Philippine comment in the American Press

Title

Language

English

Source

The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume 6 (No. 7) July 1926

Year

1926

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

16 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL July, 1926 Philippine Comment in the American Press &&>&&&&&&&& Editors Impressed by Islands* Resources America is inquiring about her wealth in the Philippines. There is no longer any doubt about it. Casting up national accounts has been popular in the newspapers recently. Many editors, explaining the bier debit items for rubber, sugar, coffee, jute, guttapercha, camphor, silk, etc., are telline- their readers that America incurs these debts annually simply because she hasn’t arranged for pro ducing such crops in the Philipvines—where they could all be grown. In batch of 31 newspaper clippings, news items and edito rials, 21, or 70 per cent, were about the economic side of the Philipnine question; and 10, or 30 per cent, were about politics. This is a distinct reversal of the relative weights of Philippine political and econo mic news and comment in the American press of a few years ago. A story about Aguinaldo, General Wood and the now famous meeting of veteranos at the Palma de Mallorca a few months ago, was the chief political story appealing to American editorial judgment. The old myths about hitching the national wagon to this or that particular native star, about the efficacy of the uplift in the tropics, and that sort of pseudo-sentiment—which would never be depended upon to run a State, but is seemingly relied upon to run a territory greater than nearly any State—are persis tent in the national consciousness and will fade out only with time. They are, how ever, at last in the perspective of the pic ture and no longer in the foreground. “There is much hypocrisy in the talk about preparing the Philippines for self government,” thinks the independent Los Angeles Express. “It is that gives the ‘po liticos’ of the islands the material with which to stir up trouble... The expecta tion that any day the flag may be hauled down creates a condition little better than might follow actual withdrawal... Of course, Congress is without power to alie nate the Philippines. But it would be a blessing to the islands were Congress to say so, to make that fact known to the Filipinos, and then return to the governor general power sufficient to make him able really to govern.” The Kansas City (Kas.) Kansan, in the heart of the middle west, looks at the ques tion precisely as does the editor of the Express of Los Angeles. “If one will read the Constitution it will be seen that the framers of that famous document did not intend that congress should have such po wers (as to withdraw sovereignty from terr-itory over which it has been established and recognized)... At the Virginia cons titutional convention, such an amendment failed of adoption.” The American editor now shows keen interest in even ordinary trade figures from the Philippines. In the clippings spoken of here, liberal space is given to the narrative and figures of the Philippine lumber in dustry; the editors argue from this that success would crown endeavors to develop other industries. What American trade was with the islands in earlier years, and what it is now, seems to be a matter of in tense concern to editors in all parts of the country. The value of exports in 1905, $15,000,000, as compared with last year, $165,000, 000, is put before readers through out the United States with the stamp of the editors’ approval. “It is our own fault if we do not help ourselves by employing the resources of the Philippines,” declares the independent Louisville (Ky.) Herald. “This country con sumes a billion and a half pounds of cof fee a year. The money spent for this beve rage might as well go into American as Brazilian coffers. The fact that twentytwo billions of American dollars are now invested abroad indicates that there might be something available for the development of this industry in one of our own colonies.” He goes on to inform his readers that plantations may be planted up to coffee of a blight-resistant variety in the Philippines, “one of our colonies,” for $25 an acre, and that the trees w’ill bear in four years! One exclaims over the fact this voice is heard in Kentucky. The more remarkable fact, perhaps, is “Quality Work with Quality Iron” THE PHILIPPINE SHEET METAL COMPANY, INC. ANNOUNCES They Are Prepared To Manufacture Everything In TIN and SHEET IRON SPECIALTIES “Ice Cold” Refrige rators Kitchen Cabinets Metal Furniture Auto Fenders Tin Cans Pails Drums and Tanks Riveted Pipe Our Shops are equipped with the most up-to-date Metal Work ing Machinery, and we are able to cope with any Sheet Metal problem. Our staff of skilled Tinsmiths are experienced in the installation and repairs to Roofs, Gutters, Downspouts, etc. For quotations and further particulars: address A. H. DAHLKE, General Manager 506 Tanduay Phone 22837 ’ MANILA, P. I. P. O. Box 2037 that among the 31 clippings only one has the withdrawal tone, whether they are edi torials or news. This comment is five lines and one word long, in the New Orleans States, as follows: “George Bailey of the Houston Post-Dispatch observes that the discovery of large and valuable asphalt beds in the Philippines will add another to the many convincing proofs of the remarkable incapacity of the Filipinos for self govern ment.” The circulation of 16 eastern papers in cluded in the clippings is about 2,355,000; of four middle western papers, 315,000; oi four southern papers, 227,000; of six wes tern coast papers, 730,000. The circulation of six Republican papers included in the clippings is about 1,285,000; of three Inde pendent-Republican papers, 375,000; of 16 Independent papers, 852,000; of one Demo cratic paper, 375,000; of four IndependentDemocratic papers, 760,000. And the list embraces many of the country’s largest and Drying Cabinets Water Boilers Stoves Gutters Ridgeroll Ventilators Skylights Cornices IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL July. 192G THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 17 The only States of the United States that larger than the Philippines are— I Texas II California III Montana IV. New Mexico No State is so (richly endowed with natural re sources; none has as great a popu lation, most influential papers: New Orleans Times-Picayune, I-D; New York World, I-D; New York Times, I-D; Boston Trans cript, I-R. The Sacramento Union is independent in politics. Its comment may also be quoted in part: “It is most unfortunate that the Philip pine Islands seem destined to remain a football of politics, as they have been for over twenty years. Political parties, what ever their designation, or whatever their oingin, history and expectancy of years, have uniformly failed to draft a party plat form without some high-sounding para graphs on the Philippines. All parties have been guilty of attempting to treat the Phil ippine question with politics. In this they have been aided by little propagandists who care nothing at all about the Philippine people or what happens to them, but a great deal about gaining a little publicity for themselves and their imagined importance. “The Republican party has attempted to apply more of business principles and less of political nostrum to the Philippines than any other party. But this is probably to be largely credited to accident. The Repub lican party, under McKinley, Roosevelt and Taft, became responsible for Philippine policy. Government administrations, ac countable to the party, have tried to trans late this policy into constructive, safe and beneficial action in the interest of the people of both the Philippines and the United States. The critics of our Philippine policy have been almost wholly free of any res ponsibility in the matter, which has pleased them greatly. Critics don’t like responsibi lity. “But what the Philippines have needed less than all else is political adventurers and tinkerers with political doctrines. They have needed most of all a relationship with the United States which would put the welfare of the Filipinos first and vindi cation of political theories last.” KAHN GIVES AMBULANCE Leopold Kahn of the Estrella del Norte and the Estrella Auto Palace has presented the government hospital at Baguio with an ambulance in gratitude for the treatment the hospital gave his son during an illness in the mountain resort. Heretofore the hospital had no way of attending emer gency cases. •pair ^Uarn DELICIOUSLY REFRESHING Sold at American Chamber Bar BATTERIES ALEMITE Lubricating Systems M & H Piston Rings STAYBESTOS Brake Lining WONDERMIST Polish WILKINSON Axle Shafts DUTCH BRAND Tape, Cement, etc. These are a few of the truly high grade articles which we have for auto mobile owners, and oper ators. A big store in a convenient location makes it a pleasure to buy here. Drive up. Just a minute from Plaza Goiti. ACME MOTOR CO., INC. In front of the Quiapo Church Tel. 355 P. O. Box 1853 Manila LV RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OE COMMERCE JOURNAL

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