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Show Lively Debate In the Senate. Washington, March 8. Formal discussion dis-cussion of the Porto rtiean tariff and i civil government bill began in the senate sen-ate today and continued uninterruptedly uninterrup-tedly for four and a half hours. The I'rincipal speakers were Mr. Foraker (.O.), in charge of the measure, and Mr. Tettus (Dem., Ala.), but at various times during the debate lively colloquys times during the debate lively colloquies participants. After Mr. Mason (Ills.) had entered : 3iis motion tj uischarge the committee on foreign relations from further con- ' eideration of a resolution expressing sympathy for the Locrs and it hud gone over until tomorrow under the ; rule, Mr. Pott us delivered a carefully I prepared speech in opposition to the pending bill. Mr. Foraker occupied the floor during the remainder of the svys- j tdoii. speaking in defense of the bill. Mr. IVttus (Ala.) was first to ad- I dress the senate on the Porto Uican ! bill, lie congratulated the president i on the position he had taken in his last 1 annurtl message favoring free trade be- j tween the I'nited States and Porto ! Kico. "No sordid politicians' fingers had ! lieen put into the ink of that message," j lie said. "The president was honest j and sincere when he distinctly advised ' free trade between the United States and the island of Porto Pico. ' 'The public press is now trying to ! make us believe the secretary of war is the author of the pendir.g'bill, . and that the president lias acceded to the provisions of the measure. For one, I r fuse to believe this charge against the president. Though he may desire re-election, he was a brave soldier and . is an able and generous man. For him it is not everything in life to be reelected re-elected to the presidency of his party, lie has acted for the common good of all the people. If he approves your bill then 1 may believe any vile story j against any good man." I Mr. Pettus called attention to the j amendment, proposed by Mr. Davis, ! 'which, he said, was a most interesting j specimen of the produc ts of inventive genius. " The senator proposes," said Mr. Pet-I Pet-I tiis, "to send over to the Porto Ri.-ans I The constitution in installments a lit. I tie now and a little then." Mr. Morgan gave notice of his hiten- lion to move to lay the entire substi- J Hue for the senate committee for the house bill on the table. 1 Mr. Foraker, in charge of the pend ing bill, replied to Senator Pettus. Ad- " vetting to the criticism aroused by the bill, both in the newspapers and among the people. Mr. Foraker said that so far ; as he had beer, informed, no intelligent , and appreciative man in Porto Kirn ! had dissented from the propositions of ! . tlv measure. There may have been Home criticism on the part of the Porto ! Itioans. but generally it was accepted as an excellent bill. Mr. Lindsay inquired if Governor ; General Davis himself had not recom mended free trade with Porto Kioo. "Yes," replied Mr. Foraker. "he did make such a recommendation, but the, committee, after fuil consideration, decided de-cided against his proposition. YVe are to legislate for the whole I'nited States : and we were forced to consider- the question from all points of view. The tariff provision was conceived in mercy to the Porto Ricans, and in its generosity gene-rosity it is without precedent in the territorial legislation of the United States." Mr. Foraker explained the provisions ci the bill showing that all the internal revenue taxes and the customs duties, instead of being pa:d into the United States treasury, as had Veen the case in everv other territory, would go into the treasury of the island and be solelv for the benefit of the Porto Picans. In round figures the revenues would aggregate ag-gregate SL'.Wii.etoO. about SI.-JOo.CtM) from ustoms and ; 600,000 from internal revenue. rev-enue. Mr. Gallinger interjected the remark that it wus proposed to expend $l.ooo,ooo for school houses on the island, and a like sum fir the construction of roads. ! "Ves. ' continued Mr. Foraker. "YVe j propose to do that and we propose in i that connection to provide the inhabit- i ants with remunerative labor and em- I pleyment." Continuing the Ohio senator said that after all means of raising revenues had been considered it was found necessary neces-sary to provide at least Jl.OOO.OOfi more per annum. Then it was proposed to levy a duty on 2. per cent of the Ding- j iey law on products of the island im- I port-d into this country and to turn the amount so raised hack to Porto Pico. "The senator admits." said Mr. Javis. interrupting, "that this handing b;:.k of revenues to a political subdivision sub-division of the United States is un-pi un-pi e.-e dented. Then, why not raise the revenue as usual and. if necessary to relieve distress in Porto Pic. provide the relief by a direct appropriation J'rom the United Slates treasury?" "The United States has never under- ' taken ;o suppojt a local government in i any territory." replied Mr. Foraker. i "Tlie situation in Pc rto Pi.-o is anonutl- ! ous. If the island is to have schools, I good roads and public improvements I it must get them through taxation and ' such taxation as is proposed in the , bill." ; Mr. Foraker became involved in a ' colloquy with Mr. Hoar ns to the con- I stitutional right of congress to levy a duty or. products from a territory of the United States in which the Ohio! f-enator declared that the provisions of I the c onstitution referred to had no ap- 1 plication in in? case of Porto Pico. Mr. Hoar continued to press the point ' and Mr. Foraker finally declared that question in point had "passed beyond the law book stage." and had become one of justice and humanity. Mr. Hoar That is the senator's answer? "No it is not." retorted Mr. Foraker warmly. "1 answered the senator's i question and the persistence with j which the senator presses it shows that I he dors not want to accept the answer, j 1 might stand here and quote decisions j of the supreme rnuit until the last P,rto Pican had starved and it would have no effect' upon senators who differed dif-fered from me. Tins contention ahs b t n going oi for two years and it will have to be ditermined ultimately by the supreme court." .Mr. Foraker dif-ussrd the probibiiity that this government would be pgked by othe!- powers for an open door in the Philippine, and declared that it was an important and perhaps imminent contingency, of which account would have to be taken. We wanted trade in the Orient, and after we demandei an entrance to China, we nuvt grant one in the Philippines. He thought the Philippines could not be dealt with acs it was proposed to deal with Porto Pico. Mr. Tillman Then the contention is that we can take Porto Pico under our wing and protect her to the utmost, but that we- cannot do the same thing for the Philippines? Continuing, he asked why the president presi-dent had originally ie.-oinioended free trade with Porto Kic-.i ami the hojs." had brought in a bill t t'.iat end. only changing ius c ourse ,-f !; y a rehearing re-hearing from Mr. (: yj-.t. ne -ugar king. Replying. Mr. For..;-tr referred Mr. Tillman to his i-olieague cHanna). "I am not the keei ei of the president's presi-dent's confidence1, I have no doubt, however, that the president epoke from his highest conviction and befit sentiment. senti-ment. No doubt he would prefer free trade with Porto Rico, as I should. He probably knowi more than he knew Tvhon he promulgated that message, s.nd, knowing moie, it is his duty uo a in il i m m . i rn mr i I .III - man and as an official to change his recommendation." Mr. Hoar said the thing to do now was to make an appropriation of a sum of money sufficient to relieve the distress dis-tress of the Porto Ricane. That course would be definite, and there would be j no delay nor inhumanity in it. Replying to a question from Mr. Teller, Mr. Foraker said he regarded ' Porto Rico as a dependency of the ! United States, and not as an integral part of the United States. Mr. Bacon pointed out what he be- i lieved to be the inconsistency of providing pro-viding for a delegate in congress from Porto Rico who is not a citizen of the I'nited States, and who is to be elected by persons who are not citizens oi the United States, but who must take an oath to obev the constitution of the; I'nited States. Mr. Foraker contended that this was ; what had been done in the cases of 1 Louisiana, Florida and in many other j instances. : The discuss-ion of the questions of ! constitutional law wae continued until 5 o'clock. Mr. Hoar made the closing observation, in which he took sharp irsue with the principles enunciated by Mr. Foraker. He held that the doe-trine doe-trine proposeel to be applied to Porto Rico and the Philippines would result in a despotism, and it would be none ' t lie let-3 a despotism because it was to be carried into effect, by moral men of high civilization. The chair announced the appointment appoint-ment of Senators Hanna and Tillman as members of the committee to the military academy. At 5 o'clock the senate took a recess until '8 o'clock, for the formal reading of the Alaska code bill. |