The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-03-19

United States. The present cost of the
operations in the Philippine islands
intended for the subJugation of race
that never harmed this country until
our president ordered his generals to
make them subjects against their will,
is at least SIS, 1000 year. The in
crease in the army appropriations in
dicates a much larger sum. For the
money so used to no profit, except that
of few favored contractors and capi-
talists, the general government, acting
under authority expressly given by the
clause of the constitution respecting
post-roads, might build $500 miles of
splendid highways in a single year.
That would make road from Maine
to California and two from Canada to
the Gulf, with several side branches
left over. Ten years of such use of the
peoples money would give this country
$4,000 miles of fine roads 10 be of
incalculable benefit and comfort to the
inhabitants OF the United States, es
pecially to the farming population
which gets the smallest share of the
bounty of the nation.
The annexation of the Philippine is
lands and their development by Am
erican capitalists will be accompanied
by the cutting down of trade barriers
between the islands and this country
to low limit Business instincts and
all presidents prove that. Philippine
products will come into very close
competition with similar products of
this country. Those products are
nearly all agricultural. They include
tobacco, sugar and fruits. The more
we cling to the Philippine islands the
more reason American farmers will
have for anticipating the competition
of Chinese and Malay labor producing,
for American capitalists, sugar to
handicap our young beet sugar indus
try, fruits to narrow the market for the
orchard crops of California, Oregon,
| Washington, Florida and, indeed, all
other states, for oranges may displace
| apples, to a great extent, and tobacco
! to hurt all American tobacco interests
except those of big companies owning
/
cheap labor of that region.
The fancied and much-boasted mar
ket developed in the Philippines for
American beef canned vegetables, ba-
con, beer, flour and other products rep
resenting agricultural staples in some
form is really the evidence of a loss
which American farmers are even now
enduring These American products
are being sent to the Philippines for
the use of the $4,000 American soldiers
and officials employed there and paid
and fed at the expense of the Ameri-
can people. 1t is simply a part of the
home market transferred to d@tant
islands, as any one can see. But in
the transfer portion of the market is
lost. American beef has to meet the
competition of cargoes of Australian
cattle in Manila. Part of the food OF
our soldiers in the Philippines comes
from the islands. Much of it is OBJ
tanned In the British colonies which
are nearer than the United States. II
the same men who eat the American
farm and ranch products which are
being disposed of in the Philippines
were at home they would not live on 9
diet of mixed American, Australian
and Asiatic food. All of it would come
from this country. And the men who
do the eating would be adding to the
wealth of their country, If they wer,
at home and doing such work as they
would do If it were not for the war
Now they are being paid out of thu
public treasury.
To appreciate the cost of the mill
tary operations in the Philippines it i
necessary to show what the expendi
ture of SIS, 900 900 a year means whei
reckoned in other things than a luml
sum of money too big to be compre
hended 1t is equivalent to the wipin
out of all the wheat that can be grow
on $4,000 farms, with 100 acres O
wheat to every farm and the high av
erage yield of 20 bushels to the acre
The price of the wheat Is calculated a
rs cents a bushel.
Looked at from another point G
view, the waste of American money /
the islands which are to be sources c
fresh competition for American farm
ers, II the plans of the syndicate
which are being formed to explol
them can be carried out, is equal to
per cent year on the value OF 25, 900
900 acres of land worth $50 an acr,
That means 100000 farms of 100 acre
apiece.
Again, the money annually poure
into the islands which must ever be
threat to American agriculture and
burden to American farmers If hel
!, under the government of the Unite
States. would buy 100000 good wor
horses. 1t is like taking from the pei
pie every year 100000 hogs large an
fat enough to be worth SIS apiece. Ar
the ends sought by the investment
these vast sums include the develop
ment of new competition for Americs
. agriculture.
3 BRYAN ON THE ISSUES.