Evening star., 1901-12-10
Leri.Iate Promptly ard onsidernteiy


Elsewhere in The Star Is printed a sec
ond article concerning Inc appnrtenant ter
rftory Of the United States defining the
benefits derived from the creation or tnls
political purgatory, which are thus sum-
married.: 80
ssThe -reproach of fatal impotency Is
through its existence removed from tne
national government, and the repuDlc Is
enabled in good faith to carry out lts
treaty obligations with Spain. Appurte-
nant citizens. especially those in the Phii-
ipp!nes are blessed in their government.
with that f1exibility of administrator ana
statutory Requirement which Is absolutely
essential TO their welfare The interests
of American expansionists,. Whether OF
trade territory. are wonder1uiiy au-
vanced thereby, and even the antl-ini- u
peralists are favored with last chance 10
cut the republic loose from the empire,
and to push appurtenant citizens or sub
jects from the American system into the
outer darkness 4-.,.
Consideration of the benefits enjoyed by
the Ffipinos in the status of appurtenancy
will give pointed and timely hints to Con-
gress concerning the wisest general policy
to pursue in meeting its immediate and
urgent duty of legislating for the Philip
pines, The cry has been raised that the
proposed discriminating legislation should
be delayed or defeated in the interest OF
the archipelago. little consideration OF
the facts of the case -discloses that alb
soiute free trade between the United
States and the Philippines, and the i'm
position of the Dinglsy tariff upon I'M
portatious from foreign countries into the
archipelago, far from being beneficial to
the Filipinos, Will be seriously detrimental
to their interests, and on some lines de-
structive. The archipelago cannot afford
10 lOSa ha derived from the duty
on American goods coming into the is
lands, and the Dingley tariff, formulated to
meet the business conditions of the United
States. is neither reyenue-raising nor pro-
tective of local Industries when applied to
the entirely different conditions of the Phil
ippines-ss-- The islands are entitled to a
Dingley tariff of their own, carefully
framed, in view of the local needs. Such
a tariff has been prepared after long and
Intelligent consideration, and it went into
effect on the fifteenth of last November.
This local tariff can be so worded as to
impose light duties upon the kinds of
manufactures which the Filipinos most
need and which the United States can
best supply. and in this way the republic
will be indirectly benefited. and the Fill
pinos will at the same time profit. But
when it is proposed to make an open and
radical difference in duties between those
imposed on goods from the United States
and from the rest of the world, it is to be
remembered as a factor in the calculation
that by the treaty of Paris for ten years
Spanish ships and merchandise are to be
admitted to Philippine ports ION the same
terms as ships and merchandise of the
United States"
The Dingley law should not be allowed to
riF
day longer than the minimum period re-
quired by Congress to approve the schedules
under which the civil government there is
now operating. Congress will also act
wisely TO move slowly in permitting the
coasting laws to apply to the Philippines
There are no American lines plying be-
tween the United States and the Philip
pines. except the army transports To ap-
ply these laws rigidly would cut off direct
trade with the archipelago until that in
definite date in the future when an Ameri-
can line might be established and run at a
profit or would compel resort to such de-
vices shipping from San Francisco to
Hong Kong, a free port, and then re-ship-
ping to Manila.
Under the Supreme Court decision Con-
gress can. happily for our new acquisitions,
give that fexibility to the legislation per-
tanning to them which is essential to their
welfare In meeting this high obligation
the national Legislature will. as all true
Americans believe, so exercise the con-
stitutionaly limited power of discrimina-
tiOn as to promote both the national and
territorial welfare. basing inequalities in
laws for the appurtenant territory upon
thoughtful consideration of the peculiar
needs of such territory and recognizing
that the interests of the nation and its ap-
purtenancies are in the long run identical
and inseparabe.