The sun., 1908-12-06
i. philippines and the Tariff.

AZ Secretary of War Mr.. TAFT had to
nonsent to a compromise on the tarlh
on l5foiuots from the Philippine Islands.
va earnestly hope that as President he
viii stand unhinchingly for absolute
fge,,dom of trade with those islands.
The question of American relations with
tho Philippines is not merely economic
4 matter of commercial expediency in
u,hi6h the interests of few American
1t6dncers are involved. 1t is moral
question. a question of national honesty
And OF national honor. The present
bolicy Is dfsgraceful straddle,. pitL-
n! batting between two opinions,
IL is true that numerous decisions OF
tie Supreme Court in similar cases show
ii,consistencies and are far from har-
n,onious; yet the principle seems clear,
although policies incident thereto are
a times obscure and confused. The
Z tSriff act of 1887 declares that there
efsali be levied, collected and paid upon
al articles imported from foreign coun-
triesy the duties specified therein. Chief
.Jiisfi6e MARSHALL and Justice STORY
have defined foreign countries" as
soountries exclusively within the SOW
eteignty of foreign nations and with
nut the sovereignty of the United
states.' Under that ruling the Philip
nines. like Porto Rico, Alaska and
Hnwaii, are domestic territory.
In the case of De LIMA VS.. BIDwEM
fhe 6upreme Court held that the theory
khat a country remains foreign with
inspect TO the tariff laws until Congress
has acted by embracing it within the
di,ssoms union presupposes that a
country. may be domestic for one pur-
B pose and foreign for another, and de-
dared it's inability ito aeauiesce in this
& nssnmption that a territory may be
al the same time foreign and domestic. :
Willie there has been dissent from this
view and while we have in our dealings
With The Philippines proceeded in con-
sra1iction Of it, there can be no question
that It expresses the fundamental
i,rihHiple of the matter. II we do not
iike the way the principle works out,
1T ,is change our Constitution and pro-
vide that newly acquired territory
shall seremain foreign with respect to
he5tariff laws until Congress has acted
I,y embracing it within the customs
nuIon.p Until that is done there is
an utter lack of moral justification for
4 tariff on Philippine products while the
i,soducts Of Porto Rico and Hawaii are
admitted free of duty.
Our present attitude is fagrant
.4s=z.=A.ssct .4s=z=A.ssct Of what President MCKINLEY,
,eferring to Porto Rico, called "our
I,lhin duty" That attitude is assumed
b6canse OF the activity and influence
n, 4 hnall group Of American producers
rhe have made an uproar about awful
dIsaster to their business without even
bsiag able to show that their interests
would be appreciably affected. The
<{,sfstioH,ef our tariff relations with the
RhIiipnIua Islands is question Of moral
H i;bk a legal obligation confronted
viii ind n greed of gain, or rather
with eiuary fear Of individual
I6ss AZ President Mr.. TAFT will com-
ma TIC esteem Of all honest minded
oitizons il he will stand immovable
fof his belief in the wisdom and the
i,i,hiA tpf free trade with the Philip
pines even though an obdurate Congress
sldhh defeat his efforts during every
sssslon in his Administration.