The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-03
HEAVY BURDEN
FOR FILlPINOS
Worse Off Than When They Were
Under Spanish Rule.
TAFT MAKES A STATEMENT
FREE TRADE is NOT ASKED AT
THIS TIME.

IAf ASHINGTON, Feb 2.-Secretary
w Taft has addressed to Chair
man Payne Of the house
committee on ways and means
an exhaustive statement Of the
reasons which compel him to urge
earnestly on congress the passage dur
ing the present session of the pending
Philippine tariff bill. The secretary's
reasons are in substance as follows.
Whatever ultimately viii be done
with the Philippines, they are neces-
sarily for the next generation a part of
the United states and there is no more
reason for tariff against them than
against Hawaii or Porto Rico or our
territories. Under Spanish rule Philip
zine sugar was given a preferential
rate of cents per pound when inn
Ported into Spain. while the Spanish
government took all of its tobacco TO
supply the government monopoly from
Cuba and the Philippines. Now Spain
cuyS i'm the cheapest market. and the
Philippines have lost the Spanish trade.
The United states is under obligation
to make good this deficiency which
has been made larger by the increase
of the import tax on sugar and tobacco
b. Japan and Australia. thus reducing
the sales of the Philippine cOmmOdi-
ties. Unless the American tariff is re-
duced ia favor of the Philippines, the
law urging the islands trade with the
United States to be carried only in
,nerican bottoms viii be a great bur
N and injustice to the FilipinOs. Con-
Sress should make good the heavy loss
10 the islands revenues caused by the
repeal, at the demand OF the American
farmer of the export tax on hemp, a
loss not made good by the return to
the islands of the import duty on hemp
collected in the United States.
Free Trade Net Asked.
"A total removal of duties on Philip
Pine products entering the United
States is not asked for at this time,
tcrnational revenue system applied to
the islands probably will develop
enough revenue to enable them to have
free trade. The opposition to the re-
duction of the duties on sugar and to-
baccO has been nurssd by paid profess
sIonaI agents circulating misleading
and unfounded statements. which has
now developed a decided opposition to
the bill by the representatives of all
the sugar and tobacco interests of the
country except Hawaii and Porto Rico.
The entire present production of the
Philippines would not appreciably af-
feet the American market if admitted
under the proposed rates. The Philip
pine sugar land is limited; is not as
good as the Cuban land and the truth
is that the same land viii produce
hemp. copra and rice much more pro-
fitably than sugar, and so it is the
height of absurdity to suppose that
even with free trade in sugar with the
United States there would be any con-
siderable increase in the Philippine
sugar product. No Philippine sugar
or tobacco is imported TO the United
States and only wrappers and filters
are raised, SO there is no danger of
with the American product.
The total export of Philippine cigars
to all countries was only 105, 900. 600.
whereas America produced 1000 600. 900
cigars, so that the suggestion of COM
petition is absurd. 4 80 per cent re-
Guetion. of the tariff rates would not
DO the islands the slightest good, as
has been proved by experience with the
% per cent reduction"
The secretary in conclusion pleads
for Justice for the Philippines