Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-06-07
WASHINGTON NEWS.

While the decision of the Su-
preme Court in the Insular cases
is, generally speaking, welcome to
the administration, unfolding as it
does, the right of Congress to levy
duties on imports from the colonies
and asserting, by implication, its
control over them in other ways,
still in its broader aspect it is by
no means satisfactory. This is
chiefly because it is impossible to
forecast the decision of the court
on even the most nearly allied
questions. There is no telling, for
instance, how Justice Brown joined
four of his colleagues in deciding
against the government on one set
of cases and the other four in de-
Gliding for the government on the
other set, will decide cognate cases.
For instance, the "Second Dooley
case" which involves the right of
Congress to impose duties to be
collected i'll Porto Rico OIL imports
from the United States. has not
been decided, and there is no tell
ing how it will be. Nor is the Phil
ippine case decided, leaving it
doubtful whether it may not be
held at some time III the future
that the duties collected on all inn
ports from these islands may not
have to be refunded. A still more
annoying issue is liable to confront
the administration through the
courts decision OH the pilotage
"ase,which so far, has attracted lit
attention 1t is feared that this
y be construed as extending the
lations of the coastwise trade
Philippines, as we'll as to
leo and Hawaii. Shipping
this would be a serious
low to American shipping. 1t is
contended that the country is not
ct. ready include the distant
Philippines its coastwise trade
and to conftSsSSaon that far removed
archipelago the benefits of the
American navigation laws. Still,
as the question is not yet very
we'll understood, it is likely that
little will be heard about it until
Congress takes hold of it and Ell
acts the necessary legislation.
The claims presented to the Uni
ted States for damages to "Ameri-
can citizens" incurred during the
Cuban rebellion now amount to
nearly fifty millions. and the total
is climbing higher every day. Most
of the claims are utterly preposter-
Gus. Nearly every Cuban who had
naturalization papers has brought
i'll bill amounting usually to hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, which
he expects the government of tn,
United States to pay under tn,
terms of the Spanish treaty. On,
would judge from the examination
of these that Cuba was full of pala
tial residences, equipped in the mos
luxurious manner, and that tn,
fences, machinery and other arti
cles destroyed were silver-mounteC
and gilt-edged. In some cases tn
claimants do not even take tn,
trouble to itemize their losses, bu
ask large lump sums as compensa
ton for wounded pride, persona
suffering and loss of property. TIL
Commission has been forced to pro
mitigate rule that the laws of ev
idence and procedure governin,
ordinary courts of justice be oh
Served in every case, and that al
claims must be submitted iii detail
with competent testimony to estaL
lisls each item.
Senator Cullcm, who will almos
certainly go to the head of the For
eign Relations Committee of tn
Senate, vacating the Chairmanshi
of Interstate Commerce in favor {
Senator Elkins, believes that tn
next Congress will take final actio
regarding the Nicaraguan Cana
He does not, however, favor the al
rogation of the Clayton Bulwe
treaty by Legislative act-thec ours
outlined by Senator Lodge in cas-
he should become Chairman of tn
Committee. Mr.. Cullom says
"When a treaty is abrogated i
this way, the nation which suffer
may break off diplomatic relation.
declare wal, or resort to other meas
ures it chooses to adopt. 1 believ
Great Britain will agree to the al
rogation of the treaty without ask
ing anything unreasonable in re
turn. The treaty is antiquate
and conditions have changed wor
derfu1ly since it was negotiated
Great Britain has no special rec
son for holding On to the old treat
unless it hopes to gain control {
some of the South American cOu1