The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-07-02
Colony's Delegate to Con-
gress Has Canvassed Mem
bers and Finds Majority
Favor Such Action.
HE HAS TWO PLANS
HE IS TO PRESENT
Some Members of Congress
Fear independence of the
Islands Would Be Menace
to This Country.
fBy Jonathan Winfield.)

Washington, D. c., July Manuel
L. Quezon, one of the resident commits
sioners of the Philippines Islands, who
exercises in the House of Represen-
tatives the rights that are vested in
territorial delegates, is persistent in
his demands that congress free the
Filipino people.
A person canvass of the members
of the house and senators has con-
vinced him that the majority favor
Philippine Independence. Few, how
ever, have given the slightest thought
as to how this end is to be accom-
plished
The sentiment of the House and
Senate, as Commissioner Quezon finds
it, is that the Islands will be men
ance to this nation in the event of
war, and are today gigantic and un-
warranted expense" He has, there
fore, after careful study, and knowing
that congress moves slowly, mapped
out two legislative programs. His
programs would both give what the
Filipino people unanimously demand
independence.
He Has Two Plans.
Discussing his plans for this legis-
lation he said today that there are
two ways of putting an end to the
sovereignty of the United States over
the Philippine Islands,
"One is to give the Philippines indie
pendence as soon as a stable govern
ment has been organized" he explain
ed. This can be. accomplished by en-
acting legislation which shall provide
that within two years from the pas
sage of the act, the Filipino people
shall elect delegates to convention
which shall draft a constitution for a
Philippine Republic, and after the
constitution for the new republic has
been adopted by the Filipino people,
they shall elect their officials. When
these officials have been elected and
duly qualified, the sovereignty of the
United States over the Islands, shall
be given into the hands of the Filipi-
nos, and the independence of the new
government recognized"
This is the way which will best
suit the Filipino people" Commission
er Quezon explained. i
The other war" he added, "is the
gradual transfer of the government to
the Filipino. To carry this out, legis-
lation will have to be enacted that
will provide that it is the purpose OF
the United States to give the Filipi-
nos their independence within eight
years. A lesser period would be more
acceptable to the Filipino people. AT.
ter the passage of the act, the Filipino
people shall elect the upper house OF
the Philippine legislature. They may
and their conduct in their half of the
law making under the American ad
ministration has been most creditable
| With the upper house they will have
Immediately the whole legislative ma
chinery in their hands.
After Passage Of Act.
1.-TWO years after the passage of the
act, during which the Filipinos have
been running the legislative machin
cry, there shall be held a convention
to frame a constitution for the Repub
lie, and after its adoption by the peo
pie, the powers of all the American
secretaries, now in charge of the diff
ferent departments of the Islands
government shall cease, and they
shall be succeeded by Filipinos, dull,
elected by the people.
| Two years later the Filipinos
shall have the right to elect the chic
executive of the republic. For the mex
two years there shall remain in tht
Islands an American known as Com
missioner of the United States to th<
Philippine Republic" who shall be al
advisor to the president. At the end o
this period full and absolute authori
tty. over the Philippines shall be Civ
en- to the Filipino people by the Unit
ed States.
Both of these plans include the
naturalization of the Philippine Repub
lie by an international agreement en-
tered in by the United States, on be
half of the republic, with the powers
When the Filipinos are given their in
dependence they would like to have 1
country exempt from the strifes of Ma
tions and neutra! territory for all tn,
world, as Switzerland is neutral i,
Europe.
"One of these plans is the only so
luton of the Philippine problems tha
will do justice to the Filipino peopl.
and honor to the United States. Th'
world knows that the Filipinos helped
the American troops defeat the Span
iards in the Philippines. because the,
were led to believe. and did believe
that the United States would not holt
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