New-York tribune., 1921-12-05
Philippine Delusions


Legislature asking for representa-
ton in the Washington conference
contain serious misstatements. One
is that the islands "are possession
of the United States, but remain OUT
side the American Constitution, ifi-
stead Of forming an integral part of
the body Of the United States" So
far as sovereignty is concerned the
Philippines are an integral part of
the body of the United States. They
are not politically independent. They
are attached to no other recognized
state. They are in the American do
main and are subject to American
jurisdiction in all respects. The Su-
preme Court in the Philippine tariff
cases didn't hold that they were
wholly outside the Constitution, but
only that Congress was at liberty to
extend or not to extend to them spe-
cific provisions of the Constitution.
Congress was entitled, the court said,
to make separate laws for the Phil
ippines if it desired to do so.
A more glaring misconception is
that embodied in the following
statement: "Their 1.-THE islands']
future status has been determined
to be that Of an independent ma
ton. Congress is the only body
which could give them such status,
and Congress has never given it to
them. The Jones Philippine govern
ment bill, passed in 1916, announced
in its preamble that it was the in
tention of this government to give
the Philippines independence on
some unnamed future date. But
preambles have been held by the
courts not to constitute legislation.
The independence issue was
thrashed out in the fight over the
Jones bill Senator Clarke, of Ar
kansas, knowing that the preamble
meant nothing, offered an amend
ment in the Senate requiring ter
mination Of American sovereignty
within two years from the date of
the passage Of the Jones measure.
The President was to have author
ity to extend the evacuation period
to four years. The Senate adopted
the amendment and President Will
son asked the House to accept it.
The House refused, however. 1t
voted down the Clarke proposition
and instructed it's conferees to re-
port no agreement fixing a date for
the termination of American SOW
ereignty. The attempt to declare
the status of the Philippines to be
that Of an independent nation was
thus foiled.
Their status remains what it al
ways was. The agitation in this
country for casting the Philippines
adrift reached it's height in the Presi-
Dental campaign of 1900, when Mr..
Bryan made withdrawal his para
mount issue. We had then an "anti-
imperialist" political party. The
superficial hysteria of that era has
vanished. There is no visible popu-
lar demand to-day for the alienation
of our Far Eastern dependency.
Even in the Philippines, as General
Wood reports, the majority of the
people do not want independence.
Many Of the independista politicians
ask only qualified independence,
with the guaranty of American pro-
lection.
The islands are not fit for indie
pendence. Who can say that they
ever will be? Their best asset is
American sovereignty. Independ-
ence is neither to their interest nor
to our interest. There is neither
truth nor advantage to the Fill
pinos themselves in the claim
that their future status as an inde-
pendent nation has already been de-
termined by action taken in Wash
ington.