The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-13

to Spain to establish for q certain num-
Der Of years similar conditions in tho
ports of the archipelago for vessels and
merchandise of both nations, an otrer
which Is preceded by the assertion that
the policy Of the United States is to main
tain an open door to the worlds com
merce, to be taken In the sense that the
vessels and goods of other nations are to
enjoy or can enjoy the same privilege
which for certain time is granted those
of Spain, while the United States do not
change such policy?"
The president of the American commits
sion gave the following answer to this
question:
THE declaration that the policy of the
United States in the Philippines will be
that of an open door to the worlds COM
merce necessarily implies that the offer to
place Spanish vessels and merchandise on
the same footing as American is not In
give Spain that privilege for a term oe
years, IS intended to secure it to her for
a certain period by special treaty stipula-
ton. whatever might be at any time the
general policy of the United States"
And it being the policy of the United
States to maintain in the Philippines an
open door to the worlds commerce."
This is plain enough. Now, if it were in
the mind of the commission negotiating
that treaty OF peace, the policy of the
United States to maintain the open door
In the Philippines, how IS that policy
reconctlable with any purpose at that
time in the minds of the members of that
commission to regard the acquisition of
the Philippines as involving in the future
the inclusion Of the islands as an integral
part of the territory of the United States?
A 'OnAn
Tree of foreign imports into any port of
the United States, while a tariff Is being
eXacted In any other ports i constitu-
tional impossibility. How could such a
recital be made by so we'll informed a.
oooy as those commissioners represented,
If they had in mind the certain sncorpora-
ton of the Philippines in the American
system? 1t may be said that the reioin-
der Of the Americans to the Spanish in
quiry meets this objection when 1t de-
clares that Spain is secured an open door
for ten years, by express treaty, what
ever might be at any time the general
policy Of the United States" But this
does not cover the case. We all know
what the general policy Of the United
States has ever been. 1t has never rem
dered an 'open door, possible, and the
commissioners would be looking very far
into the future if they are to be regarded
as assuming that we might tear down our
custom houses and dispense altogether
with tariffs, thus securing the open door
which they declared it was the general
policy Of the United States to maintain
in the Philippines. Besides this same re-
Joinder declares that the offer to Spain to
place her ships and those Of the United
States on the same footing is not intend
ed to be exclusive"
Either the American commissioners
We're gushing in their reference or they
were stating what they knew to be false,
which it is not possible to believe Else
it could not have been in the minds of
the commissioners that we should retain
the Islands as national territory when
they made that declaration about the
open door In the Philippines