Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-12-16
THEW0RK OF CONGRESS-
Philippine Tariff Bill Is Presented
to the House,
REASONS FOR ENACTMENT,
The Majority Report Says That Its
Passage IL Necessary to Raise
Revenue For the Better
ment of the Islands.

Washington, Dec. 14.--According tc
programme, tie new Philippine tariff
bill has been presented to the house
The majority report on the measure
said in part
This bill is designed to raise revenue for the
government and benefit Of the Philippine archi
peiago. 1t Is intended to restore the status which
existed prior to the late decision OF the supreme
court IN "the diamond rings case Prior ia
that decision the government had been collecting
duties on goods coming into the United States
from the Philippine archipelago at the same
rates as those provided in our tariff laws for like
articles imported from foreign countries" The
court holds that the Philippine archipelago is
not foreign country, and therefore the general
tariff law does not apply. This bill extends the
rate now existing upon imports from foreign
countries to articles brought in from the Philip.
pine Islands.
In the Philippine archipelago the United States
Philippine commission prepared tariff act after
much care and study. Thsir object has been and
Is to raise SUFFICIENT revenue to support Z govern.
ment in the Philippines, to provide amply fol
the education Of the people. to open up the high
ways OF commerce both foreign and domestic and
to provide ample police force for the preservation
Of order These different forms Of taria in force
there have produced . surplus Of revenue after
paying the expenses Of the government. This
bill proposes in the first section to make this
Philippine tariff a part Of the statutes Of the
United States.
The necessity for q continuance Of revenue
which shall be both ample and certain is impera.
tive II we continue the police and constabulary
system which has been inaugurated and which is
q F1Inh RI ind OPdo In
the islands, 1t will call for large increase in ap-
preparations. We have enrolled 10000 school
children In the public schools. OF this number
more than one.half are without any schoolhouse
accommodation. It 10 necessary that we build
suitable houses at once. Ten thousand adults
were at last accounts enrolled for night schools.
and we are told that this number has since in.
creased probably TO at leSst $1,000 These people.
anxious to learn our language and to better their
mental condition, must be amply provided for.
Four thousand teachers have been employed.
nearly all Of them recently, and their salaries
must be paid. This great work OF education
must not be crippled, even for a short time for
lack Of funds.
Our government has gone to work systematically
through the commission for the improvement OF
the harbor al Manila. 1t has let the con.
tract, after q public advertisement and competi.
tive bids, to the lowest bidder. This contract
near future. Roads are being constructed and
the building OF roads in this tropical country is
expensive These are but few OF the many
items of expenditure which are imperative. All
these expenditures are preparing the way for a
reduction of the army and in the end will prove
Of direct benefit to the taxpayers Of the United
States
The Minority Report.
Representative Richardson Tenn)
presented to the house the minority re-
port on the Philippine tariff bill, signed
by all the Democrats Of the ways and
means committee except Mr.. Robertson
Na.). The report says in part:
The measure is but another step in the well
marked line Of imperialism. 1t is enacting
policy OF pure colonialism and the worst form Of
that policy. We are opposed to our government
attempting to hold territories as colonials and
treating the Inhabitants thereof as subjects and
imposing upon them q government of force This
ID the method OF the empire instead Of that Of
the republic. We oppose the whole policy of the
majority in dealing with the Philippine archi-
pelago. We believe that instead OF the effort
they are making to set up and hold permanent
colonies there we should long since have inaugu-
rated policy assuring to the people OF those
Islands stable government and their ultimate in
dependence.
But even il there is to be an admitted change
In our institutions and our form Of government
and a wide departure from the old landmark OF
political truth, that all governments instituted
among men derive their just powers from the
consent Of the governed, and if it be admitted
that we are to embark upon the dangerous and
desperate policy Of colony holding and subject
to none OF which do we agree, even
then we could not give our assent to the passage
Of the pending measure. The colonial plan set
up by this bill is unjust and illiberal in the ex-
IRENE.
The report says the secretary of war
made the tax law for the Philippines
and Is given more power than most
kings. 1t also says that the bill de-
clares the Philippines foreign territory
and applies Dingley law rates and then
proceeds to denounce the Dingley law
as trust binding measure.
Mr.. Payne announced that he would
call up the bill for consideration next
Tuesday. He asked that the bill be
considered Tuesday and Wednesday
next until 4 o'clock on the latter day.
when the previous question be consid-
cred as ordered. The house agreed to
this and adjourned until Tuesday.
The Early Proceedings.
After an adjournment for three days
The house met at noon. Mr.. Cannon
(Ill.) asked unanimous consent for the
of the senate bill to CON
tinue the industrial commission until
Feb. Is, 1902.
After some discussion by Messrs.
Cannon, Livingston (Ga.) and Maddox
(Ga) the bill was passed.
The speaker announced the appoint
ment of the following regents Of the
institutions: Messrs. Hit
Hll), Adams pa and Dinsmore
(Ark).
Representative Robinson Qnd9 intro
duced two measures designed to secure
the extradition Of Ex-Governor Taylor
of Kentucky from Indiana, where ne
Is said to be sojourning, to Kentucky,
whore he is wanted in connection with