The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-11
IT WAS A POOR BARGAIN
When the United States Paid
$2O,OOO,OOO for Philippines.
NO BUSINESS CHANCES
Almost Impossible for Americans to Get
Licenses Unless They Have Pull.
Islands No Place for
White Man

DR.. W. E. Dodd, who has been absent
from Butte for the past six months on
a tour of the far East, arrived home
yesterday morning. DR.. Dodd left
Butte in April last to visit Uncle Sans
new possessions in the Pacific with a
view to taking advantage Of the op-
portunities the Americanizing of the
new territory might offer in his line
After spending sufficient time in the
Hawaiian islands and the Philippines
to thoroughly investigate the opportu-
mites they offer, DR. Dodd has re-
turned to Butte content to do business
and make his home here. According
to DR.. Dcdds view, this country got a
pretty poor bargain when $4,000, 900
was paid for the Philippines, and in
all the eastern country there is no
place fit for an American to live and
do business. In speaking of his trip
yesterday, DR.. Dodd said:
Il went from here to Honolulu, where
1 spent some time. / is a nice coun
try to live in, but poor place to make
money. From Honolulu I went to ia
pan, where saw many things Of great
interest. The Japs are peculiar peo-
pie. They haven't a bit of inventive
genius, but they are great imitators,
and you can buy pretty nearly any
thing that is manufactured in this
country and it will be made right there.
If they need a kind of machinery that
is made here they will go to an Amer
lean agent and represent that they
need certain number of machines and
will get one on trial on the agreement
that if it suits they will buy a stated
number. Then when they get the ma
chine they will copy it and make the
rest FUnrv thing else ia the same
way. You can buy any kind of whiskey,
tnal has distinctive reputation in this
patent medicine, soap or anything else
country, and it will be accurately cop
led, label, trademark and everything,
so closely you must be an expert to
tell the difference.
From Japan I went to the Philip
pines, where l spent six weeks investi-
eating business chances, and 1 want to
say that any American who pulls up
and goes there to go into business
makes a mistake. To begin with, the
climate is as bad as it can be. In the
rainy season one can't go out without
getting drenched, for the rain comes
down in sheets and the streets are
flooded in some places waist deep.
When it isn't raining, in the dry sea-
son, 1t is SO hot one can't live In any
comfort. Then it is hard for an Amer
lean to get a license to do business.
Foreigners nave no QlIllCuity, buI IL
seems to be the policy of the admins
traton to shut the Americans out. Par
ticularly is this true of soldiers after
their term Of service is over. 1t is nsXt
to impossible for them to get license
to go into business unless they have
pull. / suppose this policy is intended
to drive all Americans into the army
as far as possible.
"As to business opportunities there
are none, or practically so. There are
only the Americans and foreigners for
an American to do business with, and
all the better classes of Spaniards hav-
ing left, who constituted large per-
centage of the population whose bust
ness was worth having, the number
of people an American had to draw on
for business is not great enough to
make business good. Then every line
of business is overdone except selling
beer, and the breweries are about the
only ones who are making any money.
The lawyers of whom there were quite
a good many from America, are much
dissatisfied. The Tagalos are in the
majority in the courts, which are all
conducted in the Spanish language, and
an American lawyer has no show. The