New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-02
Representative Mann De-
ClareS Islands Must Be
Kept by U. S.
BELIEVES WAR
BOUND TO COME
Fa Last and Far West Must
Fight, He Says, and America
VIII Need Philippines.

- ID sh iuEtOn, , I. Protesting
..-.n.t The REIMBURSEMENT Of Ameri-
can sovereignty over the Philippine
! iaads, Representative Mann, the mi
nority leader, predicted i'm the House
to-day that the Pacific Ocean would be
The battle zone Of the future, and that
q conflict between the Far East and
Far West across the Pacific is in
cyitab!c.'
Discussing the JoEes bill granting in
dependence 20 the Filipiuos, Mr. Mann
referred frankly 10 the rise. com
mcrc.a.iy and otherwise, Of China aud
Japan. The casting adrift Of the
Philippines, ne coutcndCd, would mean
that these islands would be in pos
session Of some other nation within
ten years.
u have 40 doubt that conflict will
come between the Far East and the Far
West across the Pacific Ocean said
Mr.. Mann. "Ail which is taking place in
tho world. the logic of the history OF
the human race up to now. teaches Il.
that the avoidance Of this conflict Is
impos sibc. I hope il will be only
commercial conflict. | hope war may
not come. that there will be no con
that in this world Of ours people and
races are able to meet IN competition
for A long period without armed con-
hict. 4 tight for commercial suprcm-
scy leads i'm the end 10 a fight with
arms. because that is the final arhlter
between nations.
I'VE command the Pacific Ocean with
the land that we have on this side,
/. l.. ,.1. l. IL IN
the sea and with the Philippines or
the other aldc. VIII We surrender our
command. I say, No. Never.
"If We should let the Philippine ISL
ands go to-day without string tied
to them they would belong to some
other country within ten years. But
If they could keep their independence
for twenty-five or fifty or even one
hundred years in the end they would be
used against Us in the inevitable con-
flict between competing races.
81 am opposed to giving the Philip
pine Islands independence. DO not
believe that we should grant indie
pcndeucc to the Philippine Islands with
a string ticI 20 1t. had rather grant
them absolute independence.
Keep the Philippines under the flag
OF VIC I NlkeN Nlhlto anu lNdhN NNtIA
our friends. There Is no advantage I'm
having the Philippines, in the event Of
war, if they are unfriendly TO Us. Most
people who get under our flag want to
stay there. ii We treat the FilipinOs
well they viii want TO stay there.
Assuming that the Filipinos are
caDgblc Of government, | am in
favor o. giving the Philippine people
the broadc-t liberty OF self-goyern-
meat. retaining en- under our flag.
Tho objection ! have to the pending
bin is that it has too many rcstric-
tious. and ] shall move TO strike out
some OF these restrictions.
give the Filipinos the widest lib
crty Of action in local affairs if We
keep them. We should give them a
chance to sec whether they can man
age their own affairs and make them
friends Of the United States, So, in the
future. when these conflicts will arise,
We viii have control Of the Pacific,
and we viii have warm, devoted Amer
lean friends and citizens i'm the Phil
ippinc Islands, on the other side Of
the Pacific Ocean, so that this country
aud our race may remain supreme on
the lighting ground of the future
the Pacific Ocean,