Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-01-13
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.
MR.. CARNEGIE ON IMPERIALISM.


perialism and the annexation of the Phil
ippines to simple business proposition,
In which the argument Is altogether
against the administrations policy of
colonial expansion. One of the claims
of the imperialists-in fact, that one to
which they attach the greatest i'm
portance-is the immense development
of our foreign trade which, they say,
will follow the establishment of American
sovereignty in the Philippines. Mr..
Carnegie, writing from the standpoint of
a republican and a protectionist denies
that we will gain any commercial ad-
vantages whatever by the annexation
of the islands.
While the "open door" in the sense of
free trade will not exist In the Philip
pines, there will be no discrimination,
under the American regime, against the
products of European nations and no
Favored nation" privileges for the
United States. All countries will fare
alike, according to Mr.. Carnegie's I'M
Outstanding of the situation, and under
these circumstances the United States
will be in no better position COM
mercially than it was before the Islands
were taken from Spain. Mr.. Carnegie
shows that In 1885, the last year in which
there is any record of the commerce of
the Philippines, when all foreign nations
had the same tariff rates, with the ex-
ception of Spain, which was favored
against all, the imports from Great
Britain amounted to S7,l04 900; from
Spain, $1.422 $50, and from all other
nations, S., 404.4 of which the United
States sent $l46,000.
With the tariff situation in the Philip
pines precisely what it was before we
went to war with Spain, except that
there will be no Favored nation" the
conditions are such, in Mr.. Carnegie's
opinion, that we cannot compete sue
cessfully with European nations for the
trade of the islands. 1.-THE manufacturers
of Germany, France and Great Britain"
says Mr.. Carnegie, "the farmers OF
Australia and of the Baltic provinces of
Russia. reach the Philippines at about
one-half the freight cost that the
American farmer has to pay upon his
products or the American manufactures
upon manufactured goods. The distance
to Manila from the Atlantic seaboard, via
Cape Horn, is 1000 miles; from Europe,
II 900 miles, the shortest way from our
Atlantic seabord; from Australia, only
about Oue-half the distance that it Is
from San Francisco, or 3 800 miles from
India, 1000 miles; from Argentine. not
much farther than it Is from San Fran
cisco. When President Mckinley agreed,
har tIot Ri nf Enrnnp
of Australia. of India and Argentine
should reach the Philippines and pay
only the same tariff as products of the
soil and of the mines of his own country,
he closed the door effectually upon
American commercial expansion in the
Philippines
In view of the facts there is no doubt
in Mr.. Carnegies mind, nor in the mind
of any one else who views the situation
passiOnately, be he protectionist or
tariff reformer, that we will make
very poor bargain if we give $20.000,0O0
for islands which buy our products only
to the extent of Sl46,C00 a year. But
this is not the only expenditure that will
be necessary, if the treaty is ratified and
we assume sovereignty in the Philippines.
The increased army and navy required to
hold the islands and to maintain our
authority will cost many millions of
dollars annually, while European nations
will profit by our labor and outlay of
money until the paltry $4,000 of i'm
ports from this county may disappear
entirely, under the modified "Open door,
policy, and we shall have nothing what
ever to show for our forcible invasion of
the East except constantly increasing
Indebtedness. AS Mr.. Carnegie very
aptly remarks, Thus the claim of the
imperiallsts that foreign acquisitions will
extend our commerce with the Phil
ippines is groundless. Let us hear no
more about it. They must confine them
selves to humanity with a big II, for
business reasons there are none"
While it is plain that we will gain moth
ing commercially by invading the East
with a policy of territorial expansion,
Mr. Carnegie also shows that there is
great danger of irreparabe injury to the
agricultural interests of the United
States. Mr.. Wilson, the secretary of
agriculture, believes that the United
States can grow all the sugar it requires.
He has also encouraged us to believe that
we can produce the flax for our linen.
If, however. sugar is to be admitted free
from Hawaii and Porto Rico (and from
Cuba and the Philippines also, if the an
neXationists have their way, then the
sugar industry in this country will soon
be forced into competition which may
end in its destruction. On the other
hand, Mr.. Carnegie suggests, the presi-
dent, in order to hold the votes of the
agricultural states for his party, may
decide not to admit a pound of sugar or
tobacco from Porto II co, or a pound of
hemp from the Philippines, even though
they should be United States territory,
unless they pay the same duty as sugar or
hemp or tobacco from foreign countries.
In this event, what will become of the
imperialists' protestations of dislnterest-