National Altruism 



437 



nation, but do involve hard work and 

 patriotic effort and make for the better- 

 ment of the islands. 



The Philippine Islands have been 

 treated with less generosity than either 

 Cuba or Porto Rico, but still a great deal 

 has been done by the United States for 

 the Philippines and at a very heavy ex- 

 pense. 



The statistics will show that in the case 

 of each of the island governments the 

 revenues have been largely augmented 

 under American auspices, and also that 

 the total of imports and exports has been 

 materially increased ; but the same is true 

 of the expenditures. The Americans 

 have given a more expensive govern- 

 ment, because they have insisted on doing 

 more in education, in public improve- 

 ments, and in sanitation. It is easy for 

 a government to be economical if it does 

 not do anything. 



One sometimes hears our character as 

 benefactors to these Spanish islands ques- 

 tioned on the ground that the benefits 

 conferred have been paid for by us out of 

 the taxes collected in the islands, and 

 therefore out of money belonging to our 

 wards. I think I have shown by what 

 has been said that immense sums have 

 been paid directly out of the Treasury of 

 the United States to aid them, and that 

 very large sums which would be annually 

 paid into the United States Treasury are 

 diverted therefrom by our policy toward 

 these islands. But, more than this, even 

 with respect to those benefits paid for out 

 of the revenues of the islands, are not 

 the work of administration and the re- 

 sponsibility and care and judgment neces- 

 sary to organize and maintain a govern- 

 ment and devise the ways and means to 

 better the conditions of a people to be 

 regarded as altruistic, if only the good 

 of the people is sought? 



WHAT HAS THE UNITED STATES RECEIVED 

 EOR ALE SHE HAS DONE 



And now what has the United States 

 received in return for all her efforts, for 

 all her expenditure, and all her responsi- 

 bilities? Let us look at her trade with 



the islands. In the fiscal year 1895, the 

 last normal year of Spanish occupation, 

 the imports into the United States from 

 Cuba were $52,000,000 ; from Porto 

 Rico, $3,000,000, and from the Philip- 

 pine Islands, $5,000,000. In the fiscal 

 year 1906 the imports into the United 

 States from Cuba were $85,000,000; from 

 Porto Rico, $19,000,000, and from the 

 Philippine Islands, $12,000,000. The ex- 

 ports from the United States to Cuba in 

 the fiscal year 1895 were $12,500,000; to 

 Porto Rico, $3,000,000, and to the Phil- 

 ippine Islands, $120,000. For the fiscal 

 year 1906 the exports from the United 

 States into Cuba were about $48,000,000 ; 

 into Porto Rico, $19,000,000, and into 

 the Philippine Islands, $5,500,000. This 

 shows a very considerable increase in the 

 Cuban trade, a proportionate increase in 

 the Porto Rican trade, but a smaller in- 

 crease, though a considerable one, in the 

 Philippine trade. In other words, the 

 total trade with Cuba has increased from 

 $65,000,000 to $130,000,000; with Porto 

 Rico from $6,000,000 to $38,000,000, and 

 with the Philippine Islands from $5,000,- 

 000 to $18,000,000, or a total increase 

 in business done with these three islands 

 of $110,000,000. While this shows a 

 considerable increase, the profit there- 

 from is by no means equal to the great 

 outlay I have set forth. I am sure that 

 if the same liberal policy is continued 

 and if the Philippine tariff bill of the 

 last session is put into effect in the course 

 of the next two or three years, that a 

 decade, or certainly twenty-five years, 

 will show an increase in business that 

 will be more commensurate with the ex- 

 penditure. But that increase will occur 

 only if we continue the same altruistic 

 spirit in dealing with these islands and 

 give them ever)' opportunity and aid to 

 expand their own business and increase 

 their own prosperous condition. In the 

 meantime, and down to the present date, 

 the outgo for the benefit of these islands 

 has been enormous, while the income re- 

 ceived by the people of the United States 

 from them has been comparatively small. 

 If, then, we have not had material 



