The age-herald., 1900-10-07

opens up foreign markets and promotes trsda is not borne out by the facts of his- tory. It has been pointed out that the ex- port trade of colonial England has de- creased per cent while the United States, without any colonies, In the same length of time has increased IS per cent The fallacy of the argument is that it is assumed that 1t is necessary to own peo- pie in order to trade with them.
 Just as the trusts benefit the few, so the annexation of the Philippine Islands will only benefit a few, while the many may bear the enormous burdens of standing army that must be maintained to keep those people in subJection. II IS estimated that the Philippines are now costing this country $50O,000 per day, paid by the taxpayers.
 Ut is a notorious fact that the revenue bill passed by the Republicans rests on the shoulders of the masses of the people, the privileged few escaping almost entirely from it's burdens It takes no greater rev enue stamp for a hundred-thousand-dol check than it does for a hundred-dollar check The telegraph, express and railroad companies make the senders of messages and the shippers of freight pay the reve- nues required. This country has no in- come tax, such as colonial England, by which the incomes of the rich are taxed to keep up colonial policy.
 Treaty Rights-GhIna
 'It was contended that the Philippines would be gateway to Oriental trade, es- pecially to the trade of China. It was pie tured how Manila could be a distributing point. But the question arises, why not make our own seaport cities distributing points? But suppose 1t was needed as distributing point, could we not have got ten all these rights and privileges by treaty with the friendship of the Filipinos if this government had pursued the same policy to them 1t said 1t would pur- sue in regard to Cuba?
 Regarding China, this country has the rights of trade secured by treaty with the Chinese government equal to the most fa- vored nation. John Barrett, ex-Repubican consul to Siam, has pointed out that this country has everything to gain and noth- ing to lose by the Chinese government standing, whereas, it has everything to lose and nothing to gain by the dismember- ment of China; and yet, what Is the Re- publican administration doing to prevent the partition of China?
 Chinese Iron and Cheap Labor
 ''Can 1t be the purpose of those behind the Republican party, directing it's policy, to secure a foothold in China and to own and develop Chinas resources with cheap Chinese labor? It has been charged and not denied.
 "A celebrated German geologist has re- gently called attention to the fact that the coal and iron in one province alone in China Is sufficient to supply the world for 5000 years. What is to become of our ex- port trade in iron and all the manufac- tured articles made out of iron, if iron making by Cheap Chinese labor is to be developed in China?
 If the Republican party's only purpose in China was to protect the American le- gation and the missionaries, after having accomplished that. why did the American troops join with those of other nations in falr fortc
 'Is this policy in China calculated to make the Chinese people feel friendly to this nation and disposed to buy our goods and trade with our people? Would 1t not be better to develop the resources of our own country with our own labor than to develop the resources of foreign country with cheap labor that would drive us out of the markets of the world or force every laborer in this country to live as a China man does?
 Religion and Gattling Guns
 'The other ostensible argument advanced was that the colonial policy would assist the propagation of the Christian religion, but the missionaries of this country promptly repudateed the proposition. The secretary of the American Board of Mis- sions felt called upon to come out In formal address and deny that the mission aries were in favor of any such doctrine, but still adhered to the doctrine laid down by the Lord and Master, who did not teach that we must
 "'Rob for the sake of justice,
 Kill for the love of man.
 Has the double dealing with the people of our so-called new possessions, the say ing of one thing at Washington and the doing of the opposite; has the stealing in Cuba, the pllaging In the Philippines and the footing in China helped to win those people to Christianity? What an opinion, anyhow they must have of us!
 Tt has been truly said that the history of the world does not contain another ex- ample of moral turpitude as base as that involved in the treatment by the Republi- can administration of the Filipinos, our former allies and friends, who only took up arms when as Burke said of our Revo- lutionary heroes, they scented tyranny on the tainted breezes.' Even the dark shadow cast on the pages of history by the tragedy which is being enacted at the