The Tucson citizen., 1902-04-01
REPUBLICAN, INCONSISTENCY.

IN 0enaII OF the cOMmlLIee OIL WutCH Hc
is chairman a bill providing for the
government of the Philippine Islands.
We are told in the press dispatches that
six pages of this bill are devoted to the
provision concerning the currency"
,siThis is interesting.
Times change and statesmen change
with them. Less than two years ago
the wise men of the majority party In
the United States Senate were shout
ing anathemas at the coinage of sill
yer and denouncing as an enemy OF his
country every man who proposed that
the government go into the manu-
facture of "50-cent dollars" Now a
cAange mas come over the spirit OF
their dreams. They are going to try
the ''accursed thing" on our Filipino
brethern. What was declared to be
financial heresy in the land of Uncle
Sam is now pronounced sound doctrine
for our little brothers in brown on the
other side of the world. This is what
expansion has brought US to- 1ne
voices which were once raised in
tumultuous protest against cheap
money" are now paying honeyed tri-
butes to the virtues OF the silver doll
lar as the standard money of our
Asiatic possessions. 1t is no longer a
'debased coinage" but a coinage
peculiarly adapted to the needs of
the Filipinos." The bitterness which
the mere mention of the white metal
inspired two years ago has given place
TO gentle tol5ration. Perhaps two years
hence toler .tion will have developed
of cheap money over the dearest
in the world.
Let the F'iIipinos rejoice and make
merry because the dollar of the dads
is not to be taken from them. We paid
$4,000. 900 in. gold for the pleasure of
establishing fraternal relations with
them, and we have paid nearly half a
billion dollars in gold since then to
maintain the brotherly relations which
Spain kindly relinquished to us. Two
years ago tne statesmen who are now
prescribing cheap money for the
Philippines said that the silver stand
ard would ruin any country which
ver-using countries are the unprogres-
sive and decadent countries. Since they
have concluded to give the Philippines
this inferior money it might be sus-
pected at they have a sinister pur-
pose in view. That does not seem to
be the case, however. They think they
will make a market in the Philippines
for an American commodity for which
there Is only limited demand at
present. In addition, tAey hope to
please some of the voters in the West,
who are as fond of silver money as the
Filipinos. If cheap money" will hasten
the reconstruction of the Philippines
we cannot begin too soon to unload
our silver bricks on the Filipinos
Spain "gold-bricked Uncle Sam when
the latter bought the archipelago. Our
) thrifty statesmen have decided that
we are entitled to revenge Let us
"silver-brick our brown brothers and
get even.
But this Philippine coinage incident
reveals one of the beauties or imperial
ism. The little provision requiring
uniformity in the money issues of the
country is no longer regarded as an
obstacle to the execution Of a Re-
publican policy.
Soon we shall be called upon, no
19ubt, to provide a dollar for the
Porto Ricans OF a value to be deter
mined by their local conditions.
Hawaiians will be in line clamoring
FIR a dollar worth 80 cents or more,
and the Guamites will require special
coinage for their circulation, the total
issue needed for that island being
perhaps SIS.
1t would not be surprising thing If
the Filipinos demanded yard stick
Of length differing from the standard
of measure in the United States, and
q standard gallon holding not more
than three quarts. And IL the Filipinos
4 ask and receive these things. why
should not the Porto Ricans, the
IIawaiians. and the Guamites?
We have already permitted the
FiIipinos. o. portion of them resid-
znE in sulu, 70 continue In the practice
% certain customs forbidden by me
Constitution Of the United States;