Show WORDS used by both sides over the puerto rican tariff bill HOUSE washington feb 37 the last day of the debate on the puerto rico tariff bill opened with a twenty minute speech by mr carmack of tennessee in opposition to the bill the alternative presented by the bill he said was the abandonment of our priceless principles or of our new possessions the country had been dazzled with the gorgeous picture of empire but yet at the very threshold of the new departure he said gentlemen on the other side had been appalled lest the trade which they had looked at with covetous eyes would bring ruin and destruction to american labor therefore the new possessions were to become colonies and be turned over to carpetbag carpet bag ger adventurers he said that mr the other day had displayed dense ignorance when he had declared that this was the battle of 1860 over again he read from the republican platform of 1860 to show that it set up the very contention maintained by the democrats now that the constitution was supreme in the territories and extended over every toot of ground over which the united states had jurisdiction that was the doctrine of the republican party and abraham lincoln said he and we stand here to defend the theory that slavery and political despotism cannot be imposed within the jurisdiction of our country that life liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the inalienable rights 0 all within our jurisdiction mr chayton of alabama who followed mr carmack created much amusement and enthusiasm by reading a letter written by chairman to W H curtis of palmyra N Y jan 24 1900 in which he advocated tree trade with puerto rico on the ground that it would give relief to the stricken land the letter also contained the following reference to the philippines under the treaty the philippine islands are to have free trade with spain tor ten years we could not extend these tariff laws to the philippine islands even it we would mr chayton asked that this letter and an extract from mr paynes speech in support of the bill bo printed in parallel columns in the record mr payne smilingly assented to the request and expressed the hope that there would be no objection mr kleberg of texas and peary of tennessee also opposed the bill the latter declared that the brood of trusts had flocked to washington and had compelled the leaders of the republican party to turn their backs upon puerto rico he asked it the people of that island were not entitled to as much consideration of the sultan of sulu who was granted tree trade with all the philippine islands mr de armond of missouri eald this bill proposed to set aside the constitution not tor the purpose of doing something philanthropic but in the interest of the partial or complete enslavement sla of a helpless people this change of front had been brought about by the influence of the agents of mighty corporations mr de armond argued that nothing could be done outside of the constitution there was always one supreme test from the beginning of the republic until the last sad hour of its existence it that should come and that test was the constitution he said the administration had determined blindly and greedily to hold the philippines for what could be made out of them it mattered little about puerto rico the puerto ricans were to be crucified in order that the cross might be raised in the philippines we could withdraw from the archipelago and leave ten million tropical people to work out their own salvation in my opinion he said that is what we ought to do democratic applause but it they are held they must be held under tho constitution the inhabitants must be american citizens black brown and yellow and ultimately be represented upon this floor with more representatives than all of new england he thought the time was coming when there would be a revulsion in the republican party when the republicans public ans who now had the backbone to oppose the present pro gramme would be hailed as the saviors of their party mr cannon of illinois followed mr de armond he was old enough he said to judge times by events and he had grown to distrust those who came when great public crises arose talking of the constitutionality of measures to meet them he remembered when a president with a whole party behind him asserted that there was no power under the constitution to coerce a sovereign state when those states were already in arms prepared to shoot the life out of what was left of the union the constitution he said was the buckler of those who attempted to embarrass the government during the war it was the shield of bam and voorhees mr cannon said he for one believed the constitution was made tor the people and the country and not the people and country for the constitution applause never thank god said he had there been a day or hour during the administration of jefferson Jef terson jackson polk lincoln or mckenley when in a crisis a way had not been found to meet it when he heard the gentleman from missouri announce the doctrine that we should forsake the filipinos in their helpless condition he had wondered why that gentleman had not voted against the appropriation to pay spain for these islands he did vote against it interposed mr wheeler ot kentucky then he is one of the thirtyfour thirty four ants replied mr cannon what about the rest of you it I 1 held the views you do id quit continuing mr cannon said he believed we could do what jefferson did when he the act which was an exact copy of the spooner bill now before the senate to vest the legislative executive and judiciary with power over the louisiana territory in him until the insurrection was put down what Is the administrations policy asked mr norton of ohio ill tell you responded mr cannon As to puerto rico do the only thing that can bring relief to the island pass the bill As to the philippines continue as we are doing put down the insurrection and restore law and order mr cannon charged that both the tobacco and sugar stored in puerto rico was owned by the sugar and tobacco trusts they had put forward some natives as stool pigeons to beg for tree trade so that while the democrats cried out against trusts they would ba voting for bom |