Arizona republican., 1899-12-16
Geographical and Com
msrCiaI Importance
JUST NOW RECOGNIZED
John Barrett Late Minister to Siam
Relates Facts Concerning the
Islands Which Have Hitherto
Been Overlooked The Vital Value
of Manila Alone to the United
States,

Washington, Dec. 25.-Mr. John Bar
rett, late United States minister TO
Siam, delivered a lecture before the
National Geographical society at the
Congregational church last evening
upon the philippines and the Far
East" He was listened to with great
interest. In part Mr. Barrett said:
This discussion of the Philippines
and the far east under the distin-
guished auspices of the National Geo.
graphical society will contain no effort
at rhetoric or oratory. 1t will be a
plain statement of facts or truths. The
conclusions will be based on personal
study and not on hearsay and second
hand report. Although the moral side
of the problems before us in the orient
are not to be minimized my treatment
of the subject tonight will be largely
confined to the material value OF cur
new possessions and our opportunities
there and in neighboring Asiatic lands.
During iveiyears' residence in the
far east, four of which it was my
honor to be your minister to SIAM
not far from the Philippines-it was
also my privilege and pleasure to visit
not only the interior of Siam, which
today is making more progress than
any other Asiatc land except Japan,
but also China, Corea, Siberia and ia
pan on the north, and Burmnn, Ma
lay peninsula, Cambodia, Java, 3orneo
| and the Philippines in the south.
Everywhere 1 went with the one idea
of learning what opportunities there
were for the extension of American
trade and influence.
Having been first to the Philippines
for an extended trip through them,
some years ago in times of peace, ana
again later in times of war and insur-
rection, from May, 1898, to April, 1898
or for nearly year, 1 hope 1 my be
able to bring forward few facts that
will be of interest
First, I would emphasize the great
and even remarkable geographical
commercial and strategical Importance
of the location of the Philippines. Only
those who have repeatedly Travelled up
and down that magnificent Asiatic
coast line. can fully appreciate the
| strength and meaning of the Philip
| pines situation. From Melbourne in
Australia to Vladivostok in eastern ST.
IBERIA is a coast line only broken by
no or lNr,f In
dented with deep harbors of over 900
miles, upon which debouch 500, 900 900
people, with a foreign trade-yet in its
infancy-that already amounts to
81, 000, 100000 per annum. Right in the
very ideal center of all this is Manila,
our new oriental capital, which under
the depressing, mysterious, jealous CON
ditiols of the old regime never awoke
to its Importance, nor did the rest of
the world, not even Hong Kong. it's
near neighbor, only $50 miles away,
which has an annual foreign trade
reaching the astounding figures of
$3.50, ,OOO, 900.
So vital is Manila's value to us in
/ orally forgotten in all the discussions
of the moral issues involved that wish
to call attention to it in exact terms
| that may be remembered. If circle
with a radius of 1000 miles is drawn
with Manila as the center, it will in
clude more ports and cities of promi
nence than any other similar circle
drawn around Singapore, Hong Kong
or Shanghai.
! Moreover this Manila circle will
take within it's boundaries two such
widely separated points as Yokohama
in Japan and Port Darwin in Australia.
On the west it will include Bangkok,
the populous capital of Siam, and
| Rangoon, theg rowing capital of Bur-
nah. To the southwest is Batavia the
capital of Java, and a great Dutch
city in the tropics.
Just across the China sea is Saigon,
the beautiful capital of France in
| Asia, and a vertiable Paris in the ORR
ent.
"Manila's harbor, opening on the
| China sea, is soon to become the stop
ping point of numberless foreign ves-
sells, simply because it is practically in
their path, and they have everything
to gain by making it a port of call.
Theg reat fleet of merchant and mail
steamers that crowd through the Suez
| canal, past Singapore to and from Eu-
rope and China, sails within hail up
and down this China sea of Manila and
must soon stop there Some lines have
already commenced to do so. The in
| creasing fleet that plies between China
and Australia has suddenly discovered
| that Manila is right in it's path and
nearly all Australian vessels stop there.