Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-03-08
an insistent demand which cannot be

an inSiStent demand which cannot be
ignored perpetually for Free Trade in
American products entering the Phil
ippines To admit American goods into
the Philippines free or at lower rate
of duty than is charged on goods from
other countries would be an absolute
and final abandonment on the part OF
the United States of the "Open door
policy The trade of this country with
the entire continent of Asia, with all of
it's great possibilities, would be jeopar-
died in order that we might retain to
ourselves the exclusive control of the
trade of one group of tropical islands
off the coast of Asia.
The demand for the free entry of
PhiliDpine sugar comes from those who
hope to build up the cane sugar indus
try in the Philippines. The cane sugar
industry is operated altogether on the
plantation system, with great blocks of
land In individual or corporate owner
ship with heavy investments of capt.
tai and with servile or semi-servile Ia
Dor. The proposal is to introduce this
system into the Philippines, and this
on the plea that it will be for the bene-
fit of the FilipinOs. No Filipino will
own sugar plantation, nor will he la
Dor thereon, save at a rate of wages
which will permit of bare subsistence.
Indeed, those who advocate the intro
duction of the great sugar plantation
system into the Philippines insist also
that as an essential to its prosperous
conduct there must be a free entry of
Chinese coolies into the islands to re-
place the Filipino labOrers, who can
not produce as much for the same
wages as can the Chinaman. In short,
free entry of Philippine sugar into
this country is asked in order that
men of wealth can secure possession Of
the best agricultural land in the Phil
ippines and produce sugar thereon by
the use of Chinese labor to their large
profit.
The kind of prosperity which this
would bring to the islands, particular
ly to the natives of the islands, is
not the prosperity which should
be assured the Filipinos under
the protecting care of the United
States. What share in this prosperity
would the natives have if shouldered
out of the possession of their present
land holdings, that great sugar planta-
tons might be built up, on which the
natives would be given merely an OPP
portunity to compete for an opportun-
ity to work with imported Chinese
coolies?
Every product of the small farm or
holding, such as could be operated by
the natives or their families, might
properly be admitted into this country
free, even tobacco. Cotton production
might be started in the islands, or cul-
tivation of spices or other tropical
! products on small farms. But the in
| trduction of sugar cultivation on a
large scale, under the plantation sys-
tenn of great estates cultivated by ser
vile labor. would prove an absolute and
unmitigated curse to the natives Of the
islands.
Is there q native Hawaiian of IN
mixed blood who is the owner Of g
sugar plantation in the islands, and has
the sugar industry advanced the Ha'
waiian natives? These are questions
which are worthy of serious considera
ton in connection with the attempts
to make of the Philippines country
of great sugar-producing estates.-Seat
tie Post-Intelligencer.