Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-21
Editorial Digest
Remember the Filipinos.

When President Wilson in his mes
Sd ge to Congress recommended Philip
pine independence he opened discus
sion of question which. while ad-
mittedly not a pressing one. has
aroused sufficient interest to line up
the press of the country pretty def
initeiy for and against the proposal.
Opposition is prompted chiefly by
doubt as to the Filipino's capacity for
wisdom of creating an additional
small nation" to add to the present
world-chaos More positive disap-
proVai. however. comes from number
of papers which see in such step q
definite danger in relation to the
}; panese problem. Those who sup
port the idea-democratic papers in the
main-do SO largely because 1t is a
matter of keeping faith" and be-
cause. in their opinion. the policy of
holding the islands has never had
popular approval either from the
standpoint of principle or of expense
Agreeing with the Newark On J.,)
News independently, that there is no
Indication that the incoming admin
stration even family considers sever
ing the tie that binds the islands to
dependency, feels. nevertheless, that it
was the Presidents right and his
duty to remind his successor that the
problem exists" And the Cleveland
News (republican). while it believes
that the American people in general
having forgotten Philippine independ-
ence until thus reminded of it, no
longer care hang about it one way
or the other still holds that the sug-
gestion should not be rejected by the
next administration simply because
it comes from Mr.. Wilson"
Sooner or later. the Des Moines Reg
lister Gnd. rep) warns. I'VE have got
are to be held the United States must
have much stronger hand" than it
now has. and moves toward that end
will be construed by the Filipinos las
meaning that our possession is to be
made permanent" with the result that
unrest will increase with uncertainty.
But most papers advise against pre-
mature Philippine independence" un-
til. as the South Bend Und) Tribune
(ind. rep) expresses it, this country
is certain that the Filipinos "are able
to stand upon their own feet and play
the game. America is ready when
ever the people of the islands are, the
Buffalo News rep.), asserts: the
question is whether that time has ar
rived"
American protection should con-
tinue, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Und. rep.) maintains, until such time
as the Philippines are ready to take
up the risks and responsibilities of
giVe-and-take battle with the rest of
the world" And. the Arizona Repub-
ncan U'hoenix. ind. prog) adds. the
Eiiipinos cannot yet be quite sure that
particularly since the world has not
yet recovered from the world war.
The lust OF blood and conquest has not
yet entirely cooled. and political temp
tations are dangerously strong"
the New York Tribune trepJ as the
very reason for not granting indie
pendence to the Philippines now, and
setting them loose to drift about in a
chaotic world"
The risk of aggression upon the Phil
ippines. many papers point out. would
the north" where. the Tacoma (Wash.)
News Tribune Independently asserts
Japan looks on with greedy eyes" In
dependent Of America, will the Philip
pines. the Knoxville Journal and Til
bune republican, asks. ''be independ-
ent Of Japan?" since that country. the
Nashville Banner Independently adds,
regards them as her natural prey and
will likely annex them" In such q de-
velopment the Steubenville (Ohio) Her
gests that their so-called freedom
might be worse" than their present
state.
In the opinion Of the Grand Island
tNeb.) Independent independently there
is nothing else to do unless the country
wants to stamp itself not only al COM
pletely repudiating its promise to these
people but also of having been
insincere and false when it demanded
for all peoples as one Of IT'S war aims.
the right Of 'self-determination of ma
tons" The Acquisition of the ISL
ands," says the New Orleans States
(democrat), was never popular, and
time has not developed any fixed senti-
ment in favor Of holding them; more
over. the proposed emancipation Is ap-
propriate at time when so many
Americans are venturing to tell England
what to do with Ireland" The Florida
Times-Union (democratic) takes an ex-
IRENE view of our whole record in the
Philippines. calling 1t the first blot" on
our history.