The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-14
FOR The PHILIPPINES
NEW TARIFF BILL TO RAISE
MONEY FOR ISLANDS.
PAYNE PRESENTS REPORT.
DEMOCRATS DENOUNCE 1T AS
RANK IMPERIALISM.


for Revenue Is Imperative, Says
Majority RepOrt--AIust Build
School Houses and Educate Fill
pinO Children.
Washington. Dec. 13.-At meeting
of the Ways and Means Conmittee to-
day for the final consideration of the
Philippine tariff bill, Representative
Robertson, Democrat of Louisiana, an
nounced that he would vote for the bill
in the House, and Representative Nc
Call, Republican of Massachusetts, an
nounced that he would vote against
it. With these exceptions, the Repub-
licans of the committee expressed
themselves in favor of the measure and
the Democrats opposed to it, and by
vote of to 5, on party lines, Messrs.
Mccall and Robertson answering pres
ent" but not voting, the bill was Or
dered reported.
Chairman Payne of the Committee on
Ways and Means, to-day presented the
majority report on the Philippine tariff
bill. 1t says:
This bill is designed to raise reve-
nue. for the government and benefit of
the Philippine Archipelago. 1t is in
tended to restore the status which ex
listed prior to the late decision of the
Supreme Court in the diamond rings
case. Prior to that decision the gov
ernment 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 a foreign country, and, there
fore, the general tariff law does not APP
ply This bill extends the rate now
existing upon imports from foreign
countries to articles brought in from
the Philippine Islands.
I'm the Philippine Archipelago the
United States Philippine Commission
prepared a tariff act after much care
and study. Their object has been and
is to raise sufficient revenue to sup
port a government in the Philippines,
to provide amply for the education of
the people, to open up the highways
of commerce, both foreign and domes-
tic, and to provide ample police force
for the preservation Of order This bill
proposes in the first section to make
this Philippine tariff a part of the
statutes of the United States.
Big Work for FiIipinOs.
1.-THE necessity for a continuance of
revenue which shall be both ample
and certain is imperative. If we con-
tinue the police and constabulary sys-
tenn which has been inaugurated, and
;aI, fe ca fO and
conserve order in the islands, it will
call for a large increase in appropria-
tions We have enrolled 100000 school
children in the public schools. OF this
number more than one-half are with
out any school house accommodation.
1t is necessary that we build suitable
houses at once. Four thousand teachers
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 a short
time, for lack of funds.
"Our government has gone to work
systematically through the commission
for the improvement of the harbor at
Manila. They have let the contract,
after a public advertisement and COM
petitive bids, to the lowest bidder. This
contract calls for the expenditure of
49, 900 600 in the near future. 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.
THE bill also provides for the col
lection of tonnage taxes on vessels
plying between the ports of the United
States and the Philippine Archipelago.
1t further provides that vessels not of
the United States may ply between
these ports, Notwithstanding our coast
wise navigation laws, until the first
day of January 1903, when it is be-
lieved these islands may safely come
under the operation of our present
statutes and vessels only of the Unit
ed States be employed in our commerce
with them"
Another Step in Imperialism.
Representative Richardson of Ten
nessee presented the minority report,
signed by all the Democrats of the
Ways and Means Committee except
Mr.. Robertson of Louisiana. The re-
port says in part:
"The measure is but another step
in the well marked line of imperial
ism. 1t is enacting a policy of pure
colonialism, and the worst form of
that policy. We are opposed to our
government attempting to hold terri
tories as colonies and treating the
inhabitants thereof as subjects, and
imposing upon them a government OF
force. This is the method of the em-
pire instead of that of the republic.
We oppose the whole policy of the
majority In dealing with the Philip
pine 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 in
augurated a policy assuring to the
people of these islands stable gov
ernment and their ultimate independ-
ence.
but, even IL there is to be an ad-
mitted change in our institutions and
our form of government and a wide
departure from the old landmark OF
political truth, that all governments
Instituted among men derive their just
powers from the consent of the gov
erned, and II IL be admitted that we
are to embark upon the dangerous
and desperate policy of colony hold
ing and subject governing. TO none
Of which do we agree. even then we
could not give our assent to the pas
sage of the pending measure. The
colonial plan set up by this bin Is
unjust and illiberal in the extreme"
More Powerful Than IA King.
The report says the Secretary of War
in effect made the tax law for the
Philippines and is given more power
than most kings. II also says that the
bill declares the Philippines foreign ter
ritory and applies Dingley law rates.
and denounces the Dingley law as a
trust-breeding measure, forcing people