The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1920-04-30
n<.sM FL

~Q9 cent educallon
'~'"'~' What dc they
MaxImo "a. Kalaw. mean In black
a2d white?
Senator ShoSrn may think no people
Is capable Of seiS- government that does
not establish the judicial recall, or that
has no Billy Sunday John Smith OF
gosa syviae may think no people Is
capable Of self government that does
rat vote his democratic ticket, or go TO
cksreh on SUNDAYS.
CAPACITY Ter G2lfgoveTnment" Ia az
bgoad aAd elastic. as The world, and II
tkat should lie the criterion for tbs
granting Of Philippine Independence.
4aar.ca might &8 wea cay to the Fill
k,n0s. u win save YOU Independence
x'Rea It Uaeasag me to do So" ID
I'ortinatcly, the American promise
to the Philippines is not based on SUCH
ehScEYe and abstract conditions. 1t is
based on a definite seizable thing.
When Alnerica, through her Congress,
oficialiy told the Filipino pcople that
they would be granted their independ-
Ence as soon as they could establish q
stable goyernn ent, no abstract or OBJ
gcure 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 a stable government
then American troops would be with
drawn" AS soon RS the Cuban people
elected government suited to them
selves, capable of maintaining order
Gnl fulfilling all international obliga.
iiGrs, there was stable government
in Cuba, and American troops were
6';thdrawn.,
Nhon Congress- passed the Jones
Inv. il simply borrowed the phrase
''stable government" from the Cuban
history and applied it to the Philip
pines, The history Of Philippine leg
isiation ehows that in black and white.
With full knowledge of what 1t meant,
the Filipino people accepted the jones
law and Immediately began setting Mp
gress as prerequisite to- independ-
Snc4. The stable government Is new
. fact. 1t is indeed more tkan that: It
20 sn Undisputed fact.
The official representative Of the
Upited States in the Philippine Islands,
the Governor General, reported to the
American Congress and the adniniatxa-
tiaR that "the Filipino people have o.
tablished the stable government de.
handed By Congress as a prerequisite
Tor the granting of independence
namely, q government elected By the
suffrage Of the people, which II sup
ported by the people, which II capable
OF maintaining order and Of fulfilling
itB international obligations"
The Philippine question is therefore
no longer a question of politics, argu-
ment or supposition. To the Philip
pine mild. st least, 1t Is now q ques-
ton OF whether the United States Ia
ready to discharge its own obligations
fully and completely. America went
hafore the world In the recent war az
the avowed chSnsploA " self determL
nntion" 2nd EIlininos cannot see how
America esn consistently refuse to set.
The SHleiag Eso9ls, however, have
~ gyC1Ge or grievances against the
AxssFicsn people. Theirs is a message
Of friendship and gratitude They seek
Independence as the nstural and log
ieal. catso9ne Of Americas policy IN
the ixl&aGs and Of AsserIeas soieasR
promise So them. They ccme willing
TO s1ve privileges and concessions rot
saeoEApa ts0ia vita thaiF national vel
fsrS.
slle Filipino people are willing to
ACCEPT ind9DeRdence under any Of the
E9gow!zg e0nditiens: UEdeY a League
Of &a1ions, guaranteeing i<s territorial
NtogNsyi cater the ggotectorzteShiyl
~ 5ks Uaitat1 s:Gtea gog the drst few
years untser treaty 81 neutrality be.
tween the United states, England, ia.
Esa, France and other covers, or even
without any conditlon whatever-aSJe. |
IUte and complete independence. They
have no fear 0f Japan. Philippine in. /
dependence, In our opinion, L. not inlm. !
tsal to Japanese Interests. The Jspa. i
acee are nov free TO come TO the Phil. :
ippines, but at the present time there
ore less than 10000 japanese IN the
islands. There are six times 40 many
Japanese in California az there are II |
che entire Philippine Archipelago.
The Filipinos are willing to taxa
their chance as natl0n. Smaller ne |
tiOHs beset by graver problems and
dangers have taken more hazardous
chance at freedom, aRd have cue
eSeded,