The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-09
Representative Hill Talks on Tobacco
Feature Of the Measure
Industry There, He Said. Would Never
Injure American Industries-Mild
Form of Slavery Said to Exist
Among the Acknowledgements
Monden Speaks Against the Policy
OF Helping the Filipino People by
Granting Them Open Markets i'm the
United States

Washington, January Elm a ses-
sion of five hours today the House
placed on record speech in favor of
the Philippine tariff bill, one against
| it and a twenty minute talk for TAR
iii revision according to the Republi-
| can demand of Massachusetts, Mr..
Hill, OF. Connecticut, occupied three
| hours, and was listened to with the
greatest interest in detailing the
knowledge he gained from two visits
to the Philippines, the last one as a
member of the party of Secretary Taft
last summer. He paid particular at
tention to the tobacco feature of the
measure.
Mr.. Mondell, of Wyoming, who has
led the fight against the bill in the
interest of the beet sugar industry of
this country, spoke vigorously against
the measure and against the policy of
helping the Filipino people by grant
ing them open markets in the Unit
ed States. He said the passage of this
bill would be the death knell Of the
beet sugar industry in the United
States.
The abolition of the tariff ON hides
was pleaded for by Mr.. Lawrence Of
Massachusetts, who presented the posi-
ton taken by the Republicans of that
state.
Mr.. Hill said the agricultural land
of the Philippines was but nine and
a half per cent. Of the total area. He
said that mild form Of slavery exist
ed among the Moros.
Substantially all Of the export to-
bacco of the islands comes, he said,
from a single valley in the island OF
Luzon The valley is two miles wide
and about fifty miles long. It was
the widest imagination to suppose
that at any time would Philippine in
dustry ever be disastrous to American
industries. Reverting to Mr.. Hills
statement about slavery Mr.. Clayton
(Ala) asked: els it true, did I under
stand the gentleman to say that slav-
cry still exists among the Moros; the
traffic in human beings, where men
and women are sold for $50 to $100?"
81 did not see any of this traffic,
replied Mr.. Hill, "but I believe siav-
cry exists
Give years the great Republican
conditions still exist?'
'It is true
81 would like the gentleman to tell
us why this great Republican assimi-
lation has not eradicated this condl-
tion," continued Mr.. Clayton.
''Oh, yes,'' replied Mr.. HILL 'and we
would have slavery in this country to-
day if it had not been for that great
Republican party
Mr.. Hill reviewed at length the
tobacco industry in the Philippines,
explaining the primitive methods OF
tobacco culture and the limited manu-
facture of smoking and chewing tobac-
co and cigars. He said single factories
in the United States make more than
the entire output of manufactured TO-
bacco in the Philippines.
Mr.. Hill said a careful study OF to-
bacco production in the islands and
the export tobacco trade had persuad-
ed him that the United States has
nothing to fear from competition with
Philippine tobacco because Of its IN
feriority and the impossibility OF ex-
tensive tobacco culture in the ISLANDS.
Speaking of the argument that the
cheap labor of the Orient would be
brought in direct competition Win
American tobacco workers by a reduc-
ton Of the duty on Philippine tobacco.
Mr.. Hill called attention to the 1act
that American exclusion laws keep
Chinese out of the islands and contract
labor cannot be employed. He SAID
practically all the cigar and cigarette
makers are Filipinos. few Chinese pc
ing now employed. As al work OF TINS
sort is piece work he said man S
earnings increase as h's ability IN
creases. Mr.. Hill sad the manufac-
ture of first class hind made cigar
in Manila is almost as expensive as IN
the United States.
The House adjourned until Monday.
DnI Day,rf'rs SOund R2ilrOAu