The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-28
SOLICITOR GENERALS VIEW.
DECISIONS SUBSTANTT4LZYA 4 YIC-
 TORYTOR THE GOVERNMENT.
called Insular Policy of the 'Adminis- tration-Covernm Now Has SaMc- Islands as Their Needs Require.

Washington, May 27-Solicitor Gen eral Richards, of the department of
 justice, who had charge of the insular
 cases before the supreme court, tonight
 made the following statement conta h.
 ing his interpretation of the decision of
 the court to-day:
 The important question involved in
 these cases was whether the cession If territory contained in the Treaty of
 Paris made Porto Rico and the Philip
 pines an integral part of the United
 States within the meaning of that pro-
 vision of the constitution requiring Tall
 duties, imports and excises to be uni-
 form throughout the United States"
 The court held that the cessioa simply
 made Porto Rico and the Philippines domestic territory of the United Statfs subject to the full control of congress
 which control could be exercised with
 out reference to these limitations. This limitation the court held was intended to apply to the states of the union and does not apply to acquired territory un- less by treaty and by subsequent act of
 congress it is incorporated within and
 becomes an integral part of the United
 States
 The decisions are substantially vic- tory for the government. They sustain
 to the fullest extent the so-called in- sular policy of the administration. The government now has the sanction of the supreme court for governing the islands as their needs require. The court holds that the constitution did not of its own force at once apply to those ceded ter ritories, placing their people, their products and their ports on an immedi- tate equality with ours and conferring upon them all the rights, privileges and immunities enjoyed by the people, pro- ducts and ports of the several states While their fundamental rights are pre- served by those underlying principles of the constitution which apply every where the status of their citizens and the nature of the customs and commer- cial regulations are to be determined by congress in the exercise of the power by the constitution in congress to make all needful rules and regulations re- specting territory belonging to the ! United States. Obviously what I have | said regarding Porto Rico applies equal ly we'll to the Philippines SO that the president is perfectly free under the | Spooner act to govern the Philippines | as their needs and their interests may | require.
 At the same time that the court has | sustained to the fullest extent the of the government in these cases it has decided as a matter of construction that the Ding ley act could not be held to impose du- ties on goods brought from Porto Rico because by cession Porto Rico became domestic territory of the United States, and therefore ceased to be "a 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 involves the validity of the duties under the For iker act on goods taken into Porto Rico from the United States. While I nave no information on the subject it nay be that the court thinks there is involved in that case another question IS to whether such duties would not mount in the duties on articles export I'd from a state The court also failed o dispose of what is popularly known US the fourteen diamond rings case in- yolving the entry free of duty of rings brought into the United States by re- urning soldier from the Philippines There were no decisions affecting the , to-day, and l presume both ( if these eases referred to will go over lntil the fall term of the court. bt