The question is: shall we attempt to establish ourselves as a power in the far east and possess the philippines for glory? . . [i]f we take the philippines . . they will yield us nothing, and probably be a source of annual expense. certainly they will be a grievous drain upon revenue if we consider the enormous army and navy which we shall be forced to maintain upon their account. . whether the united states maintain its present unique position of safety, or forfeit it through acquiring foreign possessions, is to be decided by its action in regard to the philippines. why does carnegie think that occupying the philippines will cost the united states money? it will hurt us trade with other parts of asia. it will cost too much to buy the islands from spain. it will require the united states to spend money to defend the islands.