit
ed States stipraNle court today opinions
were handed down in all but two of the
cases before that court, involving tie
relation of the United States to its in
sular possessions The two cases in
Which no conclusion was announced were
those known as the fourteen diamond
rings case, and the second of the Dooley
cases. The undecided Dooley case deals
with a phase of the Porto Rican uues-
ton, and the diamond rings case involves
the right to the free importation of mer-
chandise from the Philippines to the
United States. The original intention Of
the court had been to adjourn for the
term after today's sitting, but discussion
OF the cases passed on today took about
five hours, so the court adjourned until
tomorrow when it is presumed the re-
naming cases will be passed on or the
several cases decided today the two
which attracted the greatest share of at
tentlon from the court We're what is
known as the De Lima case and that
known as the Downes case, and of these
TWO the opinion III the DoWnes case is
considered the most far-reaching as it
affects our future relations whereas the
de Lima case dealt with q transitional
phase Of our insular relations The De
Lima case was the first to receive the
attention of the court and as ii appeared
to be quite sweepngly opposed to the
governments contentious, many persons
precipitately arrived at the conclusion
that the government had been worsted
all along the line. This view suffered
a decided change when the conclusion
was announced in the Downes case. The
court was very evenly divided on both
cases but political lines were not at all
controlling.
THE DE LIMA CASE.
The De Lima case involved the power
of the government to collect a duty on
goods imported into the United States
from Porto Rico after the ratification Of
the treaty of Paris and before the pas
sage of the Porto Rican act. The court
said the governments contention in this
case was substantially a claim that Porto
Rico is foreign territory. The entire
case turned upon that contention. The
court held that the position was not
well taken; that Porto Rico was not Mt
the time foreign territory and that there
fore the duty which had been collected
must be returned.
THE DOWNES CASE.
The decision in the Downes case fol,
lowed the history of the dealings of the
United States with Porto Rico a step
farther. The case dealt with the legal
ity of the eXaction Of duties on goods
imported from Porto Rico into New York
after the passage Of the Foraker act pro-
viding for a duty upon goods shipped
from the United States into Porto Rico
and also on those shipped from Porto
Rico to the United States. In this case
the court held that such exaotion was
legal and constitutional.
CONGRESS HAS POWER.
The point of the two opinions consider
ed collectively is that Porto Rico was
never, after the acquisition of that island,
foreign territory; that until congress act
ed upon the question no duty could be col
lected; but that as soon as congress out