Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-20

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
MANILA, June IS, 1904.
I have assumed from the first letter Of
this series that Uncle Sam is in the Philip
pines for business as we'll as benevolence.
think that is the understanding among the
people of the United States. We are willing
to give the Fiipinos good government to
educate them, to "upift'' them as far as
we are able. and furnish them means to
promote prosperity, but, If any advantages
are to be gained in these transactions, we
feel that we are entitled to them We want
them and do not propose to share them
with any other nation. In his celebrated
letters on reciprocity Mr.. Blaine took the
ground that the highest privilege as well
as duty justified government in doing
everything possible to sell another barrel of
-four and another pound of pork, and the
people of the United States will approve
that proposition, especially wherever the
Philippines are concerned. for they have
already cost us good deal of money and
we are entitled to a fair return
The late Thomas B. Reed asserted that
the higher civilization of New England was
due to determination on the part of the
Yankees to get per cent on their money
and their anxious efforts to get TO- and il
we apply the same principle to the Philip
pines the same consequences will follow :;
because the material is there ready to be
turned into marketable merchandise, and
we as a nation expect to make profit out
of it. This is perhaps a sordid way Of
looking at things but it Is better to be
sordid than sentimental Trade is the
greatest of all civiliZers, and the people Of
the United States will support Congress
and the Philippine commission in all their
efforts to secure every possible commercial
advantage here for our farmers, manufac-
turers miners and merchants We produce
everything the Filipino needs or wants,
and are justified in using every legitimate
means TO make him buy Of us in preference
chased and still purchases a greater part
Of his manufactured goods.
Trade With Manila Valuable.
The trade of the Philippine Islands con-
sidered alone is very. valuable Few peo-
pie realize how valuable it is, and how it
has been increasing under American admin
istration, and all the evidence you need to
convince any reasonable person of the sue
cess of that administration is found in the
commercial statistics But what we might
call contiguous possibilities are even more
convincing when considered in connection
with the expansion poilcy. 1t will be con-
ceded all around that the United States did
not go into the Spanish war to get posses-
sion Of this archipelago; 1t will also be con-
coded that 95 per cent OF our population
have more than once wished that Dewey
had sailed away the moment he destroyed
the feet at Manila bay; but, to quote an
old proverb, that water has passed over the
dam and is an obsolete topic of discussion
We are here, and we are here to stay. will
ingly or unwillingly, and the practical prop.
osition is to make the most we can our Of
It, And whoever has taken the trouble to
look into the subject must see the enor-
nous possibilities offered the enterprise Of
the United States
s54 484 600 people, whose annual commerce
now amounts to 81 377. 7s4. coo, and there Is
plenty Of capital and enegry and ability in
of this trade with Manila as the base Of
opera tons and the mills and farms and
uoinea eS the United States ~ . source Of