The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-25
Rest OH False Premises.

now being made by Senator
Carter and others on behalf of
the presidents policy. lies in the fact
that they all rest upon false and mis-
leading premises.
Ihey proceed upon two assump lions:
First, that there is fabulous wealth to
be gained by the development of trade
with Asia; second, that We cannot OBJ
tain our share of that wealth in any
other way than by sustaining Presi-
dent Mckinley in his Philippine policy.
1t has been frequently remarked that
If men are only allowed to assume their
premises, they can prove anything.
There is probably no citizen of the
republic who objects to the extension
Of our trade into the Orient, in every
Just and proper way, so far as it NAV
De Tor the best interests of the country.
But 1t is not matter in which w.
should take too much for granted, and
leap blindly in the dark. 1t is by no
means certain that the establishment of
close commercial relations with China
would operate to our advantage.
We are told that we must have a
market for our products. Grant all
that and the question remains, what
kind of market will China afford ?"
The average Chinaman works for about
ten cents a Representatives, less. How
many high grade, or even low grade.
American goods can he be expected to
buy out of such wages as he receives?
How many bushels of American wheat
will he be able to consume? How many
pairs of American shoes. how many
American hats or how many American
coats can he pay for out of his mag
nificent stipend?
1t is not only possible but probable
that in thrusting ourselves into the Chi
nese market we might be playing los
ing game. John Chinaman is shrewd:
he is a close calculator, and when We
force ourselves upon him he is going 70
make all out of it that he can; and no
one has yet shown except by rhetorical
fiourishes and glt-edged generalites
which prove nothing, how we are going
to enrich ourselves at the expense of
either the Chinaman or the Filipino
No doubt an extensive commerce
with China would benefit few traders,
and temporarily, perhaps, the manu-
facturers of certain lines of goods
machinery. for example. But that is
an infnitesimal matter when weighed
in the balance against the interests of
the toilng millions of our people. 1t is
well for us to make haste slowly, and
have a care lest we may open up a
competition in the labor field that will
degrade the American workingman to
point beyond the imagination of the
most ardent protectionist, whose stock
argument has been that the American
workingman must be protected against
the pauper labor of Europe
But suppose there is market in the
East which. in a deliberate and jude
ious way, it is wise for us to look after.
In what possible manner does that sus-
tain Mr.. Mckinley in his Philippine
policy" Can we get any more Oriental
trade by shooting down tens of thou
sands of the Filipinos. than we could
by conciliating them? Can we trade
with them to any better advantage by
making them our enemies for genera
lions to come, than we could by max
ing them our friends?
In order to get commercial advant-
ages in those islands it was not neces-
sary to put our foot upon the necks Of
the natives and claim the whole archi-
pelago by right Of conquest. AS Sena-
tor Burrows well said the mere holding
of coaling or naval station at Manila,
would have given us every commercial
advantage that we can obtain from
taking forcible possession of the entire
territory. The undeniable truth is that
Mr.. Mckinley has blundered in his IN
ordinate and selfish ambition to shine
as a great expansion president and
to conceal his blunders, the cry is raised
that there is a rich trade in the Orient,
and if we don't sustain him we won't
get our share. The argument is fraud
on it's face.