The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-21
LET PHILIPPINES GO.
Senator Stone Advocates Declaration
of Independence for the Islands.

washington. April 21.-Taking is
sue squareIy with President Taft on
the latter's Philippine policy Senator
Stone, of Missouri in a carefully pre-
pared speech delivered in the senate
on the subject of the tariff bill.
urged the withdrawal of the United
States from the islands within a per-
iod of Is years pending which the
people of these islands should enjoy
all the benefits of a legitimate free
trade with this country.
In the form of an amendment Mr..
Stone proposed to strike out section
five of the Aldrich-Payne tariff bill
and to substitute therefor a provision
declaring it to be the policy of the
United States to grant independence
to the islands whenever they have
organized a stable government ca
pable of maintaining public order"
to negotiate against agreements with
other powers to insure the islands
independence by neutraliZing them;
to admit free of duty into the United
States until this policy has been full
| filled "all articles wholly the growth
and product of the islands, in con-
sideration of which agricultural i'm
plements and machinery, cotton and
cotton manufactures, books and pub
LEGATIONS, and machinery for use in
manufactures of all kinds, wholly
States should be admitted free into
the islands. An important feature of
the provision is that that it would not
become operative until it had first
been approved by the existing legis-
lative authorities of the Philippine
government.
They Want Independence.
1.-THE long prayer of the Filipino
people is for Independence declared
Mr.. Stone, land if congress should
make such a declaration as I have in
dicated it would serve as an inspira-
! ton to them to strive after progress
to the utmost limit of their capacity.
The tariff feature of the amendment
would be in the nature of a reciprocal
trade relation and established by
agreement"
| He asserted his belief that during
the proposed Is years period there
would be no dangerous increase of
! Philippine importations, and that on
the other hand with free entry into
the Philippines of the articles named,
our exports would exceed our imports,
all the articles being of prime neces-
! sity to the Filipinos.
In its present form the tariff bill
admits to free trade between the is
lands and the United States articles
produced in the two countries but
places certain restrictions upon i'm
portationS to this country of sugar.
| lOOdccO ana cigars. senator stone
commended that if the islands are to be
treated as American territory, that if
1t is our policy to hold them perman-
| emily under absolute sovereignty,
then, as he CONSTITUTES the constitution
| the products of the islands have the
right to enter all American ports and
| into all American markets on terms of
equality with the products of any
state.
Not Z. S. Territory
But, Mr. Stone argued, he did not
believe the Philippines were a terri
tory of the United States and for con-
gress to so will to hold them forever
would be an act of bad faith. Unre-
strfcted free trade with the islands
was not approved by Mr.. Stone, under
existing conditions
| If we adopt policies calculated to
| encourage Americans to make invest
ments in the islands," he said, 1--WE
will thereby build up powerful in
fiuences that may seek to thwart a
separation. I can not escape the
| conviction that it would be wiser to
| deal with the Philippines as a foreign
country temporarily under our oc-
| cupancy."
| He said that free trade might so
alarm those interested in the develop
ment Of the growing beet sugar in
dustry in this country as TO check its
| expansion.