Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-03-10
WILL THE PHILIPPINES PAY?
BY AUGUSTUS o. BACON UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM c
Reproduced by courtesy Saturday Evenin Post

| MILLIONS OIL uOlidTS pOuTeu yearly Jul u
the treasury of the United States into the
Philippines. AS a result of some 500, OOO,-
600 spent there In 1900 by the United
| States the imports into the Philippines
were in that year increased from the
normal figure of about $16,0OO,OOO in 1884
to more than $27.OOO,OOO, and of this the
! United States furnished s., is, 1873 and the
! other nations 81, 200, 900.
Queer Facts About Rice and Beer.
One item in the account shows that
the desolation of war may cause an IN
crease in imports, and also illustrates the
decrease in production. The principal
food of the Filipinos is rice and they
produce less than they consume. In 1884
they imported rice to the value OF $563,SiS
In 1900 the importation of rice amounted
! to "a. 1865 056. Thus in the two items or beer
for the non-producers and of rice to bal
| ance non-production, five million dollars.
| or one-half of the increase of imports, is
accounted for, with no credit to increased
production. The large increase In ex-
! ports for 1900 is due to the shipment OF
: stocks accumulated during the time OF
general and active hostilities when all
/ commerce was arrested. In 1894 the ex-
| port OF hemp was s7,24S,S72; in 1900 the ex-
| port of hemp was ST., 290, 400-an increase
| during time of crippled industries not
I to be otherwise accounted for. The same
| thing is true Of other leading articles OF
1 export sugar anu COhcS DSAH6 49, S---S
exceptions. .,
Thus the comparative export of some
leading articles was as follows: Copra In
1894 81 72 191, and in 1900, 50, 1S4S53; cigars
and cigarettes in 1894, $S73,253 and IN 1SOO,
| 81, 1874 1863; leaf tobacco in 1894, $IO2,Sz2 ana
| in 1900, 81 06S, 900; hides and skins in 1894
i S14554 and in 1900, 1911, 1888; and so on.
Commerce was necessarily at an absolute
standstir in 1898. The tables make no
mention of exports in 1898. and the pro-
ducts OF that year and of 1897 have since
been sent to market.
The fact Is that such business prosperity
as now exists in the Philippines Is due to
the vast millions that the United States
send there yearly in the maintenance OF
the army The same amount yearly
| spent in the rich state Of Pennsylvania
! would give an active impulse to its pres
ent Industrial prosperity. So far as busi-
ness prosperity Is concerned the best
TING for the 4 hilippines is a continuance
of conditions which require the presence
Of the army and the Yearly expenditure
of many millions by our government
but 1t is bad investment for the people
| of the United States If the yearly flood
of gold poured into the Philippines by the
United States government should sudden
ly cease the business of the islands would
shrink into insignihcance. :
| But, making all allowance, and accept
ing the imports and exports of 1900 as the
measure of the normal business of the
| Philippines, from no duties levied upon
It could the United States be reimbursed
for the past expenditure. If the business
of the islands were qladrupled the duties
which could be collected would not repay
the future yearly expenditure, to say
nothing of the more than $500, 900 which
has already gone. A comparison with
! Japan shows the impossibility of quad
rupling or even doubling the business OF
the Philippines. The exports of Japan in
1899 were approximately s100,O0O0OO goldS
only about four times that of the Philip
pines for 1900. And yet Japan Is coun-
try of splendid resources and a most in
MIGRATING climate, with population of
A, 100000, than which there are none more
skillful energetic and industrious in all
the world He is indeed an optimist who
expects that the 10,000000 Filipinos in an
enervating climate, will ever rival them
in production. Until they do equal the
! Japanese in amount of production the
United States cannot be repaid even their
future annual expenditure in the Philip
pines.
Small Outlet for oVr Own Products.
The limits of. this article do not permit
a detailed discussion of the possible return
to the general public through commerce
between the Philippines and the United
States. But the profits of such commerce
I must bC ny TIE. CAlCnl OIL the DuS-
mess, and the figures above given suffi-
GENTLY indicate how small that must be
| even If we were monopoizing II, instead
| of enjoying a very small percentage of 1t.
| Conditions are not favorable to the great
increase of our trade with the archipelago
| There is little market for our foodstuffs
They live on rice, which we cannot supply
them, and fish, which are found In abun-
dance in the waters at their doors. They
| need little clothing, and that they make
| on their hand-looms-much, of it from
| cotton grown in small patches by them
selves. In 1898 the entire import of cotton
and wooden goods of all kinds amounted
to little more than 80 cents to each of the
population. We can sell no large amount
of agricultural machinery there. The prin-
cipal agricultural products are sugar.
| hemp, rice. copra and tobacco. Only in the
| first is machinery used, and that only in
| the process of manufacture. There is no
machinery adapted to the cultivation or
| gathering of copra, hemp or tobacco. The
| machinery used elsewhere in the culture
of rice cannot be used in the Philippines
| successfully, as the rice is grown in mud
fields in which men and women work more
| than ankle deep, and through which the
caribou, wading a foot deep, drags a rude
pillow, which frequently leaves no furrow
as 1t passes through the soft slush. There
| is no appreciate demand for cutlery for
the bolo Of the Filipino is not only his
| weapon or war, but IL is also his universal
tool. With it he builds his house and also
his boat cuts his frewood, prepares his
food, picks his teeth and cleans his finger
nails. Outside of the cities shoes he will
have none, and his hat is made of a palm
| leaf at less than the cost of the transpor-
! tation of a straw hat from America.
The lowlands are fertile and the noun
tains are we'll wooded. There are miner
ais, of which copper is perhaps the tmost
promising. Out of the opportunities Ahey
furnish, some individuals will make some
money but it will require an extraordi-
| nary expert to show how their profits and
the commerce resulting therefrom can
! ever, in its benefits to the general public,
| compensate for the many hundreds of
millions of dollars already spent and
| hereafter to be spent by the United States
in the Philippines. Much is said about the
wood on the islands, not considering that
the chief cost of lumber is in the manu-
| facture and transportation, and that on
our own continent we have untold millions
of il much easier of access AS to ma
| hogany and such woods the quantity in
the tropical regions of our own hemis-
phere is inexhaustible. The assertion that
out of the woods of the Philippines or
from other natural resources for that
matter there will be gained enough profit
to the general public of the United States
to repay the sum of from $500, 900 900 to
| $1,000, 900. 900, the expenditure of which Is
/ now plainly in sight has been paralleled