Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-05-08
MAKES PLEA FOR FILIPINOS
Commissioner Queson in Washington
and Talks for His People.
HAS DEMAND FOR INDEPENDENCE
ipDine Islands Were Guaranteed
Liberty and that They
should Have IL.

WASHINGTON. May 7-(specisl Tel
egram.)-In AN interview, Melville l..
Queson, one of the resident commission
ers of the Philippines, has made a bold
demand for Filipino Independence, de-
claring IL is high time the United States
made good its promise Of thirteen years
ago, that his people would be held as
wards only until they we're fit for self
government
AS the representative of the 5000, 900
people Of the Philippine islands, and as
their mouthpiece, 1 am directed to say
that they seek from you that which will
cost you nothing to concede and some
thing which will be more than life and
wealth to them-their liberty" said the
commissioner.
Commissioner Queson. whose status in
Washington is that Of delegate in con-
gress from the territories, claims to be the
only real representative of the Filipino
people, although he has colleague here,
Commissioner Benito Legarda. Queson
was chosen by the Philippine assembly.
being the Unanimous choice of all par
ties Legsrda is the representative Of
the Philippine commission, and therefore
it is claimed is not in sympathy with the
demands of the Filipinos for immediate
| independence
when the people of the United States
came into contact with the Filipinos for
the first time,' he said. the only thing
they knew about them was that there was
some uncivilized people in the mountains,
and the people of the United States took
it for granted that all the rest of the
| islands were more or less in the same
condition.
Result of investigation,
President McRinley's investigating
committee found that the FIlipinos, even
at that time, were in much better condi-
tion and were more fit to govern them
selves than were the people of Cuba, to
whom Independence was given immedi-
ately.
you OF the United States do not know
| that all branches of science or art are
and have always been we'll represented
in the people OF my race, We have al
ways been we'll represented. We have a
| Rial, who became a world known celeb
rity. whom the Ftlipinos worship as much
as the Americans worship Washington.
There is q Luna whose paintings have
been the admiration OF the world; there is
a Ycaza and a Moreno-Lacalle, whose
learning In the law made them objects of
admiration OF the highest courts in Spain:
there are numberless doctors who rank
with the highest of their profession in
| Europe or this country and there are
! politicians who can occupy any place in
any legislative body OF any nation and
| fill that position in a creditable manner.
The government OF the United States
pledged itself before the whole world that
in governing the Philippines the welfare
of the Filipino should be given first con-
sideratiOn- and this. 1 regret to say, has
not been the case. A gradual letting in
Of the F1lipinos in the government has
been promised time and again, but has not
been done and the most important posi-
tons continue to be filled by Americans.
Americans Get Good Positions.
''The high-salaried positions are occupied
by American citizens and only the minor
and unlmportant ones are given to ma
tives.
The islands are costing the government
Of the United States millions yearly and
tho longer the United States retains them
the greater will be the temptation for
American capital to exploit them. The
more American capital Is entrenched in
tho Philippine islands, the more difficult
will IL be for the United States TO grant
our Independence, because the American
interests will demand OF Uncle Sam that
he remain there and protect them.
And we do not want American capital
to take hold OF our lands and cur farms.
President Taft said that the Philippine
islands are for the F1lipGnos, and those
words have been engraved In the heart Of
every Filipino, and when we see that the
conduct of the administration is not, in
conformity with that doctrine. we protest
and demand that a stop to the actual con-
dition OF affairs be made at onos and that
our voice be heard"