Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-04
DEMOCRATS FOSTERING
FILIPINO DISLOYALTY.
CONGRESSMAN SAYS
Miller, of Minnesota, Preparing
to Arraign Governor Harri-
sons Philippine Regime
in Congress
CHARGES GRAFT RULES
Rn a stan Correspondent


| WASHINGTON. Dec. 4.-Loadcd will
| information gained by visits to the Phil
| ippinc Islands during the last Republ
! can dm'nistration and the present Dem
| ocratic Administration, Representative G
! II. Miller, of Minnesota, today announced
| his intention to make a series of speeches
| IN Congress for the purpose of showing
| That anti-American feeling among tho
! Latives has been encouraged and loyalty
discouraged by the elevation of disturbers
| to office.
The past achievements of Americans
i have been dscrcdited and the natives
taught scant respect for American peo.
! Pile and institutions.
That graft is rampant among the ma.
| tive oniccholdcrs, who have stolen pub.
lie lands and rifled the mails.
That the great sanitary work of Ameri-
cans has been undone, and that disease
is allowed to spread unchecked in many
lands.
That wholesale pnrdons given by po.
| litical influence have ruined the penal
colony experiment
Tint news, especially from the Moro
provinces. is censored and true condi-
tions concealed by the Government.
That Filiplnos have been put over the
Moros who protest in vain that they want
only white men over them.
That business is stagnant and capital Is
leaving the islands
Representative Miller, who is generally
regarded as the bcst-posted Republican
In the House on the Philippines. Is CO.
operating with Minority Leader James r..
Mann In the effort to defeat any attempt
OH the part of the Democrats to put
through a Philippine independence law.
He believes that much of the progress
made toward ultimate independence has
been wasted by the present Admnistra-
ton.
From generous impulse" said Mr..
Miller, "the American people started out
to give the Filipino the best government
American genius was capable of devising.
and Mt the same time to educate those
people for sclf-govcrnment.
Fifteen years of effort produced tre-
mcndous success in all directions. save
pcrfecting the capacity for self-govern-
ment. These years of experience clearly
revealed that perfected capacity for self
government. instead of being realized in
years, would require generations How
ever, advancement would be constant and
evolution unfaltering
ASSAILS HARRISON.
Then came the regime of Governor
General Francis Burton Harrison. Armed
with Bryan's Philippine theories and mis-
information and personal ignorance of
ME Philippines, Harrison landed In Ma
nila in October, 1913, | was there when he
arrived and witnessed the great out
pouring of natives, who joyously inaugu-
rated him. | was there this summer and
instantly observed complete change in
the general attitude of the Filipino. For
mcrly all were rejoicing; now everywhere
the situation Is strained; suspicion,
ominous at times, arising. Fierce blows
are received and given.
AT once the Governor General pro-
ceeded to knock down the governmental
utT Atfiln pf the Huns
Theodoric of the Goths ever laid such
destructive hands upon human inStitu-
tions The result is complete govern
mental chaos. Today one looks in vain
to find responsible government in the
Philippines; 1t Is not there.
"There are some conscientious capable
Filipinos holding office. but n great many
of the appointments were criminally un-
wise All the elements among the Fill
pinos that are pro-American, including
those who are for American retention,
were speedily eliminated from the gov
ernment and shut up by methods that re-
mind US of the middle ages. Apparently
choice consideration was given those few
FiliDinos who had been openly. noto-
riously hostile to the United States.
"The Governor General publicly taught
the natives to discredit all America had
done for them in the past II the FIJI
pinos are rapidly growing disloyal even
hostile to America, we have no one to
blame but ourselves, because our own
high official during the last two years
has taught and rewarded that attitude.
SAYS LANDS ARE STOLEN.
"About half the land area of the island
is Government land. and this Is the richer
half, too All the immense forests belong
to the Government. A splendid land ana
forestry department has been built up,
The land department was one OF the hrst
objects of attack. Filipino director
began the villainous work. He had not
been In a year when it was charged he
had stolen 5000 acres of the best land and
had obtained land for virtually all of
his relatives, even going so far as to
change records in the office that he or
his relatives might get particular tract.
This condition is generally known.
WAS he prosecuted? No. indeed. He
belonged to the right political party. He
was allowed to resign, and the Governor
General. in accepting his resignation, gave
him one of the finest professional testi-
moniaIs one ever read. 1t was sent TO
America in this form and Washington
was led TO believe our Government had
lost the services of one of the most eX-
eellent officials.
becomes of the money appropriated for
municipal improvements j was told
many times by those whose duty il is to
know how money is spent that of late
a coTnmon practice Is for the officials to
do as little as possible of municipal work
and appropriate all the rest to salaries
one man was pointed out to me who had
raised his own salary three times in one
month.
- wonder il the American people can
believe what the postoffice situation in
the Philippines Is like? The man who is
said 10 be the best secret service man
I'm the Islands told me that virtually
ali the petty officials and some that were
not SO petty were grating. In nearly
every paper one picked up there was
some item about some postal employe
who had been arrested or was being
tried for robbing the mails Some of the
cases involved losses OF several thousand
dollars
II know from personal experience that
the many persons We're right who said
nobody's mail was safe. Most OF my let
tefs. and there were scores OF them.
never reached their destinations.