New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-24
rer Congressman Herbert parsOns.l

Mrs. Parsons and Joined the AeLt party q"
San Francisco the day before the ManchuIia
sasIed. The party was for some purposes In TWO
parasitic official and the unoftlciaL Inc ON
ciel party consisted OF Secretary Tart ana his
ets,r. Miss Roosevelt, with Miss Mcmillan and
sx,v. rsoarsnsn- the seven Senators and twenty
four Congressman and their wives making
about sftv ali told. and the unofficial party con-
tanned about forty.
OF the many entertainments we had IN Ma
nfis one Of the most interesting and deignuu
was the reception given by the Filipino laoleS
to Miss Roosevelt at the beautiful house OF AaF.
Linjap q Filipino. There had been some fret
ting among members Of the party that not as
much OF the F1ipinos was being seen as we
wished. This gave the desired opportunity. AT
the ball given at the Ayuntamiento by the citi-
Gems OF Manila the night before we left Miss
Roosevelt wore a Filipino costume ana danced
the rigodon with Filipino
The attitude taken by the members OF the
Taft party and by almost all Of the American
officials that we met, which was an attitude OF
complete devotion to the principle Of the Phil
ippines for the F9lipinos and OF resentment at
tbs slightest injustice toward Fflipinos that was
even whispered. was, I must confess. a surprise
to me- I suppose It was due TO my reading of
Democratic papers in New-4ork. While there
are, doubtless officials both civil and military.
who would officially and inclined socially
% treat the F1lipinos inferior people and in
the manner that other nations treat their colo
NAL dependencies. the great mass Of those OIL
cials especially those at the head have moth
fng but pure and whole hearted devotion to the
cause Of fitting the Philippines to be splendid
country for the Fflipinos and fitting the Fill
sdnos for self-government such as we have, and
IN the future independence, If they will.
During the week spent at Manila, the Senators
and Members OF Congress had daily hearings in
the Ayuntauiento, on the question of our tariff
On Philippine sugar and tobacco and the gen
erai economic conditions CT the islands These
took so much time that they prevented our
doing many other things that might have
done. and in particulars deprived Of the
pleasure of meeting many OF the F1lipinos in
their homes
From the formal papers presented at the hear
ngs and the answers TO questions, the sugar
and tobacco situations were as follows:
Sugar is mainly grown in the province Of Occi-
dental Negros. Of Pampanga, on Luzon. and
considerably on the island Of Panay. It is low
grade sugar. due. I suppose. to the primitive
method OF extracting the sugar from the cane
and that is one reason for the small price that
u commands. The market for it is China and
Japan There are refneries in Hong Kong. The
planters do not expect a reduction Of the tariff
20 lead TO the importation of sugar into the
United States. but they desire 1t so that, having
the possibility Of selling to the United States,
China and Japan VIII be compelled to pay more
for the sugar than they now do, when they con-
stitute its only market Unquestionably the
islands contain many rich sugar lands. but the
planters do not expect the sugar production to
increase rapidly. It was larger in 1898 than it
ever has been since, and they contend that even
81 it should all go into the United States it
would be such small amount compared with
Our needs that it would have no appreciate
effect our cane and beet sugar growers. The
labor scarcity is one problem in the Philippines.
<rr while the laborer is not as lazy as some
people make out Industrious as others
Say, he can live easily especially in the coun-
Try. that his desire to work IS not very great
and be Is not there in sufficient numbers TO
supply the labor needed if there is to be rapid
development Even the planters seem to be op-
posed to admitting the Chinese and it was plain
that the admission Of The Chinese generally
would operate greatly to the disadvantage Of
the Filipino laborers. In the English and Dutch
colonies. where the Chinese do the work. the
general production Of wealth may have helped
the natives IN some way. but the natives would
have Jared better if they had been the only
people to get the large amount Of money which
has gone for the pay Of laborers.
The good tobacco, we were told. is grown al
saost If not entirely, in the somewhat inaccessi-
lble Cagayan Valley. and its production there
cannot greatly multiply. The tobacco people
icontended that Filipino cigars differ so much
from the cigars to which accustomed
that they would not supersede the cigars at
fpresent sold here but would have to find. in the
course of time, an additional market for them
selves here among smokers who particularly
cared for that kind of cigars. In connection with
these tariff discussions much stress was laid
upon the probable operation Of the Frye BILL
when st goes into effect and makes necessary
the importation Of ali goods from the United
Estates TO the Philippines and the Philippines to
fxhe United States In American bottoms only, a
feondition which they say would mean serious
increase in rates. It was even contended by a
Representative Of shipping interests that this
lxro,,lo tnure not to the benefit Of Manila as a
great Oriental port, but more particularly TO
The benefit Of Hong Kong. for the reason that
goods could be shipped to Hong Kong ana re-
E5oaded there. all in foreign bottoms. at lower
Freight rates than they could be shipped direct
en- American bottoms.
NV own impression is that while the Philip
rsass are undoubtedly very rich islands the
scarcity Of iaborers the lack Of transportation
facilities the exclusion Of the Chinese and the
rrovision In the fundamental act which pro-
hfbits the government from selling more than
$500 acres OF land TO a corporation mean slow
BUT gradual development, the vast percentage Of
which viii be IN the interest Of the Filipino Ia
horers.
There is no question that all the Filipino po-
f;ttcal parties now in favor Of independence.
Some Of them wish # at once. and others look
forward TO It IN the future, There is a great
sesl OF political talk in Manila, and it is inter
- for II touches the real questions of self