Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-02-14


who for time was Judge Of court
of first instance in the Islands, advocat-
ing the theory that We ought now TO
Withhold our hands, and soon cease from
the work That we have entered upon. His
father, u distinguished statesman. was
once dispatched to the Hawaiian Islands
on an errand OF that KIND, and the
american flag was pulled down; but it
went up again, to remain. do not be-
leVe that the precedent H. one that We
shall Immediately repeat in the Philippine
stands.
The government of the Philippine
Islands has been administered in the in
terests of the people OF those Islands.
The insular authorities have, doubtless,
made mistakes, and mistakes will again
he made; but they have devoted them
selves with the whole hearts to tho great
ideals of elevating and bcnenting the
people with the ADMINISTRATION Of whose
affairs they have been nstrustcd But
when we look at this end Of the line an
other question arises. It Is extremely
dinicult for our people To eliminate from
congressional legislation the theory Of
promotion Of special interests. and Of
safeguarding particular industries. even
at the expense it seems to mo, IN the
case OF the Philippine islands % ma
tional honor and good faith. The Philip
pine government Is poor II has nearly n
million and half children clamoring for
admission to the public schools. With
provision only for half a milton. because
resources arc not available to meet the
urgent and just demands OF the other
one million. Among the sources of rev
enuc available Is an export tax upon
abaca. or Manila hemp. our Congress
has provided that whenever that hemp
shall be exported from the islands into
the Tr!ted States and there consumed.
tho duties paid shall he refunded. and UNI
der this law between one and two
million dollars have been taken from the
poverty stricken ins1lar treasury and paid
over for the direct benefit Of the cordage
manufa cturers in the United States. In
order to enable them. In their Competi-
! ton with Ike manufacturers Of Other
countries to control he trade. Look at
this transaction in any way YOU please,
II is a direct exploitation Of the Filpinos
for the hcnent of trust in the United
States.
Congress has passed law providing
that after July I. 1906. but by an amend
ment. after July |, 1909. no freight or
passengers shall he transported between
the Philippine islands and the United
States except in American ships. not an
! American shipping line, as far as | know,
goes from any Atlantic port of the United
States to the Philippine Islands. All the
insular purchases IN the Atlantic States,
Of school furniture. school books, agriCul-
,tural machinery and all the thousand
and one things that ought to go from our
lcountry to the Philippines. must pay the
very heavy freight charges from the Al
Ilantic TO tho Pacific coast. and then such
charges as may be arbitrarily imposed for
transportation In American bottoms 70
the Philippine Islands. And all the pro-
ducts OF the Philippines to be shipped to
the United States must be transported AZ
such prices as the small number of Amer
lean ships engaged in business see fit to
charge. Commerce between the United
States and the Philippine islands is
placed. by this act. entirely Mt the mercy
OF very few ship owners. and railroad
companies II seems an exploitation of
the poor for the benefit of the rich. 1t Is
an extension ~ the doctrine OF rescrving
the coastwise trade for our own shipping
which is wise in itself. to a situation
where IL can work only hardship and in
justice.
Tho Philippines have been largely de-
prived Of the markets Of Spain that were
open to them under the former sover
eighty. and two Of their most important
products, tobacco and sugar, are eXclud
ed from the United States by prohibitiv,
tariffs. This is done to benefit Nv,
Of the greatest trusts in the United
States, and seems To the people OF Tho
Philippines n monstrous injustice. II
makes the administration OF the GO
eminent more diflcult; it gives to The
people the feeling that the America
colonies had when subjected 10 dis
eliminating and ruinous trade reguln
|, lions by Great Britain. 1t Affects The
Filipino just rs those discrimina ion.
effected the American colonists. TIL,
sense of injustice Is the same. the
. world over. whether the skin he brown
or white. on the latter suDjcc:. I'M
doubtedly the heart Of the Amcricai
people is sound, The House Of Repre-
sentatives passed the necessary lagis
laton to furnish some relief upon tin
tariff question, but tho whole PROPOSE
ton was tied up in Senate committee
which refused to report the bill to th'
, Senate. either faVorably or otherwise
!, The appeal for justice mus: be 10 rub
, lie opinion, and ! know Of no BODY q
men to whose cousciences such an ap
peal might be more effectively mad
than to the descendants Of patriotic
!, Intelligent. public spirited men witt
have fought for an ideal an a pri1ci
i. pie, and who have been ready To i'm
, peril their lives and fortunes IN its be
half.
To such body have the honor o
. making this brief appeal
e COLLECTOR DARLING.
Mr.. Van Patten called upon Collecto
II OF customs Charles n. Darling 70 res
= pond to the sentiment, our Society.
Z Mr.. Darling said the society was fort,
VI nate to hear from the man who mad
- the constitution and gave the Phillppir
= a code Continuing. he said had til" RI
volutionary fathers died with the Con
mental Congress. possibly the Amer
, can government would never have con
: into existence. our fathers grci
- achievement was not on the field OF ba
= tie, but in the giving Of constitution
government which has come dow
through the generations to the PhiliI
e pine Islands. In conclusion he quot,
tho words OF the President OF the Tn
ted States that while our admiral ca
~ ried the flag, our lawyer carried the COZ
stitution.
lie MISS STACY.