Show 1 DEBATE OVER PORTO RICO 1 Senate Devotes Day to Discussion of Bill Appropriation 21 Washington March 22 When the 1 routine business of the Senate was disposed p dis-posed of l resolution by Mr Allen requesting re-questing Information as to the tariff f2 late In force In the Philippines Guam i Porto Rico and Cuba and the amount i collected In each Instance since the American occupation also a resolution by Mr Butler asking the Secretary of n the Treasury lor Information as lo hank charters grunted since the passage sage of the currency bill and for other information concerning the operations of tho bill were pusded Mr Pottlgrew introduced a resolution t calling upon the President for au itemIzed item-ized of the statement of the oxjKinses p1 Philippine commission and each of Its A1 members but Mr Davis objected to r present consideration and It went over PORTO RICAN APPROPRIATION The Senate then took up the conference confer-ence report on the Porto Rico appropriation i appro-priation bill Mr Bacon objected to tho changes made In conference The report > d re-port would ho said Indicate that mutual I mu-tual concessions had been made on behalf 2L be-half of boUnthe Senate and the House but he held that an analysis would chow that HIP Senate had yielded I proc L Hcally everything and the House nothing c BACONS OBJECTION zl Mr Bacon objected especially to tho concession on the part of the Senate to ci the Houpc1 contention thai tin appropriation < 1 appro-priation should iovyr future collwUoiin 1 rtHj jis UiopeUccruInt UJ to Jiuiu teji rLr 1 let Bpnoftth lu raid c i h rle66 change h found verj radi J cal action declaring that it was tho purpose of the bill to provide for the contingency that the tariff bill contn Lfllr hi now pending limy fall In that event the revenue arrangement would continue A PEACE OFFERING Mr Bacon launched upon a general argument upon the Republican policy with reference to trade between the United Stales and the Islands acquired In the war with Spain No such outcry he suid had been witnessed recently as that which had gone up from allover over the country after the passage of the House bil which was Intended to oppress an unnroleolod people Na turally Ui > Republican leaders hud sought to find a protecting shelter from this storm and this bill was Intended as 0 peace offering to appease the in dlgnallon of tho people ERECTING TARIFF WALL I Mr Bacon declared that to adopt this conference report meant 0 leaving of lenlng should the thrift Avail standing and if Congress I adjourn without passing an olhei low those who should vote for the conference report would be responsible respon-sible for leaving this great burden upon a people for whom thero was so much ixprossmd commiseration The talk of charity and hunmnltarJanlsm was derided de-rided by him ns mere pretense He also contended that tho monoy to bo returned re-turned would not to the tured go people from whom St Imd boon collected colected WHAT PORTO RICANS WANT I I What the people of the island wanted was free Intercourse with the people this country and not misdirected char ity He favored a free Territorial government 10 ernmenl like Oklahoma and New Mexl co and said the Democrats would vote at once for a bill on these lines COCKRELL OPPOSES REPORT Mr Cockrell also opposed the conference confer-ence report For the first lime In the nineteen years that I have been a mem 11ln ber of the Committee on Appropria tons he began 1j have been con polled to decline to sign C conference report on an appropriation bill I so refused because the report reversed the entire policy of the appropriation bill as It passed the Senate and because I believed It morally and politically wrong wrong from a Christian stand 1 poInt and In violation not only of our solemn pledge and plighted faith but also of the best impulses of the Repub lican parlyASKS ASKS A QUESTION Continuing Mr Cockrell said that to accept this report would fix thc Dlnglev tariff as the controlling factor In tariff contro1lng ur wiVra the teuHr fOl our commerce with Porto Rico He quoted commeCO GovGen Davis Secretary Hoot VSecTetary and President McKInley In support of Q free trade measure I wish to God I could In scribe this utterance indelibly I Indelbl upon the I tablet of the memory of the sleeping dreaming Senators on the Republlean i side ol the chamber He asked what inysterlous though i potent influence inlueuce nude the Republicans seek to compel time President to stultify himself by re OUirJng him lo sign thIs bill SULLIVANS POSITION 1 Sullivan criticised Sulnn clilclset the report sayjiig that the Porto means should not be taxed any more thaI the people n Louisiana or Mississippi Having lgslppl made 1a Yinb mudc Porto Rico a part of the United Unied Mates there was no reason whv the industries of the Porto Rican people Mhould he ruined ALLISON DEPENDS REPORT Mr Allison defended the conference report and criticised the Democratic at titude of itlay So far as free trade wan concerned he said we must tmtlce into consideration the I ldllalon fact of lime le le Jatlon of our productions with those or Porto liieo such us rum tobacco etc The mass of the people there were pour and lhl greater share of the prop erty was In the hands of a few men and said Mr Alison we must so ad just our relations as to make them prosperous and at tho same time let them contribute to our prosperity Wo must deal generously with the Porlo Ricans and do all that we can to enable en-able them to sustain their dense popu lation Hearing the arguments from the other side one would think that l these questions could be settled withIn five mInutes by spreading the blanket of our laws over the Island CONFERENCE AMENDMENT Referring to the amendment made In conference Mr Allison said tile change for the enlarged use of money would be made because of the insistence of tho Democratic party He could not see the difference between appioprlat Ing money already paid l In and that to be paid In so long as tho people was recognized and declared the conference changes law did not change the existing CRITICISED BY BERRY Mr Berry criticised Mr Allisons assertion as-sertion that there was no difference In principle between the bill as It passed the Senate and as It was reported from the conference committee Mr Allison Alli-son he all had been largely Instrumental Instru-mental in amending the bill In the Sea al < so as lo make it apply only to past collections of revenue and he expressed ex-pressed surprise that the committee should have consented lo the change lha t was made In conference However How-ever If he htH changed hlg mind very Hiidd nly this was 1 more i than the President himself had done and I was In keeping with the Republican pro gramme to ilo Indirectly what it would not uimdertaitc lo do dhcctly ALLENS OPINION OF BILL I Mr Allen contended that the appropriation appro-priation bill was merely n male < shlf to allow the Republican part to es cape from un awkward dilemma Tho Republican ship was leaking and was about to founder and It must be rescued res-cued and repaired He predicted that the general bills would be allowed to drift until the temper of the people could bo ascertained and a way out of the dltllculty discovered Mr len referred re-ferred to the fact that Mr I Beverldge had given notice of 0 speech today on his amendment for free trade with Porto Por-to Rico and added lhat the gentleman had not appeared to address the Senate Sen-ate This was only one evidence of the wonderful system which controhjeil time movement of the Republican party that party being the best organized of uny hu had ever known ALLISON A POLITICAL GENERAL The Senator from Iowa said Mr Allen is J the greatest political general gen-eral of the age comparing In politics with Napoleon In war he will never permit these general bills to H e nevcl daylight and under his leadership they are now and forever doomed MI Allen Al-len then referred to 1 newspaper report re-port that the Republlean party was raising 30OOOCOa for the next campaign cam-paign and in this conneellon fell Into a somewhat spirited colloquy with Mr Bcveridge Pointing to the Republican side of the Senate Mr Allen said You dare not bring the House bill fixing a tariff of 10 per cent before the Senate and put It to a vote Your I puipoae Is to let that bill sleep and you only desire to deceive the people BLUFF QUIETLY CALLED Mr Foraker asked Mr Allen lfh i would nlI1 on behalf oD the opposition opposi-tion to a vote today on thp House bill His position wa to withdraw tho Suu ate substitute which Is hegovernmen tal bill for Porto Rlro and permit n jvoto upon hl HOUR Uulff bill alone inforoadjournment today t Mr Allen replied thut so far m he i wa concerned he was entirely willing to consent to th proposition I Join most heartily In tIme request of the I Senator from Ohio he said 1 PROCTOK CALLS A HALT Mr Proctor objected to immediate action He said the turn which affairs had taken was unexpected and that Republican Senators who were unfavorable unfa-vorable to a tariff on commerce between be-tween the United States and Porlo Rico had not been prepared for so early a vote YO want no unreasonable delay de-lay he said but we do object to a vote this week Fix it for say a week from today After further colloquy between Messrs Proctor and Foraker the latter lat-ter agreed to Mr Proctors proposition 1 This did not stilt 1 Allen who said I dont llko the Senator from Ohio to Iko attempted run away from my proposition He tempted to run 0 bluff and his own party called him PETTUS STOPS ROW At this point Mr Pettus called for tho regular order saylngi I dont think these gentlemen should come In horo and consume the entire time in bragging one against the other This brought lo l close tho effort to fix t day for n vole Mr Allison then attempted to secure an agreement to vote today upon the acceptance of the conference report on theapproprlatlou bill but Mr Tlllnmn objected and the mater went over The Senate then went into executive sosslon and when the doors were reopened re-opened Mr Foraker attempted to proceed pro-ceed with l the consideration of the Por lo Rican governmental bill The point soycrmlenlal of no quorum was raised by Mr Sullivan Sul-livan and the Senate at 350 p in adjourned ad-journed I |