New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-12
Secretary Garrison and the Jones
Preamble.

Secretary Garrison drew distinctions in his
testimony yesterday before the Senate Philippines
Committee which are not likely to be very helpfuI
10 the advocates Of the Jones BILL What is the dls
tinctive feature Of the Jones measure? What
norton of it has excited the keenest political
opposition?
There can be no doubt that the preamble has
been responsible for nearly all the controversy
over the act now pending in the Senate. That
preamble undertakes TO carry out In an holrec'
and shifty way the pledge TO the tlllplnos given
in the last Democratic national platform IL
PROMISES the REIMBURSEMENT Of American SOW
ereignty over the Philippines on date somewhat
vaguely foreshadowed. In the body OF the Dill
certain changes are made in the present scheme
Of insular government, the suffrage beng en-
tended and an elective Filipino Senate being sub
stituted for the appointive Philippine Commission
as the upper branch Of the insular legislature
These latter proposals would have attracted
only a moderate amount of attention In Congress
If they had not been used a substructure on
which TO base a promise Of independence. Inc
promise is of vastly greater consequence, so lar
as its effects on the political and economic situa-
ton in the Philippines are concerned, than are
the alterations proposed in governmental methods
Commissioner Manuel Quezon, Mr.. Joness CO.
worker. frankly admitted this when he told the
Senate committee the other day that he pre-
ferred the preamble 10 the bill and would rather
500 the latter fail if the former had to be sacr-
feed.
II is therefore surprising to hear Mr.. Garrison
saw: "If the people really knew the provisions OF
this bill they would discard with scorn those
NEWSPAPERS which term it the Philippine indie
pendence bill and dismiss further consideration
Of it by the statement that it is premature TO
give independence to the Philippines The
Secretary Of War mentioned the preamble only
twice in his statement and then only TO minimize
its importance lie is strongly for the bill itself
which he complains, has been thrown into the
shadow by the preamble. He thereby parts COM
many with most Of the bills advocates IN Con-
gress. who are for the preamble first last and all
the time, and only for the bill as means OF
forcing action on the preamble Were they IN
sympathy with Mr.. Garrison's more practical
point of view they would have eliminated the
preamble long ago and thus removed the chief
obstacle to the bills passage.
Mr.. Garrison is in fact, in agreement at no
point with the theories Of the Jones-Quezon
school, lie thinks that the dignity and honor OF
the United States compel a fulhlment Of our
cvilzing mission in the Philippines 1t is far
less important to his mind that we shuttle off our
sovereignty over the Philippines at the first con-
venient opportunity than that we stay there until
the Filipinos are actually trained to govern
themselves. The Secretary of War says:
We have altered the lives Of these people by in
iecting a new and more advanced civilization among
them We have whetted their aspirations for differ
emit methods Of life, Of doing business, and OF hand
ling governmental meters We have accustomeo
them TO sanitation, energy and effort in commerce
agriculture and trade; have stimulated them 10
children for better things For US TO so further al
this time and withdraw support before we nave
practical assurance that these things VIII IN the
main continue would be a betrayal or the genera
tiou Of islanders that have stimulated ana u
whom we have held out great hopes, without any
corresponding advantage to ourselves or TO any one
That is piece of wisdom to be commended tC
the extremists in Congress who pushing the
Jones preamble solely because they think 1t vii
help them in carrying through their programme
of evacuation at any price.