Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-08-09
FORMER PLAIN DUTY.


Republican, partisan newspapers
can swallow quite dinner of crow
when they have to for the good of the
party. They make a few wry faces.
but always end up by advising their
readers to stand by whoever may be
the candidate or however unpalatable
the platform.
In commenting on this popularity,
the Washington Post says: "Among
the most influential of the great mass
of Republican papers that stood Tor
our plain duty and against the re-
publican majority in congress was the
Chicago Times-Herald, now the Rec
ord-Herald. Referring to the action OF
the Porto Rico assembly by which free
trade with the United States is now
ushered in, that paper says: 1T brings
the situation around to what Porto
Rico ought to have had as a matter of
right by the circuitous route of a Is
per cent. concession to expediency.
''The Inter Ocean, republican or
gan of approved fidelity, treats this
subject at some length. It says that
thus, after three years of quibbling and
evasion, does the "plain duty" of the
United States to Porto Rico promise to
become fact Going into the his
tory of the great feud, the Inter Ocean
speaks it's mind with charming frank
ness. 1t recalls the fact that Gen.
Miles promised the Porto Ricans Amer
lean rights; that the president said
that to grant to them free trade was
sour plain duty and that in response
all the people said Amen Then, it
says, the beet sugar lobby came
to Washington with the Oxnard and
Myrick in charge, and there was
panic. And the Inter Ocean continues
in this refreshing manner: THE ways
and means committee rallied around
the lobby and demanded Porto Rican
tariff as warning precedent" against
Philippine sugar. They declared the
Porto Ricans too poor to support their
local government in the usual way.
How men too poor to pay taxes on
their luxuries could pay the Oxnard
tariff on their necessaries they could
not explain, but they insisted on the
tariff.
"'Then the Porto Ricans proceededto
give the lie to the Oxnard lobby and
it's congressional helpers. With the
aid of American expertA they reoc-
ganized their finances and spent great
sums on schools and public works.
They will spend this year nearly
100000. And they have done and
are doing all this without touching one
dollar of the Oxnard duties collected
at our custom houses. That money
nearly $500 COOLIES untouched in the
treasury at Washington. j.
"'Thus have the Porto Ricans them
selves proved the folly as well as the
bad faith involved in congress- dis
avowal of "our plain duty" Thus have
they demonstrated to all future con-
crosses the futility of course that
would ignore national duty and honor
at the behest of few greedy inter-
ests.'
''All this is worth recording, be-
cause of it's bearing on an extremely
interesting chapter of history. And it
has other values, for the Oxnard
lobby or its equivalent, is still in bust
ness. The same influences that brought
about the abandonment of our plain
duty toward Porto Rico are to give
Cuba kick when she asks the United
States for annexation. Meanwhile,
they meant to do unpleasant things
in various directions, especially to-
ward the Philippines"