The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-12-03


course With Our Country-Promis
of seIf-Government to People of Our
Recently Acquired Territory - This
and Other Resolutions Referred to
Committee
Washington, November 30.-The dem
ocratic members of the house of repro
sentatives met in caucus in the hall of
the house at IL o'clock today. There
are ISL democrats and eight fusionists,
silverites and populists in the new
house. Of these members Of the minor
ity 126 were present, including Mr..
Shafroth, of Colorado, and Mr.. New
lands, silverites. Mr.. Neville and Mr..
Stark populists, of Nebraska, declined
to enter the caucus. Mr.. Hay, Of Vir-
ginia. chairman of the democratic eau
Gus. presided.
Without opposition the following Sc
lections were made for officers of the
house to be presented at the meeting
of the house next Monday: Speaker,
Mr.. Richardson, Of Tennessee; clerk,
ex-Representative James Kerr, of Penn
sylvania; sergeant-at-arms. ex-Rep-
resentative Brookshire. Of Indiana;
doorkeper, Charles Edwards, of Texas,
and postaster, James K. Jackson, Of
Alabama.
The selection of Mr.. Richardson as
candidate for speaker clothes him Off
cially with the minority leadership.
The four places on the house roll al
lowed the minority will be filled by
Isaac r. Hill, of Ohio, assistant SER
geant-at-arms, and James F. English,
of California; FELTON, B. knight, of
Georgia, and Edwin Bland, son OF
''Silver Dick" Bland, special employees.
The interesting portion of the caucus
followed. Representative Mcclellan,
of New York, by direction Of the demo-
cratic members of the New York dele
cation. who had met just prior to the
assembling of the caucus. offered the
following resolution as an expression of
the sense of the caucus:
Resolved. That we shall promote to
the utmost of our power, the removal
of the oppressive, restrictive and often
tariff. 1t has been truly declared to
be the mother of trusts. The tendency
to create combinations of wealth, eS-
tablishing practical monopolies in the
manufacturing and commercial indus
tries of the United States, threatens the
future existence of individual manu-
facturers and merchants and trades
men Of moderate or small means. That
tendency must undermine the sturdy
independence of large bodies of Ameri-
can citizens and may we'll be deemed
the most serious menace to the moral
and political welfare of the country.
The tine has come when our industries,
manufacturing as well as agricultural,
which practically enjoy no protection
for the reason that their products are
exported and because. whether or not
duties be levied in their favor no COM
peting products can be profitably i'm
ported should be permitted to avail
themselves of foreign markets to the
fullest extent, as they cannot do under
existing restrictions. Highly protected
Industries should no longer be permit
ed to sell more cheaply to foreigners
than to their own countrymen. Fit
and thorough relief can be had only by
amendment of the present tariff act;
but we shall favor such reciprocity
treaties as will reduce, even if they do
not altogether remove the unfair and
oppressive burden of the present sys-
tenn.
2. We shall favor just and generous
treatment of the inhabitants of Porto
Rico and Cuba. American obligations
to Cuba should be sacredly performed
Having freed her from Spanish domin-
ion and assumed over her a protector
ate and even some of the preragatives
of her sovereignty, we are bound i.y
every consideration of justice and gen.
erosity to allow her the largest practi-
cable liberty of commercial intercourse
with our own country.
~4. We are opposed to the subsidy
bill presented at the last session as CAL
culated to create a shipping monopoly
We shall oppose the use in any form
Of the money of all the people for ths
exclusive benefit of private interests.
''5. We shall insist upon the sacred
force of the fundamental American rule
OF democratic self government. What
ever protectorate over newly acquired
islands or latelv conquered peoples may
be necessary for a longer or shorter
stations may properly be retained OF
acquired by the United States, we arc
opposed to any Incorporation into ouI
republic OF other lands or the assump
tion of sovereignty over them, except
as their inhabitants may be fitted fol
such self-government and, except as
the protection Of our constitution NJ
less than of our flag may be extended
to them with safety to ourselves. We
are opposed to the establishment Of any
colonial or other system whereby rh:
executive or military power Of 1ht
United States may permanently rule
masses Of men outside the sanction.
and safeguards of the constitution
Yl,1~