Speech #590007950

I stood at the gate of the Oriente factory one Saturday afternoon during the past summer and saw the employees. 1.400 in number. pass out at the close of the weeks work. and a more clean. orderly. intelligentlooking body of employees it would be difficult to find anywhere outside of the United States. They were all Filipinos. It is claimed by some that the lowering of the duty on cigars puts the American workman in competition with a cheap class of labor in the Orient. and efforts have been made before the committee and in other places to show that Chinese coolies are employed in this Industry In Manila. A greater mistake could not have been made by the opponents of this bill. I have heard these statements and received these communications with great surprise. for in four of the largest factories in Manila which I visited this summer I did not see one Chinaman employed. and I respectfully refer all who entertain this fear to the census statistics of the Islands. These persons do not seem to understand that Chinese exclusion and alien contract labor laws exist in the Philippines. and that upon the demand of the Filipinos as well as Americans they are more vigorously enforced there than they are here. The main point in all this is that the American people are not told that the object of the tariff is to protect them from poor cigars or that it would menace their health if -some 100.000.000 Philippine cigars were to be admitted free. there is no indication in the bill or the report that the hearts of the majority Members are throbbing with any such philanthropic purpose. No. only the tobacco industry. a private interest. is assured of the majoritys extreme consideration. they are several times assured that the bill is no menace to them.