Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 495, 12 January 1902 — ABSOLUTE FREE THE IS WANTED WIH PHILIPPINES [ARTICLE]

ABSOLUTE FREE THE IS WANTED WIH PHILIPPINES

Extension of the Coastwise Laws to Shipping a Problem. DIFFICULT QUESTION OF REVENUE lively Debates Expected in the Senate When Congress Meets After Recess. N ncteen Small Barges Being Sent to Manila—Not One Inter-island Ves sel Carnes American Flag—Difficulty Over Freedom of Entry to Spanish Ships at American Ports. | SPIVUI. t 'I»KRKMIiM>rM » 1 WASHINGTON. Dec. 31. —Harold M Si-wall is among the heavily inter--tr.l shipping men who are working 'an for thi extension of the coasta is. shipping laws to the Philippines S.wall was here last week interview ng leading Senators. The bill is almost vn r o to be amended in the Sen ale. in response to vigorous repre.■illations from the Pacific (’oast and New Yl - |v shipping interests. There even talk of cutting down the tariff • n Philippine goivis * Altering the Unit- •.! Stairs from the Dlngley tariff, as f \ •! in the House bill, by at least SO per . . ul. as r commended by the P lllpp’ne Commission, and some S.-nators say they want free trade, out and ont. with the Philippines They declare that the Supreme Court i!ethlcd that the Islands were domesin L -ritory. and that the sooner Ame i-ans treat the Filipinos a* broth era the sooner the insurrections will i. , ur Heading papers like the New \ k Tribune are out (or free trade. Revenue the Difficulty. The only drawback in the minds of nine Senators is the problem of raising revenue to keep the wheels of govrninent revolving in the islands. The ni\orates of free trade argne that in- • teased .-omnKree would soon create -11. h wealth in the islands that they would !>•' self sustaining .They point t trie paralyzing effect of the Hoar amendment which forbids the devel .ipm. nt of the islands in any dlrec ui and then point to the recom-, men *1 at lens of the Taft Commission, whi. .. earnestly urges d velopment. Ihe Commission goes to the extent f submitting drafts of mining laws, regulations conc< rnlng lumbering, etc. There will be lively debates In the S nate on this question .immediately aft.-r convening, and not even the Nmaragiia canal agitation ran sideIra k the ever-present and all absorb ng problem of the Philippines Nc American Vessel*. On* of the difficulties in relation to • \teni: ng the coastwise laws to the -’an.ls to return to the text —is the ait that nv>t an American flag floats "vi r any :ntcrdal«nd craft there. To apply the law- forthwith would mean to demoralls- commerce. But as fast as steam can carry them, small craft :-.g SaV-n from Kew York to cuter this business The Philippine aiisp. station and Construction ComI *- - seeding over nineteen-small tes.-tels. which have been In use in t - ansportieg freight on the Great I .ikes and down the Krie Cana! Ph— ar- st -am bargvs f tons a parity, fittrsl with steam winches. ■ • for quick discharge of cargo. Seme of the vessels will be used in bghtering in Manila harbor, and olh evs will enter the inter-island trade. The 81'00-ton steamship Melbourne is r w loading at New York, and will £ • away on January 5 with eight of thee? barges Spanish Flag Difficulty. Under article 4 of the Treaty of Paris. Spanish ships and merenandise must be admitted for ten years to Philippine port* on the same terms as our own This i* held by the Cabinet :-nd leading Senators to mean that we «aunot shut Spain from Philippine commerce b> the application of our (oastwise lawa If the laws are applied Spanish ships will still be free to enter any American port and transport merchandise to Manila The trouble, if it stopped there, would not he serious. But under Spanish law. it is very easy to document ships of other nations and give them the flag of Spain Thus the German and British firms engaged in shipping in the

Philippine coaid easily evade our shipping law and enter on the same terms with ourselves in the rich commerce that would spring up between the United States and the islands were low tariffs to prevail. How to get around this question is now puzzling the Republican leaders. Some of them say that it cannot be gotten around, but that for ten years from February 4. 1599, we must grin and bear it. WALTER E CLARK