Bisbee daily review., 1905-05-06
PHILIPPINE DISCoNTENT.
Why Trade and Industry LanGuish
 In Our Oriental Colony.

An Ouf OHAtntaA SOAony.
 That there is deep seated discomfort In our oriental colony there can be no doubt, and the cause is attributable to the languishing condition of Philippine trade and industry resultant from the American occupation, says the Atlanta Constitution. It is more a reason of bread and butter than of politics, for under the new regime the islanders have a larger measure of local self government than they enjoyed under Spanish rule and infinitely more per soual liberty. Nevertheless they find their problems of livelihood more diff cult than ever, and it is not surprising that the desire for political ildepend- enee has grown rather than decreased since the property transfer of the is lands was made by SpaiAto the United States.
 At this distance we hear but one side of the question. and that the rosy col ored official side Doubtless the Amer ican officials in the Philippines are do- ing very well, as are few American corporations that have been given most favorable franchise privileges in the islands. We are given little in- king of the other side by tine Mindanao Herald, a native publication, which ed itorially answers President Roosevelt's reported declaration that he could not understand why there should be an unsettled feeling of discoltent in the Philippines. although we have given them a good government, better than they ever had, and removed the Sources of oppression"
 The MindanaO Herald says that when Taft arrived in the islands his salary was 10000 pesos per annum, without allowances of any kind. Vlcn he re- turned to the United States he was drawing salary of 50,009 pesos per annum and some 10000 pe5os in allow ances. (A peso Is the Spanish do,iar) The paper goes on to state that under the Taft administration the taxes more than quadrupled and the cost of living more than doubled. while wages in creased but slightly in the cities and not at all in the provinces. Al the same time employment fell of until the bulk of the labor in the islands was liv- ing in poverty and enforced idleness. and native tradesmen were forced to the wall.
 This authority sees no hope in pros pect from the late act of congress con ferring upon the Filipinos a larger measure Of self government though legislative assembly. for it is explained that the Filipino lawmakers are not permitted to reduce the appropriations which are fixed by the Philippine com mission. The president is told that un- less he puts men at the head of the government pledged to retreDchment in useless officials and high salaries and a greatly decreased expenditure in public improvements the people of these is- lands will continue indefinitely on the verge of desperation"
 We trust that Secretary Taft's per sonally conducted congressional party to the Philippine colony will venture some distance from the governor gen l erals palace in Manila and have an eye | open for other things than the pictur- esque features of Filipino life. There | is reason to believe that there Is more that might be learned from the more | intelligent natives than would be i'm parted by carpetbag officialism, and the native side of the question must i be heard if congress is to give the Fili- 1 pinos a square deap in government with view 10 ultimate independence.