The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-07
WANT PHILIPPINES LIKE SWITZERLAND Democrats Propose to Es- tablish Neutrality BE PUT TO CONGRESS Representative Cox, Cline and Mar tin Are Congressmen Who
 Will Favor New
 Plan
By JONATHAN WINFIELD

Washington, May 6.-(Special.)- )-The fu- ture of the Philippine Islands is to be given serious consideration by the dem ocratic majority of this Congress, if plans are formulated by democratic representa- lives interested in the islands to carry at the next caucus, which is scheduled for this month.
 That the democratic members of the House and Senate desire is naturalization tiated by the world powers. Tn fact. it is their desire to make of the Philippines a. government similar to that of Switzer- land, all the nations of the world pledged to it's maintenance, with the islands elim- mated as war prey.
 The three democratic members mostly interested in the programme are Repre- sentative Cox of Ohio, Representative Cline of Indiana, and Representative Mar tin of Colorado. The latter directed at tention to the Philippines in the last Congress in connection with the sale of vast tracts of friar lands to former off cials of the sugar trust. The sale was held to be legal by the republican ma jority of the last Congress, condemned by the then democratic minority, and Representative Martin has begun the un- winding of the red tape in this session to have similar sales by estopped legal en- actment.
 Representative Cline is the author of resolution now pending granting inde- pendence to the islands.
 Representative Cox has an entering wedge for Philippine independence in his ha rt- ment for an itimized statement showing the cost to the United States of the is- lands since the Spanish-American war. He is of the opinion, frankly expressed, that the islands have not been of the slightest value to this country, and wilY prove serious menace in the event of war with Japan. Military exeprts of all the world powers are unanimously of the opinion that the Philippines are at pres ent a weakness in the defense of the United States should war involve in this country. These experts predict, too, a prediction that Is unanimous, that event. ually the United States will have to fight Japan.
 War with Japan would mean the loss of the islands within a week. for in that period, Japan could rush more soldiers into the islands than we have in our regular army and militia organizations combined. The United States, it is said, would never cease fighting until the is- lands were regained.
 "A war under these conditions" said Representative Cox, would have one of two possible endings. First, long drawn out fight that would seriously attack the resources of the nation and prove far more costly than the civil war, or else defeat such as no proud nation has To1+ f,,t hA rAvl1, fC hicfO Orrf'
 The F'ilipinos are "crazy" for independ- enc They want an Independent form of government that will be guaranteed by the world powers. They will not take kindly, however, to Japan being a signer of such a treaty The Filipino people, it is said, are suspicious of the Japanese. and the Filipino nightmare is that the islands may some day belong to the Jap anese.
 Up to the present Congress has been unable to get the faintest idea of what the Philippines have cost. It has been estimated that the early days of the Philippine occupation cost the United States s1, 900 each day to maintain it's army and navy in the islands. The esti- mate of the cost of maintaining the army and navy now there is $250,000 each day. It is said that Senator Root, when he was secretary of war, started to add up  the expense of the American occupation. The figures were so gigantic that he ceased before the table was completed. "If the American people can be shown in figures the responsiveness of the Ell ipino government to the United States" said Representative Cox. "and, mind you, the civil expenses of the islands government are borne by the Filipinos themselves, there will be a sweep of pub lie opinion to unload the islands and let them paddle their own canoe as an inde- pendent republic. The United States gov ernment, according to the generally ac- cepted theory of the people of this coun- try. is the policeman of all the Central and South American republics. duty imposed upon us by the announcement and enforcement of the Monroe doctrine. If we have to play policeman and protec- tor for the Philippines, we will simply