I
, !
Conservative * 9
We must await the annual "Commerce
and Navigation" volume to discover
from official information what was the
true character of our trade with the
Philippines.
Our sweet sanctifying influence , how
ever , as shed over that remote region
. . . . . . . from July to Sep-
.
SwCCt SllllCtlflClltlol ) , .
/
tember , 1899 , is
illustrated by the "Summary of the
Commerce of the Philippine Islands"
just issued by the war department.
These figures , it is true , apply only to
three summer months instead of the
whole year and pertain to merchandise
arriving in the islands from the United
States instead of merchandise leaving
the United States for the islands. Ex
pressed in dollars , they denote a depre
ciated Mexican coin instead of the
United States standard , and therefore
worth less than one-half of the unit of
the preceding year's figures. Never
theless , since we seek to use them only
for comparison of items , the proportion
between these will furnish a useful
indication of the change which the
character of this trade has undergone.
The first column of the table shows
the article or class of articles sent from
this country to the Philippine Islands ,
arranged in order of importance for the
latter period ; the second , the total value
of such articles sent during the fiscal
year 1897-98 , in United States dollars ;
the third , the percentage ratio which
such value bears to the total export for
the year ; the fourth , the value of such
articles imported into the islands from
this country in the three months , July-
September , 1899 , in island currency of
old and worn Mexican dollars ; the fifth ,
1 the corresponding percentage , the total
import being 100.
liberty , enlightenment and Christianity
sot in. Mineral oil , which formed more
than half our export two years ago , is
now quite lost , probably forming an
insignificant part of the "unspecified"
collection. Coal , then the second ex
port in importance , has similiarly dis
appeared. Fibers and textiles , among
which oil cloth was then most promi
nent , have sunk into insignificance. On
the other hand , the country now sends
over more meats and other provisions ,
probably chiefly for the use of the army.
Exports of glass and glassware have
increased enormously , while the place
at the head of the list has been taken by
a class of articles that contributed less
than a third of one per cent of our ex
ports at the earlier date alcoholic
liquids. Losses on other articles have
been handsomely made up by gains in
these. Our fellow citizens are invited
to take all the patriotic pride they can
in this fact. When the doubter asks for
proofs of the practical benefits conferred
by our army of occupation upon the
benighted orient , they may point with
pride to the luxuriant growth of this
branch of our exporting industry.
In the religious paper from which we
quoted , whose views of "the inundation
of Manila by these saloons" the official
figures thus corroborate , the suggestion
is made that this precious export of ours
is not applied to the evangelizing and
enlightening of the natives , but is mainly
consumed by our own troops. But
seriously , is the matter any better for
that ? Is it any comfort to learn that
this inundation of fiery drinks is not
pouring itself into the throats of dusky
barbarians , but spends its power on the
flower of our country's manhood , serv
ing in those islands under government
orders ? When the balance of profit and
Comparative Table of U. S. Exports to Philippine Island * * ,
Article or Class.
Alcoholic liquids : wines and cordials , cider and
malt liquors , distilled spirits and alcohol
Glass , glassware and earthenware
All breadstuffs ( including malt )
Provisions ( meats and dairy products ) and flsh. .
Paper and manufactures thereof
Chemicals , drugs and dyes
Fruits , fresh , dry and preserved
Iron and other metals and manufactures , machinery -
chinery ( agricultural and other ) lamps , etc. .
Books , music , maps , engravings , etc
i Tobacco and manufactures thereof
Miscellaneous articles of vegetable origin , including -
ing confectionery , honey , hops , vegetables
and vegetable oils
Watches and jewelry
All fibers and textile manufactures
All leather and manufactures thereof
Wood manufactures , including matches , brooms
etc ]
Paints'and colors , varnish , turpentine , blacking.
Carriages and parts thereof
Bituminous coal
Mineral oils
Miscellaneous articles , unspecified
Total.
It will be seen from a glance at this
table that the Philippine trade has
undergone some
Moral Deterioration.
noteworthy chan
ges since the work of introducing
U. 8. Export
1897-1898.
Dollars.
854
772
2,550
905
544
8,242
14,411
' " ' '
835'
253
11,825
1,012
511
7,049
2,811
14,480
05,995
.127,804
Per
Cent.
0.8
0.0
2.0
0.7
0.4
2.5
11.8
0.2
0.2
0.8
0.4
0.0
2.0
11.8
51.0
100.0
Phil. Import ,
July-Sept. 1899
Dollars.
118,285
105,454
19,708
19,410
15,284
18,024
10,551
7,443
4,870
4,208
2,405
2,197
1,508
1,119
581
538
9,701
831,475
Per
Cent.
84 2
31.8
5.9
5.9
4.0
8.9
8.2
2.2
1.5
1.3
0.7
0.7
0.5
0.8
0.2
0.2
2.9
100.0
loss from this ambitious experiment in
tropical colonization comes to be struck ,
one of the heaviest items will assuredly
be the physical and moral deterioration
undergone by the American soldier.
PIIACTIOAT , PIETY ?
The optimists just now seem to be
having a rather rough time as they enter
upon a new century.
Some two thousand years ago a new
religion was proclaimed to the world.
Its fundamental principles were : Glory
to God in the highest and on earth peace
and good will among men. This seemed
very attractive and the now religion
was speedily adopted , nominally at least.
History , however , seems to show us that
the principles and the practice were
ibout as far apart as the east is from
he west ; that is as far as they could be.
There seemed to be something want
ing , some defect in the motive in the
new religion to prevent a harmony
between the profession and the practice.
It may perhaps bo maintained that it
developed a sense of kindness andre-
pousibility for the poor , the weak and
ihe ignorant unknown to other forms of
religion. This could only be ascertained
by a comparison between what has been
done in this respect among those who
adopted the new religion and those who
rejected it.
Here I am without data. I can only
say that I have seen more kind
ness to the lower animals among the
Mohammedans and more genuine hu
manity among the Jews than anywhere
else.
else.When
When we look upon a people as a
nation this absence of all so-called
Christian principle is most obvious. I
cannot recall a single instance when
nations , at the beginning or end of a
war , behaved towards each other on
Christian principles. It would have
been considered a weakness to be utterly
ignored. Remember the allies' treat
ment of Napoleon I , or of the Germans'
treatment of Napolen the third , and we
shall soon see how the British are going
to treat the unfortunate Boers.
The nearest approach to any such
generous conduct that I can remember
was the English freeing the slaves in her
colonies and paying the owners for
them. This certainly was a cheaper
and nobler method than the one we
adopted , though I believe it was recom
mended by our great saint , Abraham
Lincoln. Another instance was General
Grant's terms of surrender to General
Lee : "Let them keep their side swords
and take home their horses to do spring
ploughing. " Nothing in his history was
more honorable to him than that.
Leaving these generalities apart , let
us look at the state of things at present.
We find the United States endeavoring
at the cost of much money , many lives
and great demoralization , to force our
ideas of government upon an unwilling
people in the Philippines. England , our
beloved mother country , pouring shell
and shot into the Boers concealed in the
bed of the Modder River ; Kitchener ,
the bloody murderer of the Madgis ,
leading his troops against what is , called
