Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

74 INDEPENDENCE CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS

enable the country to defray the greatly increased expenses for
defensive purposes as for the maintenance of our diplomatic
relations, and which would insure for the future Independent
Philippine Government a basis of security, permanence and
stability.
Many thanks.
A discussion of the tariff problem followed in
which two other papers were read. One was the paper
of the Hon. Guillermo Gomez, Under-Secretary of
Finance. The paper follows:
SOME GENERAL REMARKS ON INDEPENDENCE
AND THE TARIFF
By the HON. GUILLERMO GOMEZ,
Under-Secretary, Department of Finance.
I have been designated to say something on customs duties
in relation to the possible and probable advent of our national
independence, an event which will create changes even more
profound and radical in our economic than in our political
system, because if we carefully examine this aspect of the situation, we shall see that the economic influence of America on
the Philippines is stronger than the political, such influence
being more deep-rooted and preponderating in the field of the
production and distribution of our wealth to a greater extent
than in the mechanism of the administration of our public
affairs. In support of this statement, there is the fact that
there are few persons now who fear a demolition of our governmental institutions of American origin should independence
come, whereas there are many who prophesy, with reason, that
the separation of the two peoples will produce an upheaval in
our economic life. Consequently, in speaking of tariffs, I
shall touch also, even in passing, the question of our future
economic condition in general, inasmuch as it is impossible to
overlook it in speaking of tariffs, taking into account the
intimate relationship which exists between the two questions.