436 



The National Geographic Magazine 



was strangled in committee. In the his- 

 tory of this bill for the first time is heard 

 a note of selfishness in the policy of the 

 United States toward any of her Spanish 

 dependencies. 



The sugar and tobacco interests of the 

 country are afraid that the introduction 

 of the Philippine products may afl^ect 

 them. Nothing could be further from the 

 truth. We import now 1,200,000 tons 

 of sugar, which comes over the tariff 

 wall, having paid the full tariff rates, or 

 at least only 20 per cent less. The total 

 exportation of sugar from the Philip- 

 pines in the last three or four years has 

 not exceeded 100,000 tons. It never in 

 the history of the islands exceeded 

 265,000 tons. The introduction, there- 

 fore, of Philippine sugar into the United 

 States, assuming that it might rise to 

 300,000 tons, would still leave to be 

 brought over the tariff wall 900,000 tons, 

 and could not, therefore, in any degree 

 affect the price of sugar in this market. 

 If the price of sugar is not aiTected, then 

 the sugar-growers and manufacturers of 

 this country must also remain unaffected. 



Figures with respect to tobacco and 

 cigars are equally convincing that the 

 timidity of the tobacco interests of this 

 country in respect to the Philippine 

 tariff bill is also unjustified. On the 

 other hand, the opportunity to come into 

 the markets of the United States would 

 doubtless greatly benefit the business in- 

 terests of the islands by a gradual im- 

 provement in the business tone, and we 

 might expect ultimately the same pros- 

 perity that I have described already as 

 conferred upon Porto Rico by the gen- 

 erosity of the United States in opening 

 its markets to the people of that island. 

 I have no doubt that in the future justice 

 will be done in the matter of the Philip- 

 pines. 



THE Philippine; assembly 



It may be objected that the $170,000,- 

 000 or more expended by the United 

 States in suppressing the insurrection in 

 the Philippines was not for the benefit of 

 the Filipino people, resulting, as it did, 



in the death of many. This is a narrow 

 view. No money or blood was ever spent 

 more directly for the benefit of a people 

 than this. The chaos which would have 

 reigned and the bloody civil dissensions 

 that would have followed, had we with- 

 drawn from the islands and left them to 

 their fate, under Aguinaldo and his gen- 

 erals, would have continued unabated for 

 a decade, and the consequent prostrate 

 condition of agriculture could hardly be 

 overstated. The war was deplorable, but 

 no other possible alternative was open to 

 us in the discharge of our duty as a na- 

 tion. 



Only two laws can be said to have 

 been enacted with a view to the selfish 

 protection of American interests. One 

 is the act by which the coastwise trade 

 law will apply to the traffic directly be- 

 tween the United States and the Philip- 

 pines. By amendment from time to time, 

 however, its application has been post- 

 poned, and we may hope that these 

 amendments will continue. The other is 

 a law which discriminates in favor of 

 goods exported directly to American 

 ports by granting a rebate of island ex- 

 port duties attaching to such goods. It 

 has reduced in a small amount the in- 

 com.e of the islands to help American 

 trade. 



The assembly about to meet will doubt- 

 less be composed of men, a majority of 

 whom will declare in favor of immediate 

 independence. This is the natural result, 

 because of the argument that appeals to 

 the self-pride of the voters, that they are 

 entirely fit for complete self-government. 

 It is quite possible that much of the time 

 of the assembly, in its first session, will 

 be taken up in perfecting resolutions of 

 this kind. I hope, however, that, after 

 having given vent to their feelings upon 

 this subject and having presented a re- 

 spectful petition to Congress thereon, 

 they m.ay be induced to appreciate that 

 the function of a national assembly is 

 to legislate for the benefit of the coun- 

 try, and to come down to legislative ac- 

 tion on humdrum subjects that do not 

 necessarily involve eloquence and imagi- 



