The Oskaloosa herald., 1901-12-19
PHILIPPINE TARIFF.
Measure to Be Given Two Days
Discussion in House.

sideration of the senate bill to continue
the Industrial commission until Feb
ruary IS, 1902.
After some discussion by Messrs.
Cannon, Livingston (Ga.) and Maddox
lGa.1 the bill was passed.
The speaker announced the APP
pointment Of the following regents of
the Smithsonian institutions: Messrs.
Hit (IlL), Adams (Pa) and Dinsmore
lArk).
Mr.. Payne IN. ". chairman of the
ways and means committee, reported
back a substitute for his bin to tenn
porarily provide revenues for the Phil
ippines. The majority report says:
This bill is designed to raise revenue for
the government and benefit of the Philip
pine archipelago. 1t is Intended to restore
the status which existed prior to the late
decision of the supreme court In THE Dia-
Tnond Rings Case" Prior to that de-
cision the government had been collecting
duties on goods coming into the United
States from the Philippine archipelago at
the same rates as those provided In our
tariff laws for like articles imported from
'foreign countries" The court holds that
the Philippine archipelago IS not foreign
country. and therefore the general tariff
law does not apply. This bill extends the
! rate now existing upon imports from for
EAeign countries, to articles brought in from
the Philippine islands.
~ Work of the Commission.
Insthe Philippine archipelago the United
States Philippine commission prepared
tariff act after much care and study. Their
object has been and is to raise sufficient
revenue TO support a government in the
Philippines, TO provide amply for the edu-
cation OF the people, to open up the high
ways Of commerce both foreign and domes-
tic, and to provide ample police force for
the preservation of order These different
forms OF tariff In force there have produced
a surplus of revenue after paying the eX-
penses of the government. This bill pro-
poses in the first section 10 make this Phil
lppine tariff part of the statutes Of the
United States.
Necessity of Revenue.
The necessity for a continuance of rev.
enue which shall be both ample ard GER
tain is imperative. If we continue the po-
lice and constabulary system which has
been inaugurated. and which Is doing so
much to restore and conserve order in the
Islands. 1t will call for a large increase in
appropriations. We have enrolled $780, 900
school children In the public schools. OF
this number more than one-half are with
out any schoOlhouse accommodation. 1t Is
necessary that we build suitable houses at
once. Ten thousand adults were at last
accounts enrolled for night schools, and
we are told that this number has since in
creased probably to at least 5000. These
people, anxious to learn our language and
10 better their neA Al condition. must be
amply provided for. Four thousand teach
ers have been employed. nearly all of
them recently, and their salaries must be
paid, This great work Of education must
not be crippled, even for short time, for
lack OF funds.
Expensive improvements.
Our government has gone TO work sys-
Remarkably through the commission for
the Improvement of the harbor at Manila.
They have let the contract, after public
advertisement and competitive bids. to the
.--Azasast bidder. This contract calls for the
expenditure Of 5000 900 In the near future
Roads are being constructed and the build
ing OF roads In this tropical country is eN-
pensive. These are but a few of the many
items OF expenditure which are imperative.
All these expenditures are preparing the
way for a reduction of the army and in the
end will prove of direct benefit TO the tax
payers Of the United States.
Tonnage Taxes on Vessels.
The bill also provides for the collection
az tonnage taxes on vessels plying between
the ports of the United States and the Phil
applne archipelago. 1t further provides
that vessels not of United States may ply
between these ports, notwithstanding our
coastwIse navigation laws, until the first
day OF January, 1906, when II Is believed
these islands may safely come under the
operation Of our present statutes and yes
sells only of the United States be employed
IA our commerce with them"
At present our own people who ship goods
Co these Islands are handicapped by the
internal revenue tax and duties paid upon
foreign goods imported here and used in
the manufacture OF articles sent to the
Philippines The sixth clause of the pro-
posed bill IS designed to remedy this.
For BeneGt of Philippines.
The fourth section provides that all the
ifI5futIes and taxes collected under the act
shall not be covered into the general fund
NJ the treasury of the United States, but
oaid into the treasury of the Philippine is
I. iands to be used and expended for the use
y and benefit of these Islands.
The object of the bill is to meet pressing
emergency, practically and efficiently. We
present the tariff act of the commission as
fh~ best that can be devised in the limited
time left for us to act.
Minority Report.
Richardson (Tenn.) presented the
1minority report, signed by all the
! sdemocrats on the ways and means com
ssmittee except Mr.. Robertson La.).
kische report says, in part: l-..->/
s'fsne mature is- bat another step In the
weIl-marked line of imperialism. 1t is en-
acting policy of pure colonialism and the
worst form of that policy. We are opposed
20 our government attempting to hold ter
xitories as colonies and treating the inhab-
itants thereof as subjects, and imposing
upon them a government of force. This is
the method of the empire instead of that
of the republic We oppose the whole poll
CIV of the ma jority in dealing with the Phil
ippine archipelago We believe that in
stead of the effort they are making to set
up and hold permanent colonies there we
should long since have inaugurated policy
assuring to the people of those islands
stable government and their ultimate in
dependence.
but, even II there is to be an admitted
change in our institutions and our form of
government and a wide departure from
the old landmark of political truth, that
ali governments instituted among men de-
rive their just powers from the consent OF
the governed, and If II be admitted that We
are to embark upon the dangerous and
desperate policy Of colony-holdlng and sub
ject governing, to none OF which do we
agree even then we could not give our as
sent to the passage of the pending meas
ure The colonial plan set up by this bill
Is unjust and illiberal in the extreme"
The report says the secretary Of war
m de the tax law for the Philippines and is
II en- more power than most kings. 1t also
"a that the bill declares the Philippines
70 reign terrltory and applies Dlngley law
n ties and then proceeds to denounce the
Dingley law as a trust-bindinS measure
forcing people to pay high prices for their
goods at home than the same goods sell for
abroad. 1t asserts that the object OF the
legislation Is to obtain trade and that trade
could be obtained without the great ex-