Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-07
URGES AID FOR
THE PHILIPPINES
HILL TALKS IN FAVOR OF
TARIFF MEASURE
Connecticut Congressman Makes Long
Speech, Pointing Out American
industries Need Not Fear
Their Competition
Nv Associated Press.

Ey Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6.-In a session
Of five hours today the house placed
on record a speech in favor of the Phil
ippine tariff bill. one against it and
Commute talk for tariff revision, ac-
cording to the Republican demand OF
Massachusetts Mr.. Hill of Connect
cut occupied three hours and was lis
tened to with great interest In detail
ing the knowledge he gained from two
visits to the Philippines. the last us q
member of the party of Secretary TAFT
last summer. lie paid particular at
tention to the tobacco feature OF the
measure and explained away much oil
the misapprehension as to the enor-
nous products that might be expected
from the islands. Their territory. ne
said, was small, and their fertile lands
still further limited.
Mr.. Mondeu (WyoO. who has led the
firht against the bill in the interest OF
the beet sugar industry OF this coun-
try, spoke vigorously against the meas
ure and against the policy of helplus
the Filipino people by granting them
omen markets in the United states. lie
said the passage of this bill would be
the death knell Of the beet sugar III
dustry in the United states.
The abolition of the tariff on hldes
was pleaded for by Mr.. Lawrence oil
Massachusetts, who presented the posi-
tion taken by the Republicans of that
state. ,
information regarding immigration
from Austro- Hungary contained III re-
ports by Marcus Braun was asked lor
from the secretary of commerce and Ia
Dor by the house on convening today.
Talks Of FiIipinos
A map showing the quality of the
land in the Philippines was brought
into the house and Mr.. Hill also had
several samples of tobacco raised there
The country, he said, followed in re-
narkable degree the physical features
of Japan. where the tillable area was
only something more than Il per cent.
The census reports give IL per cent
of the total area as the agricultural
land of the Philippines, he said. In de-
scribinr the population he said that
slavery existed among the Moros. 1t
was a mild form of slavery, but slavery
nevertheless.
There were. he said, no Filipino peo-
ple. There are 81 tribes speaking over
fifty languages. There is no means OF
communication, no roads. About Ia
per cent can read: per cent read
Spanish Under these circumstances,
Mr. Hill said. a high order of intelIi-
pencc could not he expected.
Mr.. Hill predicted that in fifty years
the population would he 500O0.O0O in
stead of 100000 as at present. The
whole ambition of the population was
to simply subsist. If a native were
paid 25 cents day he would work long
enough and no longer than to make
enough TO last during the week. IL the
wage was doubled the time of work
would be halved.
Primitive Methods of Farming
No human being can comprehend
he said, the primitive methods which
prevail in the making of all crops in
the islands, unless through personal
observation. 1t was the widest imagi-
nation to suppose that at any time
would Filipino industry ever be disas-
trous to American industry.
Reverting TO Mr.. Hilfs statement
about slavery, Mr.. Clayton of Alabama
nsked:
rs it true. did | understand the gen
tleman to say, that slavery still exists
among the Moros the traffic in human
beings, where men and women are SOLD
for $50 to $100?"
Il did not see any of this traffic" re-
Piled Mr.. Hill, but ! believe slavery
exists. These people are savage and
there is no civilization"
While he was a protectionist from the
crown of his head to the soles of his
feet. Mr. Hill said, he was a protec
zionist against foreign countries and
not as against our own possessions.
Mr.. Hill said a visit to HongkOng al
most convinced him that the Philip
pines may even be a profitable finan-
ciaI investment for the United States.
In fifty years, he said. England had
developed the island of Hongkong from
a rocky waste into a fourishing COM
mercial city, and this development Mr..
Hill said, was in the face of violent OPP
position. With commercial city in