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.

18 INDEPENDENCE CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS

attack on Port Arthur, not only the necessary number offered
their lives but hundreds and thousands willingly went to the
sacrifice to uphold their country. It is not strange, therefore,
that men like the Japanese should attain victory, even against
the most formidable enemies of their freedom.
Even China, so berated by many, furnishes us with lessons
of unity and solidarity which we should not ignore. If a
nation attempts to subject her and trample upon her she retaliates with a boycott against its products. No Chinaman who
loves his country buys any products of the enemy nation. And
there is no power that can resist such passive but effective
resistance as that shown by the children of the Flower Republic.
Not that we should resort to boycott because it is prohibited
by law, but at least we should learn how to defend and how
to protect and patronize our own. In the face of the present
situation what are we doing to instill in the minds of our
children —the spirit of protectionism, of union and solidarity?
How many obstacles and how many difficulties this very Congress of Independence had to surmount? How many cabals
and intrigues had been organized by some of our unfortunate
countrymen to make it a failure, without bearing in mind that
in its failure would be involved the future of the country?
Without going too far, what do we do in the face of the
avalanche of imported products which threaten to overwhelm
local and native goods? What have we done to protect the
most important products of our country, such as tobacco, copra, sugar, rice and hemp? Is it not a fact that we are great
consumers of foreign cigarettes which kill our own cigarette
manufacturing industry? Is it not a fact that we have gone
to the extreme in our dress so that our beautiful pifia and jusi
textiles are threatened with paralyzation and annulment?
What have we done to promote our own industry, our shoes,
our hats, our textiles and foodstuffs? Even in our diet we
consume more imported foodstuffs than those raised in our
country. Why don't we try to eat more rice, instead of bread,
and consume more fruits and products raised at home than
those brought from abroad, and thus enrich our own coffers instead of enriching the pockets of foreigners who are the