Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-03
PHILIPPINE TRADE
Large Markets for American
Merchandise.
NEED CULTIV ALTON
ADVICE OF GOV. TAFT IN HIS
FAREWELL REPORT.
Discrimination Against the United
States-Imports Of Pork and
Lard Instanced.
EY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

! Chicago Record-Herald
! 81, MANILA, May 2, 1904.
|. There Is some foundatio for the COM
| plants heard on every sidel and particularly
| from American merchants, concerning the
| business depression in the Philippines. but
| they are due chiefly to natural and unavoid-
| able causes which neither the government
| at Mania. nor the administration at Wash
| iEgton, Tor the Congress of the United
| States could have prevented cured. The
past year has been one of considerable suf-
| fering throughout the islands from plague
| and drought and famine. The people have
| been 50 impoverished that the government
was compelled to intervene to prevent star
walton and furnish them food, seed and
| draft animals at public expense to cultivate
| their farms AMI put i'll new crops. This
affiictiol reduced the purchasing power of
| the people from one end of the island to
| the other. and taking everything into con-
| sideratlon, the trade returns and the re"
ports O.. the revenue officers for 1903 read
| remarkably well.
| American merchants, who are not nu-
| merouS, but are of more direct interest to
| Us than their foreign competitors. have suf-
fered falling OF in their trade from other
| reasons. When our government hrst TOOK
| possession here the army was followed by
enterpiis.ng traders and spectators, who
| made Large sums of money by furnishing
| supplies at high prices. Up till 1901, when
| the civil authorities took charge, an aver
age of 10000 troops were distributed
| through the islands at more than 600 posts.
which presented a golden opportunity not
| only for contractors with the quartermas-
| ters and commissary departments but for
general merchandising and for the sale of
| liquor to the soldiers. Prices were advanced
| rapidly; sales were rapid and profits were
large, but the harvest comparatively
| short The army is now reduced to little
| NOR han l.. m
abandoned. and to escape eXtortionate
| prices the government is buying the larger
| part of the supplies in the United States
and bringing them over transports The
| number of dealers has been increased, COM
| petition occurs In every line of trade, bust
ness has been reduced to a system, and the
commission has passed an act forbidding
| the sale of liquor within two miles of an
army reservation.
The Loudest in Complaint.
The enormous profits realized for two
| years by few American spectators and
| trading companies are no longer enjoyed.
| Several have branched out into commend
able enterprises, but most of them have not
been able to discover any other business
that will bring them satisfactory returns
A few have been left with large stocks of
unstable goods upon their hands, and this
situation, and the consequences of their own
bad Judgment, are charged to the commits
sion and to the government.
These men are the loudest and most bit
| ter in their criticisms of the conduct Of af-
| fairs. They disapprove most vigorously the
| friendly attitude of our government toward
| the natives, and denounce the policy of
| benevolent assimilation" as preposterous
| and visionary. They complain because
| Governor Taft and his associates have
| shown so much solictude for the welfare
of the native and SO little for the American
| residents. They object to the appointment
| of so many Filipinos to Office, and instead
Of cY,lt fy-lt ting will nj he
population, and creating demand for
| American goods they spend their time and
| energy finding fault and making gloomy
| predictions. -
Gov. Taft's Parting Advice.
| Governor Taft, in his farewell report. al
! luding to prospective markets, says: The
| number of Americans that may be counted
| upon for business demands in these islands
| Is never likely to exceed 10000. The num-
! Der of Flipinos whose trade might make
most lucrative business is 100000.
| ut would seem the wiser policy or the
| part of the American merchant to cultivate
| the good will of these permanent patrons
| rather than. through the press, and in So
| clety and in all other ways, 10 antagonlze
| them, to give the impression of bitter hos
/ tility and of radical prejudice too deep to
| be overcome. Neither the German nor the
| English, nor the Spanish merchants
| have allowed themselves to be put in this
attitude. Indeed, there are a few Amerl-
| cans who have pursued different policy
| with respect to the Filpnos to their profit.
| I venture to predict that as the American
! business men of these islands become more
| conservative. and as more capital comes In,
| the utter fatuousness of the present atti-
| tude of a majority of the American busi-
| ness men will become apparent.
There is an immense field here for the
| sale of American goods. The Filpinos are
| initiative. take quickly to new things, may
! be easily taught. as their wealth Shall
regard the American products
| which now Injuries to them as neces-
! Sites The sale of cotton goods Is almost
| wholly with the English houses today. The
handling of hemp, which Is the largest ex-
! port of the Islands. is almost entirely con-
| fined to the foreign houses. There is not
| the slightest reason why this business
should not be done largely by Americans,
| especially In view of the fact that the
| United States is the largest purchaser OF
| hemp in the world. 1t requires a large In
| vestment of capital, the construction OF
| warehouses In the various hemp provinces
| and the establishment of friendly relations
| with the hemp growers and buyers in each
province. The American business man in
| the islands has really, up to this time, done
very little to make or influence trade. He
| has kept close to the American patronage
and has not extended his efforts to an ex-
pansion of trade among the Filipinos. Un-
| til this is done and more American capital
| is brought here for the purpose We can
not hope that the imports from the United
| States to the islands will be increased In
very large proportions"
Market for American Goods.
| There Is a large market here for Ameri-
can merchandise. and 1t must be cultivated
| by our merchants, as Gov. Taft suggests
! but. at the same time. the commission and
| Congress must give the preference to Amer
| lean products. which in many cases they are
not doing have had striking illustra-
| ton OF this fact in the last few days.
| and 1 desire to call 1T particularly to the
| attention of James Wilson, Secretary of
| Agriculture. who is the highest patron of
American pork. and has many times pro-
| tected the American porker from unjust
| discrimination in foreign markets.
The greatest mistake that has been made
here in the Philippines. far as 1 can
see. Is one for which President Mckinley
and the republicans In Congress were orig
| fnally responsible. Under their instructions
! Gov. Taft and his associates here based
their policy on the pretext that our presence
in the Philippines is entirely unselfsh; that
we are taking all the trouble and spending
all the money for purely benevolent rea-
sons.
I'll.