Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-15
sEcRETARY GARRISON
sELlTTLEs PREAMBLE
Says Il Il Meaningless But Admits
Party 10 Pledged 20 Independence Of
isiands and Something Should Be
pens-eiIl to Do Amended ia Many
Respects or Dsfsatsd.
Especial correspondence.l

y.
seeming impossibility of passing Phil
ippine legislation at the present ses-
eton. the prospect of a sharp contest In
the senate over the Jones bill has
failed TO stir UP great interest. Never
theleae. the bill bids fair to be reported
in one form or another, with IT'S pre-
axnl,te pledghg the United States to
GRANT Independence to the islands at
some future time either eliminated or
materially modified Il Is doing Secre-
tary Garrison no intunstice, presum-
ably. to say that he thinks very little
of the famous preamble He clearly
minated TO the committee that 1t
meant nothing, and he said in almost
30 many words that whether the FIJI
tpdnos should construe 1t to promise In
dependence in six months or In sixty
years could make no possible difference
to the situation, as It was Tor the
American congress and not the Phil
ippfne people to determine when their
government has become strong enough
and wise enough to stand alone.
Democratic Embarrassed.
Few IL any members of the commit
tee OF either party object to the main
provisions Of the Jones bill extending q
further measure Of eelf-government to
the F1ltptnos. Tho bill has been crit
icized I'm certain practical details and
no doubt Will be amended at these
points. Democratic senators on the
committee, an unusually intelligent
group, have been forced by the admin
Isl alton into the embarrassing posi-
don Of deciding between political ne
cesstty and legislative wisdom Menu
bers Of both parties agree privately
that MT. Bryan when q candidate Tor
IT,, presidency and democratic plat
forms since then have made monu-
mental nutstalce IN making the Philip
ufnes a party issue. Their administra-
ton u part of the foreign policy Of the
government and by common consent
partieans always have dropped their
differences in foreign afcRirs. But the
degnocra4s arc now nledged tQ ~ ded-
nits prsusise At ultimate 3ndepsnAence
ana a. Mr.. Garrison pointed out.
whether It has been wise or foolish to
make any such promise. the promise Is
there and a. the democratic party 10 in
power. something must be done to ful-
fl It.
Trying 70 Save Party.
Secretary Garrison, who IL an ex-
ceedingly clever witness. tries to let
his party out of the hole by saying
that az the whole situation regarding
the future Of the Philippines has been
one OF uncertainty, this bill can do no
harm IN prolonging the uncertainty.
which he frankly admits the Jones pre-
amble does. But he does not balk at
charging Philippine self-goveFnnenf,
for he says that congress can not IN
diligently decide upon the issue of In
r Svssv, hno
been allowed to do his worst. That this
worst can be pretty bad 10 evident from
the study Of some Of the bad things he
has done and some Of the good things
he has refused to do since the Philip
pine assembly was established and the
native was made q legiSlator.
For example, the per capita rate of
taxation in the Philippines IL lower
than in any other civilized country.
nevertheless one OF the first acts Of the
hrst Philippine Assembly was to pass
a bill to allow provincial boards to re-
nit the collection Of the land tax in
their respective provinces. Az far
back as 1908 the assembly tried to re-
duce the tax. already low, on intoxicat-
ing liquors and to localize public
health administration so that the firm
n . o,,a,,ata =, ,,,.;;t., the nrovincea real
" clean and healthful. The lack OF
business sense was shown in such bills
$500. s+ = fine ,,,ha, not eno,,ah ma
4s,,a ,,,,.h.r No. m hand for tha CON-
s..,r.tnn ~ n,,h,ic hn,ldines. making
# possible TO use all the reveneus Of
- nes,nd and annrnnriatinr $4,000 a
80 !. - s..,ara ~ ipve,+os.. 81 steam
49,. rn,u,th .t.ndinr that nlantv of
1880 - r,o.n-~,,-,.,,, r,ou,. aIrsa dv
80. .r.ii.h,a penora the Philinpine
49, 49, 800, IVA. Eyitndnixad nv pres-
.Sa..n vuss.or = had ii,anrrov.d NO
,os. .,,sn s1a .c+s na,.ed nv the Fsli-
- -. ...sr,hiv ana The a..smhfv IN
INV - .as,,s.a ~ 49, 10" .c+.
t 'nrn.,, 10" ~ .ha 1 ],nm,,ni..;nn
,,,.S.i 80. HSan..d
So a.. T,,,n,n,..t,om ne ...e,rb,v
-. e. nss,o,.,ad Il. h.rA ~ 1,..s,ry . Law
.ssh, . + : condition Of & corporaAion
sAAsse>~>s-o