Evening star., 1901-12-13
REPORTED TO HOUSE.
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that goods manufactured in the United
States of imported articles on wl1ieh duty
Is paid shall be allowed drawback of 80
per cent when shipped to the Philippines.
Views of the Minority.
Representative Richardson. OF Tennessee
presented to the Hotfse the minority re-
port on the Philippine tariff bill, signed by
all the democrats of the ways and means
committee except Mr.. Robertson of Louis
lana. The report says. in part:
1.-The measure is but another step in the
Well marked line of Imperialism. 1t is
acting a policy of pure cofonialisIn, and
the worst form of that policy. We are op-
posed to our government attempting to hold
territories as colonies and treating the in
habitants thereof subjects and impos-
ing upon them a government of force. This
is the method of the empire instead OF
that of the republic We oppose the whole
policy of the majority in dealing with the
Philippine archipelago, We believe that
instead 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 is
lands stable government and their ultimate
Independence.
But even if there is to be
an admitted change in our fnstitu-
tions and our form of government
and a wide departure from the old land
IUdTk Oh political tTuln Indt all SONeEitIeillS
instituted among men derive their just
powers from the consent of the governed,
and if it be admitted that We are to en-
bark upon the dangerous and desperate
policy of colony holding and subject govern
ing. to none of which do we agree, even
then We could not give our assent to the
passage of the pending measure. Ihe
colonial plan set up by this bill is UNJUST
and iliberal in the extreme.
The report further says that the secre-
tary of War in effect made the tax law Tor
the Philippines. and thus exercised greater
power than most kings. Continuing II
says: THE second section, in effect de-
clares that the Philippine Islands are tor-
eign territory, to the extent that all I'M
portations therefrom into the United states
shall pay the same rates of duty as are
provided in the existing tariff laws of the
United States. known as the Dingley tafiI
act. The Dingley act was wrong when IL
passed and is wrong now. 1t has proven
itself to be trust-breeding measure we
witness daily the great trusts born of the
Dfngley tariff law, so manipulating the
manufactures and the prices of, goods that
our people are forced by them to pay at
our own homes and in our own, markets
higher prices for their manufactured goods
and commodities than the same goods and
commodities are manufactured by them and
shipped abroad and sold for in the foreign
markets of the world
1T is well, perhaps, to ask what Is
meant by this class of legislation, The re-
ply from certain quarter Is that We are
60QeaNOFlnS 10 TedcH Out iOf tfdde, anu
that we must expand. We do not believe
that the trade we are now obtaining or
that we are likely to obtain under our op-
erations in the Philippines is worth what
we are paying for it..
The report then shows that the United
States shared in the Philippine trade last
year to the extent of s5.42I, lO6, represent
ing profits to our government or people of
about 81 .0S5, ,541.
This paltry sum is insignificant when we
consider the other side of the account. 1t
has cost us more than $50. 900 to main
tain our army in the Philippines for the
past year. Other nations. without incur
ring the expense of a dollar toward that
end. are getting forty-eight millions of dol
lars worth of the Philippine trade. We
have already expended and will have eX-
pended when the next year closes. at the
very lowest estimate, for the maintenance
of our army in the Philippines and our
operations in the orient. not less than four
hundred and fifty millions of dollars. And
this does not include the immense increase
in naval expenditures and the twenty mill
lion dollars paid to Spain under the treaty
of 1899
The casualties both of the United States
troops and the insurgents are referred to
and the report then concludes: THE casu
alties which have occurred in the effort
to enforce the policies of the majority In
the islands are of such appalling maGni-
tude that it should shock the public mind.
And such list of casualties would in 70
wise refer to. or include those of our SOL
ulerS whose nealln mas Deen
broken down. and of many others whose
reason and intellects have been shattered
and ruined by protracted service in a tor
rid zone.
1T is sufficient for to say we are
squareiy in opposition to the me.aods and
policies of the majority of the committee
in their efforts to deal with tine Philippine
Islands. We do not believe that lie people
of those islands can be made citizens OF
our republic without gross injustice to our
people, and without doing violence and per-
haps irreparable injury to our Institutions;
nor can we hold them as subjects without
the most radical changes in our form and
theory of government, which We are un-
willing to see inaugurated."