Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-11-03


49, cient education
What do they
Maxine NJ. kalaw. mean in black
and white?
Senator Shotgun may think no people
Is capable OF self-government that does
not establish the judicial recall, or that
has no Billy Sunday. John Smith OF
SOmerville may think no people Is
capable of self-government that does
not vote his democratic ticket, or go to
church on Sundays.
Capacity for Self-government'' Is IA
broad and elastic as the world, and If
that should be the criterion for the
granting of Philippine independence,
America might as well say to the Fill
pinos, II will give vow independence
when 1t pleaSeS me to do So
Fortunately, the American promise
10 the Philippines is not based on such
obscure and abstract conditions. II is
based on definite seizable thing
When America, through her Congress,
officially told the Filipino people that
they would be granted their independ-
ence as soon as they could establish q
stable government, no abstract or OBJ
scure condition was meant. Stable
government, according to American
usage, means certain, definite thing.
The United States promised the Gu
bans the same thing, that when they
have established q stable government,
then American troops would be with
drawn" AS soon as the Cuban people
elected government suited to them
selves, capable of maintaining order
and fulfilling all international Ohllga-
lions, there was n stable government
In Cuba, and American troops were
withdrawn.
When Congress passed the Jones
law, it simply borrowed the phrase
'stable government" from the Cuban
history and applied it to the Philip
pines. The history of Philippine leg
islation shows that in black and white.
With full knowledge Of what il meant,
the Filipino people accepted the Jones
law and Immediately began setting up
the stable government required by Con
gress as n prerequisite to independ-
ence. The stable government is now
fact. 1t il indeed more than that II
Is an undisputed fact.
The official representative of the
United States in the Philippine Islands,
the Governor General, reported tn the
American Congress and the administra-
Z 0 that the Filipino people have es-
taH!iShed the stable government de-
handed by Congress as prerequisite
for the granting of Independence
government elected by the
.ea. of the aReople. which is sup
4f tN-tNe people, which is capable
"'r!ng order and of fulfilling
Onal obligations
mine question is therefore
"r1sfion of politics, argu-
}0"@tion. TO the Philip
' cast It is now Ques-
Ter they United States is
rec its own obligations
'eSeiy. America went
N the recent war as
-'rlb'on # "self-determi-
pnos cannot see how
ts'cl. thy refuse to act.
% people. however, have
r grievance against the
"c"0le. Theirs is a message
nip and gratitude They seek
once as the natural and log
't. y hAC VI AutIICdS policy III
Glands and of Americas solemn
50 TO them. They come willing
privileges and concessions not
''~Nntihe with their national wei
Filip'no people are willing to
% ~ independence under any OF the
wing conditiops Under a League
of Nations, guaranteeing its territorial
Integrity; under the professionalism
of the United States for the first few
years; under a treaty of neutrality be.
tween the United States, England, ia
pan, France and other powers, or even
without any condition whatever-abso-
lutte and complete independence. They
have no fear OF Japan. Philippine fn-
dependence, In our opinion, Is not inira.
ical 10 Japanese interests. The Japa.
nese are now free TO come to the Phil
ippines, but at the present time there
are less than 10000 Japanese In the
islands. There are six times as many
Japanese in California as there are In
the entire Philippine Archipelago.
The Filipinos are willing to tnke
their chance az nation. Smaller ma
tions beset by graver problems and
dangers have taken a more hazardous
chance mt freedom, and have sue,