Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-22
THE BILL HONG UP
Philippine Tariff Measure in
Committee. I
MAJORITY Is AGAINST IT
Various Interests Opposed to Its Be-
ing Reported.
LABOR SCARCE IN THE ISLANDS
Productive Possibilities Have About
Reached Limit-Natives Leaving
Farms for the Cities.
LABOR SCARCE IN THE ISLANDS
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS

bill now pending in the Senate to reduce
the tariff upon the products Of the Philip
pine Islands when imported into the United
States, notwithstanding the earnest efforts
of the President and Secretary Taft. The
bill passed the House in the early days Of
the first session by a liberal majority, but
Is caught In the Senate committee on the
Philippines with majority against It, Both
the President and Secretary Taft have ex-
ercised their official and personal influence
without the slightest effect. The treatment
OF the bill is a striking illustration Of the
selfishness of politics.
Five OF the eight republican members,
Messrs. Hale. Burrows Dick. Nixon and
Brandesee. and three Of the democrats
Messrs. Culberson, Dubois and Stone. are
opposed. On the republican side. Messrs
Lodge. Beveridge and Long, and on the
democratic, Mr.. McCreary, are favorable.
ciples.
Mr.. Burrows is acting for the benefit Of
the sugar beet trust
Mr.. Dick Is Influenced by petitions from
the Cigarmakers' Union Of northern Ohio
and the manufacturers of beet sugar ma
chinery.
Mr.. Nixon takes the ground that the gov
e es Is expendng vast sums of money
FOR irrigation work in order to grow sugar
beets. and Is afraid that this money will
pc wasted If the sugar of the Philippine
Islands Is allowed a market In the United
States.
Mr.. Brandegee's action Is governed by the
tobacco growers of Suff1eld. Conn.,, who are
afraid of competition from the Philippines
The breadth of craftsmanship displayed
IN the treatment of this measure confirms
that famous remark of Gen. Hancock that
che tariff Is a local issue, and excites a
lively admiration for the nobility of pur-
pose which often governs legislation In our
Congress.
Fear of the Future.
Several propositions have been made for
compromise. In Its present form, as 1t
passed the House of Representatives, the
bill reduces the tariff on sugar, tobacco and
rice imported from the Philippines to Is
per cent of the rates In the Dingley tariff act
and admits free all other products of those
islands. 1t has been proposed to make the
duty % per cent Of the Dingley rates, or to
place a time limit Of ten years or fifteen
years on the reduction. Everybody admits
that the imports of sugar, tobacco and rice
from the Philippines at present or in the
immediate future will not injure anybody.
but the fertility of the islands and the pos
sibility of their agricultural development
seem to create universal apprehension in
the minds of the beet-sugar companies of
lana, and the tobacco growers of Connecti-
cut and the southern states. The Sugar
Planters Association Of the Hawaiian Is
lands and the sugar interests in Porto Rico
are also exercising all the influence they
can exert against the bill, and now that
there seems possibility of annexation the
sugar interests Of Cuba are also enlisted.
Therefore, It is probable that ''our little
brown brothers." far away in the Pacific.
will continue to be treated like the ''bound
boy at the dance in the barn He could
sit in the haymow and see the fun, but he
was not allowed to dance or have any OF
the supper.
Labor Scarce in Philippines.
The situation in the Philippine islands Is
such that unless the policy Of the govern
ment is changed there will never be any
danger Of competition with either the to-
bacco or the sugar interests in the United
States. The production Of both staples has
reached its limit in the Philippines with
the present supply OF labor. and, unless
Chinese or Japanese coolies are introduced.
very little more land can be cultivated,
The government Is now extending the rail-
way facilities of the islands to encourage
the development Of their material re-
sources, but all that expense will be wasted
unless the labor supply is also increased
It Is the opinion of the best-informed peo-
pie that the capacity Of the native labor
has reached its limit and that 1t is actually
decreasing; that 1t will be more and more
difficult to cultivate the plantations and TO
carry on enterprises in which manual labor
Is required as the years go by. This is at
tributed to education. Our government
has provided universal system Of free
schools. There Is scarcely a child of school
age in the Island Of Luzon who Is not un-
der instruction, and educational facilities
are being ra pidly extended to the populati on
of the other islands. But, as the Young
people learn to read and write, they leave
the farms and flock to the cities in search
OF clerical positions and similar employ
ment. This tendency Is even greater than
the n fata
where, as you know. 1t is very difficult to
persuade man or woman with any educa-
ton to do manual labor. Under Spanish
rule the government furnished EMPLOYMENT
for almost every Filipino who could per-
form clerical duties. and that has been true
to an even greater extent since American
occupation. Indeed. many Filipinos are
laboring under a delusion that the govern
ment Is educating them to fill official posi-
tons. Thus our beneflcent policy of educa-
ton is gradually undermining the labor
system Of the islands. and its wisdom has
been frequently questioned by those who
are sincerely interested in the welfare of
the people.
Chinese immigration Favored.
From a moral standpoint it is difficult to
discuss that subject. but. from an economi-
cal and practical point of view. additional
labor will have to be supplied from some
source If the marvellous wealth of the archi-
pelago in the forests the mines and the
soil Of the archipelago is to be developed.
Nearly everybody in the islands is In
favor Of Chinese immigration. and there
Is q great deal of dissatisfaction among
those who cannot obtain sufficient compe-
tent labor because Of the policy of our
government in shutting them out. Secre-
tary Taft was originally in favor OF their
admission. but changed his mind during a
visit to the United States while he was
governor general. Senator Hanna is said
to have convinced him that the administra-
ton cannot afford to antagonize the labor
unions on that question. Hence his OPP
position to the importation of Chinese labor
Is based upon political grounds only. and
he would probably agree to modification
of the law so that coolies could be imported
under contract where they are needed for
q term OF years.
There is no restriction against the intro
duction Of Japanese workmen, but very few
japanese coolies are going to the Philip
pines. It would be great advantage II
those who are now coming over to the
United States could be diverted that way.
Tariff on Farm Machinery.
There must be another modification OF
the Philippine laws before there can be
any great agriculture or industrial develop
ment Nobody can introduce labor-saving
machinery into the islands without paying
heavy fine. If a sugar planter dares