Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1900 — The Porto Rico Tariff. [ARTICLE]

The Porto Rico Tariff.

Referring to the Porto Rico Tariff bill in an interview in the Indianapolis Press C. B. Landis, of Delphi, the member of Congress from the 9th district says: “Time and experience will justify the Porto Rican tariff bill. Had we mortgaged the island, the Democrats would have split the sky with their yells of mock indignation. Had we proposed to pay all this money out of the United States treasury, they would have bewailed the expense which the alleged imperialistic policy of the administration had forced on the people. Had a direct tax been levied it would have fallen on the poor people of the island. The bill, as passed, will affect the Porto Rican capitalist and American speculator, who have bought up all the sugar aud tobacco on on the island and are waiting for a chance to durhp it here in tliQ States free of duty. These gentlemen will have to settle with The customs 'officers, and the small portion of their profits' thus collected will go back to Porto Rico for the benefit of the island arid people. “This bill has been branded - as a robbery. Every dollar collected on goods going into Porto Rico and goods<3coining out of Porto goes back to Porto Rico. .Will some on** explain where there is any rdbbery about that? This bill will not run over two years. In the meantime we can study the needs of all these islands and the best way to govern )hem.

‘ We have spent several hundred million dollars In kicking Spain out of the Philippines, Cuba and Porto Rico. Tnis represents sentiment and our devotion to justice. It strikes me that it is about time to arrange for some of these people to contribute to their own sup port, and thus season the ‘sentiment and humanity’ proposition with a delicate flavor of business. The Porto Ricans were poor when I was down there, and yet if yon offered one of the ragged gentry less than a dollar to row you a mile to your ship he would laugh at you. The time has come to intimate to them that we cannot make a charity hospital out of their island. The greatest injury we could do them would be to treat them as mendicants. The tariff levied is so light that the Porto Ricans would not know they were paying it were it not for the noise made here in the States. As long as every dollar, collected goes to Porto Rico th,a American people cannot make a well grounded objection, and they will not when they understand the statement to be true.