Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-05

islands Is concerned.
The most encouraging feature Of tho
terest taken by the common people in ed,is
cation and the great increase in the nuuo4
per OF enrolled students in the public
son oan me Increase was from 10000 "a
ovo.VU pupils. The average attendance ID
ABOUT 40 per cent The only limit upon the
number of pupils seems to be the capa cit1
OF the government to furnish teachers and
The agricultural conditions Of the isiande
ENFORCE more strongly than ever the argul
menl IN favor OF reducing the tariff on the
prouucts OF the Philippine Islands entering
the United States. 1 earnestly recommend
that the tariff now imposed by the DineieH
Dill upon the products OF the Philippine
Islands be entirely removed. except the tars
IN on sugar and tobacco, and that that tars
IN be reduced to Is per cent Of the pres.
emit rates under the Dingley act. that after
July l, 1900, the tariff upon tobacco and
sugar produced in the Philippine Islands
DC entirely removed. and that free trade bee
tween the Islands and the United States In
.ne products OF each country then be proc
Vlded for by law.
statute in force. enacted April Is 1oOx
suspends the operation OF the coastwisk
laws OF the United States upon the trade
between the Philippine Islands and tho
United states until July /, 1905. I earnestly
recommend that this suspension be posts
poned until July /. 1909 I think ii OF
douotfui utility to apply the coastwise laws
10 Inc trade between the United States and
tuo IilitippiHeS under any Circumxta noes.
because l am convinced that II will do no
good whatever to American bottoms and
VIII only interfere and be an obstacle to
the trade between the Philippines and the
United States: but IL the coastwise law
must be thus applied. certainly Il ought NOT
to have effect until free trade is enjoyed
between the people of the United States and
the people of the Philippine Islands in their
respective products.
do not anticipate that free trade be.
tween the Islands and the United States
VIII produce a revolution In the sugar and
tobacco production OF the Philippine Isle
ands So primitive are the methods OF agris
culture IN the Philippine Islands, SO slow
Is capital In going TO the islands, so many
dameulties surround large agricultural
enterprise in the islands, that 1t will be
many, many years before the products OF
those islands will have any effect whatever
upon the markets of the United States. The
problem of labor is also formidable one
with the sugar and tobacco producers in the
islands. The best friends of the Filipino peo.
pie and the people themselves are utterly
opposed to the admission OF Chinese cooli~
labor. Hence the only solution is the traips
Ing of Filipino labor, and this will take
long time. The enactment Of a law by
the Congress Of the United States making
provision for free trade between the isl.
ands and the United States, however. Will
be of great importance from q political ana
sentimental standpoint, and while dts actual
benefit has doubtless been exaggerated by
the people of the islands, they will accept
the people OF the United States are anxious
to aid the people of the Philippine Islands In
every way, and especially In the sgricul-
tural development of their archipelago. It
will aid the Filipnos without injuring inters
ests In America.
Hawaii.
In my judgment immediate steps should
be taken for the fertilization OF Hawaii.
This is the most important point in the
~.
interests of this country. It would be hard
to overstate the Importance Of this need.
Hawaii is too heavily taxed. Laws should
be enacted setting aside for period Of say.
twenty years 10 per cent Of the internal
revenue and customs receipts from Hawaii
a special fund to be expended in the isls
ands for educational and public buildings.
and for harbor improvements and military
and naval defenses. 1t cannot be too often
repeated that our aim must be to develop
the territory of Hawaii on traditional Amer
lean lines. That territory has serious CONF
mercial and Industrial problems to reckon
with; but no measure of relief can he con-
sidered which looks to legislation admit.
ting Chinese and restricting them by statute
to field labor and domestic service. The
status Of servihty can never again be tol"
Grated on American soil. We cannot con-
cede that the proper solution Of its probs
lens is special legislation admitting to Ha-
wall class of laborers denied admission to
obstacles, and great obstacles. in the way
of building up a representative Amert-
can community In the Hawaiian isianos;
but 1t Is not In the American character
to give up in the face OF difficulty. Many
an American commonwealth has been built
up against odds equal to those that now
confront Hawaii.
No merely half-hearted effort to meet It's
problems as other American communities
have met theirs can be accepted as final.
Hawaii shall never become territory in
which a governing class of rich planters ex-
lists by means of coolie labor. Even II the
rate of growth of the territory Is thereby
rendered slower, the growth must only take
place by the admission of immigrants MT IN
the end to assume the duties and burdens
of full American citizenship. our aim
must be to develop the territory on the same
basis of stable citizenship as exists on this
continent.
Porto Rico.
earnestly advocate the adoption of leg
islation which will e. plicitly confer Amerf-
can citizenship on all citizens of Porto
Rico There Is, in my judgment, no ex-
cuse for failure to do this. The harbor OF
San Juan should be dredged and improved.
The expenses of the federal court of Porto
Rico should be met from the federal treas
ury. and not from the Porto Rican treas
ury, The elections in Porto Rico should
take place every four years, and the legis-
lature should meet in session every two
years. The present form OF government IN
Porto Rico, which provides for the ap-
pontment by the President of the members
of the executive council or upper house Of
the legislature, has proved satisfactory and
has inspired confidence in property owners
and investors. / do not deem 1t advisable
at the present time TO change this form in
any material feature. The problems ana
needs of the island are Industrial and COM
mercial rather than political.
Insular Affairs in General.
/ wish to call the attention of the Con-
gress to one question which affects our in
sular possessions generally; namely, the
need of an increased liberaltty in the treat
ment of the whole franchise question In
these islands. In the proper desire to pre-
vent the islands being exploited by specu-
lators and to have them develop IN the IN
terest of their own people al error has been
made in refusing to grant sufficiently ib-
eral terms to induce the investment or
American capital in the Philippines and In
Porto Rico. Elsewhere in this message l.
have spoken strongly against the Jealousy
of mere wealth, and especially of corporate
wealth as such But 1t is particularly re-
grettable to allow any such Jealousy TO be
developed when we are dealing either with
Ia.