The Washington times., 1914-06-15
filipino LEADERS
HALT INDEPENDENCE
Some Leaders Losing Enthus-
iasm for It-DemoCrats Will
Renew Promises.

Whether the Democratic party is
ling TO keep its Baltimore platform
romise with respect to granting in
o9eRdonce TO tho Philippines. is one
V the next things to be determined
Congress. 1t cannot be settled al
mis- session. but there is a possibility
nat 1t will in the next. That the
.smoCratiC leaders feel there is iced
% them to take some position OF
definite sort. with respect 10 this
latter. is evident from the considera
ton being given the new Jones oil
rsistivc 10 the government OF the
stand
President Wilson has not yet indi-
rated his position as to the second Jones
oil. the preceding one being a measure
raliing for outright independence and
apparently not acceptable 20 the Ad-
ministratfon.
the second Jones bill has a preamble
which is intended to cover the Balti-
more promise of independence. II
would place the United States on rec
ord in a general way in favor of in
dependence later on and would also
provide for certain changes in the Phil
'ppine government a d administration.
President to Approve.
One of the changes, and one which
many believe TO be of merit. would
lodge in the hands of the President OF
The United States. instead OF Congress,
the right to approve sets of the Phil
,ppine Legislature
Under the present clumsy system,
such acts as require approval mere
nave been greatly delayed in Con-
rrsss- Sometimes, they have waited
for a year. II the President were to
pass on such bills. it would insure
greater expedition and would be more
0usiness-like.
The bill has not yet been made public,
but the purpose of putting it forward,
at this time is to enable the demo-
Gratis to make the claim in the 1914
campaign that they intend to keep
the promise to give the islands their
Independence.
One of the things in the way of
dependence for the islands is the
fact that some of the Filipino leaders
themselves are losing their enthusiasm
be better eff under American rule.
Recently, a forester in the Islands
found an outcropping of what he
thought was coal, but which proved
the finest uses, and probably worth
80 a ton. il is a grade much higher
than ordinary paving asphalt, which
is worth ssS per ton in Hongkong.
Most Important Discovery.
The discovery is the more important
as no discoveries of asphalt hitherto
hav. been made in the Far East. 1t
Is in the island of Leyte and the supply
Is said to be large.
The mining resources of the islands
the Government experts say, are
barely scratched. The gold produc-
ton is increasing. being S5Io.212 in
1912. and sses.S62 in 1913. Other val
liable products are salt, clay products
and iron. They are said to exist in
much larger quantities than are now
developed
The Philippine corn crop is steadily
develC ping. 1t has reached now about
Il e00. Coo bushels. The Americans
have been trying. with slow but sure
success. to bring about increase in
the ccrn crop in order to protect the
Tilipinos against suffering from
shortage of the rice crop and beri-
beri from the use Of polished rice.
such developments as these will un-
ooubtedly make Congress the more
reluctant to give up the islands.