The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-18
PHILIPPINE TARIFF.
from First Page.

ter the Philippines at $11 per ton; our
coal could enter at 25 cents per ton,
while theirs when sold here must pay
81 cents per ton; our tobacco enters
their markets on a payment of IS cents
per pound. while theirs must pay here
$1.S5 per pound. A fit place for such
bill was in the Cortes of Spain and
not in the Congress of the United
States.
Mr.. Swanson pointed out that the
President and the Secretary Of War
favored making generous concessions
in tariff duties on importations of SUI
gar and tobacco from Cuba, yet this
Dill failed to make any concessions on
the same importations from the Philip.
pines. The inhabitants of the Philip
pines, Mr.. Swanson said, had greater
claims on us than those of Cuba, who
would soon be independent. He pointed
out that the present reciprocity trea-
ties pending in the Senate permitted a
rebate from the Dingley rates of from
Iz1s to 20 per cent. on sugars imported
II ON Argentina and British possess
slons, yet this bill gives no rebate or
reduction on sugars imported from the
philippines. He said that if the policy
OF the Republican party was to pre-
van, 1t was better in order to get trade
concessions from the United States to
be subject of Great Britain than to
be an lnhabitant of the Philippine ISL
ands, which we hold as a part of this
country
10 hold the Philippines by force
weakened instead of strengthened our
military standing in the East If the
money now wasted in the Philippine
Islands were used for building and
maintaining navy, it would give us
the largest navy in the world and es-
taolish our naval supremacy. This
would give us greater prestige make
us the first power in the world, and
enable US to defend our commerce and
interests under all circumstances. A
proper solution Of the Philippine ques-
ton, Mr. Swanson said, would be a
declaration by Congress that the in
haoltants of the islands should be given
independence as soon as a safe and
stable government could be maintain
ed.
Thayer Opposes Bill.
Mr.. Thayer of Massachusetts. fol-
lowed Mr.. Swanson with a fifteen
minute speech in explanation of the
reasons which induced him to oppose
the passage of the bill. He said that
we had overpowered the Filipinos, but
had not conquered them; the same
spirit of liberty which led them to
animates them.
Mr.. Grosvenor of Ohio followed Mr..
Thayer. He said the Republican adj
ministration had tried to avoid the
war with Spain. Eat that time" he
said, the same thoughtless cry of lib
erty ran through this hall. I believe
II II had not been for the explosion of
the Maine there would not have been
any war, but that all the results which
hos va ffaIl i
except the acquisition of the Philip
pines. l wish the opposition would
stand with us as Loyalty in bearing
the burdens of that war as they were
in driving us into it."
Speaking of the Taft commission he
was saying that one of the members
OF that commission was a distinguish
ed Tennessee Democrat, when MI.
Pearce of Tennessee interrupted to say
that in the campaign of 1900 Luke e.
Wright, to whom Mr.. Gosevenor had
referred, had voted the straight Re-
publican ticket.
That comes" said Mr.. Grosvenor,
amid applause, from associating with
great men in great enterprises. 1 will
venture to predict that in 1904 the old
Democratic party, purged of Popu-
lism and the free silver heresy, badly
battered, but still in the ring, will
COAAiC AOl w al u ulbLCl Tie 3 dllQ
control of men who stood where Luke
Wright stood year and a half ago."
Mr.. Shafroth of Colorado, who has
recently returned from the Philippines,
vigorously opposed the bill He said
there were very many popular appre-
tensions about the Filipino people.
There was highly educated class
among them, prefectly capable of con-
Quoting government and of governing
A
ers must fail in many respects.
Mr.. DeArmond of Missouri, who has
also recently returned from the Philip
pines, was the next speaker and
aroused much enthusiasm on the Dem
ocratic side by denunciation of the
pending measure and the entire Philip
pine policy of the administration. He
said that the bill proposed legislating
after the manner of the empire. 1t
disregarded the rights of the Filipinos
as well as the American representative.
1t was legislation by the War Depart
ment legislation by alien for alien. He
denied the necessity Of taking the ISL
ands or of keeping them. (Applause.)
1--WE acquired them in folly" Mr.. De-
Almond said, "let us dispose of them
in wisdom. Almost every man in the
islands longs for independence and
liberty. How long will it be before an
other instruction breaks out? Any
disposition of them is better than their
retention"
MIR. Patterson of Tennessee de-
nounced the bill as tending toward i'm
perialism and against the interests of
the whole country. The Democrats
had always favored the acquisition of
territory which could be carved into
states with American citizenship, but
opposed any colonial system.
Mr.. Robertson Of Louisiana, a men,
Der of the Ways and Means Committee,
said he would vote for the bill. The
failure of this bill, he said, would, in
effect, mean free trade with the ISL
ands and he was opposed to bringing
the sugar and rice planters Of Louis
lana into free competition with the su-
gar and rice producers of the Philip
pines This bill would be a notice to
the Filipino people that they could
never hope for equal rights with the
American citizen, and must prepare for
independence. He said he believed that
free trade with the Philippines and re-
ciprocity with Cuba, which was now