Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-05-28

OF the fnsuIar cases before the SUI
preme court, last nlgat made the iol.
lowing statement concerning his in
depreciation of the decisions of the
court Monday:
THE important question involved IN
these cases was whether the cession
of territory contained in the treaty
Of Paris made Porto Rico ana the
Philippines an integral part OF the
United States within the meaning OF
that provision of the constitution re.
quiring all duties imposts and *.
cises TO be uniform throughout the
United States.
The court held that the cession
simply made Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines domestic territory Of the
United States. subject to the full con-
troll OF congress, which control could
be exercised without reference to
those limitations. This limitation the
court held was intended to apply 10
the states of the union and does not
apply to acquired territory, unless BY
treaty, and by subsequent act Of con
gress It is incorporated within and
becomes an integral part CI the Unit
ed States. The decisions are substan-
TALLY a victory for the government.
They sustain to the fullest extent the
so-called insular policy Of the admin
istration. The government now has
the sanction Of the supreme court for
governing these islands as their needs
require. The court holds that the
constitution did not of its own force
at once apply to those ceded terri
tories, placing their people, their
products and their ports on an inn
mediate equality with ours and con
ferring upon them all the rights, priv
ileges and immunities enjoyed by the
people, products and ports of the sew
eral states. While their fundamental
rights are preserved by those under
lying principles of the constitution
which apply everywhere the status of
their citizens and the nature of the
customs and commercial regulations
are to be determined by congress Ia
the exercise of the power vested by
the constitution in congress to make
all needful rules and regulations re-
speeding territory belonging to the
United States Obviously what / have
said regarding Porto Rico applies
equally well to the Philippines, 50
that the president is perfectly free
under the Spooner act to govern the
Philippines as their needs and Their
interests may require.
Dineley Act Don't Apply.
cat the same time that the court
has sustained to the fullest extent
the contention of the government in
these cases 1t has decided as a mat
ter of statutory construction that the
Dingley act could not be held to I'M
pose duties 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 de-
eisiens 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 in
volyed the validity of the collection
of duties under the Foraker act on
goods taken into Porto Rico from the
United States. While | have no in.
formation ON the subject 1T may be
that the court thinks there is involved
III that case another question as to
whether such duties would not
amount to duties on articles exported
from state The court also failed
to dispose of what is popularity known
as the IA diamond rings case. involv-
ing the entry free of duty of rings
brought into the United States by
returning soldier from the Philippines
There were no decisions affecting the
Philippines today, and presume
both of these cases referred to will
go over until the fall term of the
court"