The times., 1898-12-02
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1898.
The Door Must Open.

That the friends of America in Great
Britain should be Inundated by the
suggestion of Chinese wall around our
new island possessions, is natural. Tney
recognize the absurdity of any attempt
10 harmonic American territorial ex-
psnsion ard Dingley tariff; they know
the inevitable failure that must follow
such an attempt; but it is the display
of provincial selfishness and blunder.ng
greed in the proposition that causes
their chagrin. 1t is distinctly unfriend-
ly toward power that would have lent
any aid we might have required if our
demands on Spain had been contested
by foreign state. The more un-
friendly because by the treaty we have
made of Spain a favored nation in that
regard.
Probably Great Britain does not fear
a permanently closed door in the Phil
ippines, not because the power of the
favored class in this country has wan
ed, but because the thing is impracti-
cable. OF course there is nothing to
prevent Republican President and
Congress, welded to the pernicious doc
trine of protection that is prohibition,
from adopting any means they prefer
for collecting revenues in the islands
They may enact the Dingley tariff for
all imports there and even establish a
high tariff against American products
also. But it will not require a long ex-
perience 10 demonstrate the impracti-
cability and folly of such policy Is it
conceivable that American manufac-
turers would sustain the Republican
party if it should retard and obstruct
the development of Philippine resources
by heavy duty on the appliances nee
essary to work the mines. till the soil,
and produce the many articles for the
manufacture of which they are especial
adapted? The demand from the islands
for machinery and materials will be
large as soon as American capital and
enterprise can establish themselves
there and the prosperity of the people
for whose welfare we are responsible
will require, at the least, free trade
with America. Indeed, we may safely
regard that as inevitable
BY the treaty with Spain, we admit
Spanish products into the Philippines
on equal terms with our own That
England will not resent this is not to
be expected. That Germany will dis
cover some means of retaliation is posi-
tive. We shall find ourselves shut out
of markets that are worth as much TO
us as the Philippines, besides alternating
f,-i.a ,l.-l,s
valuable to US now than ever before.
Not all the exclusive trade of. the ISL
ands could compensate for the surren-
der of good will and for the material
losses that we should suffer The
American people do not choose the con-
temptible role we should assume If we
should close the door to England and
all the world in the Philippines, and
then demand or enjoy share of the ad-
vantages of an open door in Asia. The
time is not distant when the Oriental
markets will be worth struggling for.
Our own interest in them would be
many times greater than our profits
from a monopoly of the island markets.
Is II to be supposed the American peo-
pie will be insane enough TO forfeit all
these, together with the sympathy and
friendship of England, in order to de-
fraud the inhabitants of the Philippines
Of their right to buy in other markets?
Our new possessions put us in a po-
sition to take part in all the great
events, including the struggle for indus
trial supremacy, of which the Pacific
countries will be the scene If we are
wise and show the liberal spirit that
becomes us best, we shall have peace
and friendship; our ideas. which are
thared by Great Britain, will dominate
most of the world; and we shall be first