CONGRESS. (THE PORTO Rico MEASURES.) 



167 



measure ever before seriously presented to the 

 American Congress. It will prove more far-reach- 

 ing in its provisions and disastrous in the results 

 that must of necessity follow if it should be en- 

 acted into law than any act ever passed by Con- 

 gress." 



He went on to declare that the ground of oppo- 

 sition would be constitutional: 



" Those of us who oppose this measure, I believe 

 without exception, maintain that the bill can not 

 be enacted into law without a total disregard and 

 violation of not simply the spirit but the express 

 letter of the Constitution. In the report the ma- 

 jority of the committee say: 



" ' Upon the whole we conclude: 



" ' First. That upon reason and authority the 

 term " United States," as used in the Constitution, 

 has reference only to the States that constitute 

 the Federal Union and does not include Territories. 



" ' Second. That the power of Congress with re- 

 spect to legislation for the Territories is plenary. 



" ' Third. That under that power Congress may 

 prescribe different rates of duty for Porto Rico 

 from those prescribed for the United States.' 



" The claim or contention thus made was never 

 before set up on the floor of Congress in so far as 

 I know. This country has grown from a small and 

 feeble territory on the Atlantic Ocean, with about 

 S'27,000 square miles, to the mightiest republic of 

 this earth, with an area of 3,500,000 square miles. 

 It has increased in population from 3,000.000 to 

 over 70,000,000. This marvelous expansion to con- 

 tinental growth and grandeur has all taken place 

 within about one hundred years. The Louisiana 

 territory, Florida, Texas, California, New Mexico, 

 Oregon, and Alaska have all been acquired under 

 our Constitution without a jar or strain to any 

 of its wise and beneficent provisions and without 

 any demand for its amendment. This growth was 

 natural expansion. Then these acquisitions were 

 of desirable lands without people, but we should 

 beware of the acquisition of undesirable people 

 without lands. I am partisan enough to stop here 

 a sufficient time to call attention to the fact that 

 every foot of this vast domain was acquired and 

 annexed under Democratic Presidents. 



" An exception to this statement may possibly 

 be taken by some so far as it applies to Alaska; 

 yet it will not be denied that Alaska was acquired 

 while Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, was President. 

 These acquisitions of territory were wise and 

 proper to be made. The Democratic party has 

 always favored proper expansion. Here permit me 

 to say with great emphasis that those of us oppos- 

 ing this measure are not basing our opposition to 

 it on the ground that it is a measure for expansion. 

 This is net a measure of expansion. Whether the 

 Constituion of the United States is extended to the 

 island of Porto Rico, ex proprio viyore, or not, it 

 must be admitted that when we enter upon legis- 

 lation for the island, as Congress will do if it passes 

 this bill, that question will be put at rest and the 

 territory will then be a part of the United States. 



" The control of the President and of the mili- 

 tary will have ceased and the expansion as to the 

 island will have been completed. Legislation by 

 Congress for the island at once makes it a part of 

 the United States. If this bill passes, it must fol- 

 low that it is then a part of the United States. 

 This being true, the proposition which this bill 

 carries for unequal taxation of the island as a 

 portion of the United States is the baldest form 

 of imperialism. 



" The opposition to this bill plants itself upon 

 this ground. The measure is imperialism itself. 

 In the former acquisitions to which I have referred 

 no such measure as the pending one was ever pro- 



posed or deemed necessary. When the Louisiana 

 territory was acquired, when Texas was annexed, 

 when California and Arizona and New Mexico and 

 other Territories were acquired, did any man rise 

 in this House or the other body of this Congress 

 and offer such a legislative proposition as the pend- 

 ing one? This effort, therefore, clearly marks the 

 dividing line between all former acquisitions and 

 that of Porto Rico, if it be conceded that the enact- 

 ment of the proposed bill into law is required." 



The bill passed the House, Feb. 28, by a vote of 

 172 yeas to 160 nays: not voting, 21. It had been 

 amended so as to reduce the tariff on Porto Rico 

 goods from 25 per cent, of the regular rates to 15 

 per cent. The full text of the measure was as 

 follows : 



" Whereas, The people of Porto Rico have been 

 deprived of markets for a large portion of their 

 products, and have lost property and crops by se- 

 vere and unusual storms, whereby they are im- 

 poverished and are unable to pay internal revenue 

 and direct taxes; and 



" Whereas, Temporary revenue is necessary for 

 their schools, their roads, and their internal im- 

 provements, and the administration of their gov- 

 ernment; now, therefore, 



" Be it enacted, etc., That the provisions of this 

 act shall apply to the island of Porto Rico and 

 to the adjacent islands and waters of the islands 

 lying east of the seventy-fourth meridian of longi- 

 tude west of Greenwich, which was ceded to the 

 United States by the Government of Spain by 

 treaty concluded April 11, 1899; and the name 

 Porto Rico, as used in this act, shall be held to 

 include not only the island of that name, but all 

 the adjacent islands as aforesaid, 



" SEC. 2. That on and after the passage of this 

 act the same tariffs, customs, and duties shall be 

 levied, collected, and paid upon all articles im- 

 ported into Porto Rico from ports other than those 

 of the United States which are required by law 

 to be collected upon articles imported into the 

 United States from foreign countries. 



" SEC. 3. That on and after the passage of this 

 act all merchandise coming into the United States 

 from Porto Rico and coming into Porto Rico from 

 the United States shall be entered at the several 

 ports of entry upon payment of 15 per cent, of the 

 duties which are required to be levied, collected, 

 and paid upon like articles of merchandise im- 

 ported from foreign countries; and in addition 

 thereto upon articles of merchandise of Porto 

 Rican manufacture coming into the United States 

 and withdrawn for consumption or sale upon pay- 

 ment of a tax equal to the internal revenue tax 

 imposed in the United States upon the like articles 

 of merchandise of domestic manufacture ; such tax 

 to be paid by internal revenue stamp or stamps 

 to be purchased and provided by the Commissioner 

 of Internal Revenue and to be procured from the 

 collector of internal revenue at or most convenient 

 to the port of entry of said merchandise in the 

 United States, and to be affixed under such regu- 

 lations as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 

 with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, 

 shall prescribe ; and on all articles of merchandise 

 of United States manufacture coming into Porto 

 Rico in addition to the duty above provided upon 

 payment of a tax equal in rate and amount to the 

 internal revenue tax imposed in Porto Rico upon 

 the like articles of Porto Rican manufacture. 



" SEC. 4. That the duties and taxes collected in 

 Porto Rico in pursuance of this act, less the cost 

 of collecting the same, and the gross amount of all 

 collections of duties and taxes in the United States 

 upon articles of merchandise coming from Porto 

 Rico, shall not be covered into the general fund 



