Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-31
RULE RAILWAYS.

Continued From Page Six
that you will not tolerate in public life
a man who discriminates for or against
any other, save as justice and reason
demand it; and that in your attitude
toward business men, toward the mea
who are dealing with the great finan-
cial interests of the country, while you
intend to secure a sharp reckoning for
| the wrOngdOers, you also intend hearth
| ~ TO favor the men who in legitimate
ways are doing good work in the bus
| mess community - the railway presl-
dent, the traffic manager, or other Off
cial, high or low. who is doing all il
his power to handle his share in vast
and complicated business to the profit
alike of the stakeholder and the gen
Cral public
| Taft at 81. Louis.
ST Louis May 31.-W. H. Taft, sec
rotary of War. was the principal speaE-
er at the Millers convention yester
day afternoon.
Secretary Taft devoted himself large
ly to a discussion of the history of the
conquest of our island possessions ana
the manner in which their affairs have
been conducted. In reference to tle
Philippines he said:
1T may be objected that the $170,-
| 100000 or more expended by the Unit
ed States in suppressing the insurrCc-
ton in the Philippines was not for
the benefit of the Filipino people, re-
sulting as it did in the death of many.
| This is d narrow view. No money or
| blood was ever spent more directly
for the benefit of a people than this.
The chaos which would have reigncI
and the bloody civil discussions that
would have followed. had we with
drawn from the islands, and left them
TO their fate, under AguinaldO and his
| generals, would have continued ull-
abated for a decade, and the cOnSe-
qucnt PROSTATE condition of agricul-
ture could hardly be overstatcd. The
war was deplorabIe but no other pos
slble alternative was open to us in the
discharge of our duty as a nation.
Two Selfish Laws.
Only two laws can be said to have
been enacted with view to the selfish
protection of American interests. one
is the act by which the cOastwise
trade law will apply TO the traffic Ii
| rcctly between the United States ami
the Philippines. BY amendment from
| time to time, however, its application
has been postponed, and we may hope
l that these amendments will continue
The other is law which discriminates
in favor of goods exported directly u
! American ports by granting rebate
of island export duties attaching to
such goods. 1t has reduced in a small
amount the income of the island to
help American trade
i The Philippine islands have be III
treated with less generosity than eth
er Cuba or Porto Rico, but still great
deal has been done by the United
States for the Philippines and at a
very heavy expense.
The statistics will show that in the
case of each of the island govern
ments, the revenues have been largely
augmented under American auspices,
and also that the total of imports AMI
exports has been materially increased.
But the same is true of the eXpendi-
lures. The Americans have given a
more expensive government because
they have insisted on doing more III
education, in public improvements and
in sanitation. 1t is easy for a govern
ment to be economical if it does not
do anything.
| Received Returns.
| And now what has the United
States received in return for all he;
efforts, for all her expenditure, and all
her responsibilities? Let us look al
her trade with the islands. In the ifs
cal year 1895, the last normal year oi
Spanish occupation, the imports into
the United States from Cuba were
$52, 100000: from Porto Rico $4,000,
600; and from the Philippine islands
S5,000,0O0. In the fiscal year 1906. tn.
imports INTO the United States from
Cuba were $S5.000,000; from Porte
Rico. $19000.000; and from the Phil
ippine islands. S12, 100000. The ex
ports from the United States to Cub;
J in the fiscal year 1895, were S12,50
\ 600; to Porto Rico. $300O.000: and t,
Y the Philippine islands, $4,000. Fo
the fiscal year 1906, the exports from
q the United States into Cuba weH
x about $4S,000,000; into Porto Rice
I, 100000; and into the Philippine i.
" lands $4,000 900 This shows a yer
K considerable increase in the Cuba
Y trade. proportionate increase in III
u Porto Rican trade, but a smaller i.