Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-27

states to the phiiiepines q profitable one
for our merchants and manufacturers.
If that be tfue.adoes It heed business
e Ags lazs So ssy xSsh sss
bitters and renders hostile whole people
to the American merchants in these islands
must necessarily defeat all hopes of in.
creasing the American business here? What
do you say OF q MERCHANT who sneers audi
bly, at his customer, who calls him names.
who turns his back upon him. who submits
him to all sorts or social indignities? Is he
likely to have any customers? Are those
who were induced TO patrontze him going to
remain his patrtnsf
Success Of ether Nationahties.
Now. right under our very noses here
we have Spanish merchants. English mer-
chants, Germanmerchants and Swiss mer-
chants. They are engaged in selling goods
to the Filipino people and In exporting from
the islands their agricultural products That
business is a most lucrative one. America
is competing with Great Britain in almost
every market In the world In cotton goods.
and yet nine-tenths of the cotton goods sold
In these islands are sold by the Englishmen
and English factories. The greatest ex-
port of these islands is hemp Who does
the business in exporting hemp. Nine
tents Of 1t is done by English merchants,
and that, too, when more than half of the
hemp raised in these islands Is shipped
direct to the United States. Now. I wish to
ask whether In public In the newspapers
for which they are responsible. or in the
presence of the Fiiipinos, the English mer-
chants, or the Spanish merchants, or the
German or Swiss merchants. take up their
time In abusing and insulting the Filipino
race? If SO. am not aware of 1t.
THE hemp which is exported is purchased
ultimately from the Filipino land owner;
the rice which he must have Is sold to him
and brought upon the same ships that take
the hemp away Buying the hemp and SELL
ing the rice intelligently with due regard
to profit and an increase Of the business.
involves a knowledge Of the native mer-
chant the native haciendero and the native
local conditions. So, too, in the selling OF
goods the native tastes must be studied.
close examination made into the question
who of the natives may be safely trusted.
what credits can be allowed them and an
Intimate knowledge gained OF the native
customs and native desires as we'll as Of the
language OF the country. Certainly 1t does
not help to transfer that business from the
the German to the American merchant
when 1t is understood that the attitude of
the American merchant and the American
resident is always bitterly hostile to the
Filipino and utterly contemptuous OF him
and his business"
Free Trade With United States.
There is consoling cablegram from
Washington that upon his recommendation
Congress is likely to make trade free be-
tween the United States and the Philip
pines, but the news Is too good to be true.
While revenue is needed here for internal
improvements. and while nearly every other
nation permits it's colonies to impose duties
upon imports from the motherland, never
theless 1t would be a great advantage on
both sides and for many reasons to place
all merchandise from the United States
Upon the free list 1t would add to the
prosperity Of the islands, and give the
manufacturers and merchants of the United
States an outlet for their surplus products.
England admits almost everything from
her colonies free but she needs their prod
ucts and at the same time she permits
Canada. Australia. India and all her colo
NAL possessions to impose duties upon al
most everything they buy fro miner. With
the exception of India. all Of the British
colonies tax British products higher than
the rates that were imposed in the Philip
pines upon goods imported from the l;nted
States. India has a horizontal tariff OF 10
per cent upon all articles.
If we should have free trade between
the United States and the Philippines, IT
would develop the natural resources OF tie
islands more than could be accomplished
by any other method because their prod
Ucts are at a disadvantage almost every
where. We need their sugar. tobacco, rice,
hemp, copra and other raw materials, while
there is already a growing demand for all
kinds of manufactured goods over here. and
it would increase rapidly with the pros
perity of these people. Furthermore. It
WDulu Dullu uP lHel SIidIl uPoi
the Pacific. provided free entry here and al
home were limited to merchandise carried
in American bott onTs.
The following table will show a COMPARE
son of the imports from different coGn-
tries into the Philippine Islands during the
fiscal years 1902 and 1908. and the amount
of duties collected upon them. You VIII
see by this table that we do not have our
fair share OF the trade:
Imports From Different Countries.
Duties and values represented IT. United States