Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-07-26

PHILIPPINES IS
LIKELY SOLUTION
Problem One Of Most
Difficult Faced By
Harding


port which Major General Wood and
| Governor Forbes will submit to him
upon their return from the Philip
pines, he will find himself in hot wa
ter, whatever he may do.
If he fails to recommend that Con.
| gress grant independence to the is
lands, the Filipinos will make things
! uncomfortable for him; if he does
recommend independence, he may
cause a split in his own party.
For tins reason 1t Is considered as
more than likely that the president
| will seek a compromise solution which
will not displease either Americans
or Filiplnos to such an extent that
there will be a revolt against this
| decision.
But this will be difficult. Ameri-
cans here are emphatically in favor
of the United States retaining con-
troll over the Archipelago. More than
that, they are in favor of strengthen
| ing American control, instead of
weakening it, while Filipinos are m
sistlng upon complete separation.
The situation, minus the fighting
and bad blood, is not unlike that with
which England is confronted in Ire
land.
Both sides want what they want.
Neither will they be satisfied with
compromise, and the side that doesn't
| get what it wants in the finai settle
ment may be relied upon to raise
merry Ned.
| 1o,,or,loy,+ pn,o1ica1 p aci-
dent Commissioner GabaldOn that
he would solve the Philippine ques'
ton during his term in office, he let
himself in for mans size job, IN
/ the opinion of the leading Americans
out here.
"We are afraid the president eth
1 er overrated his powers or under
rated the complexity of the problem
said the Times, owned by the wealthy
/ sugar man, George H. Fairchild, re-
Gently called to Washington tc confer
with Republican party leaders.
"There is only one way to settle
definitely the Philippine question"
the Fairchild organ declared, "ahd
that is to make the Philippines a
state of the Union.
"a state may not secede from the
Union nor can Congress ever sep
arate state from the Union.
"Yet that the Philippines shall be
| made state of the Union in the
near future is entirely outside the
range of probability.
Granting the Philippines their
independence would not settle the
matter definitely as no one could say
whether or not the United States
would find it necessary subsequently
to return to the islands.
"That the Philippines shall be
granted their independence in the
near future is also entirely outside
, the range of probability So
to expect that the Philippine prob
lem will be definitely settled within
the next three or four years is de-
lusion."
Nevertheless both Americans and
| Filipinos in the islands are vocifer-
ously demanding an early settle
| ment.
/ Capital will never come to the
I islands" natives and Americans
| agree, until the status Of the coun-
| try is fixed and business men can
know precisely what to count on,
Another factor which will not make
! the decision any easier for Pres
ident Harding is that Americans and
! Filipinos alike are sore, not with one
another, but because they claim they
have been forgotten" by America.
Since Mckinley and Bryan fought
out the battle of imperialism in
1900. and the insurrection in the
Philippines was put down, the island
ers claim they have been shelved
and lost to mind.
Now that General Wood and
Forbes are here making an investiga-
ton for President Harding, and he
question, the expectations of both
has promised to solve the Philippine
sides are keyed way up.
For action we plead!' is the cry
of the Manila Bulletin, speaking for
both Americans and Filipinos.
at is very nice for visitors from
the homeland to come and tell us
how they are impresses with the Won
4 derful possibilities here" the paper
continues, "and hom the natural re-
sources of the country exceed their
expectations, IS We have known
that a long, long time. What we want
is support of efforts to develop the
undeveloped, to till the untitled and
open the unopened treasures.
I'VE urge the visitors to carry back
home the message Hurry up and
do something. "
When Congress, upon recommen-
dations from President Harding and
backed by the Woods-Forbes Commits
sion report on the island, does some
thing" another battle of words sec
ond only to that over the peace treaty
seems likely
American and Filipino aspirations
are diametrically opposed.
Americans claim they would be
completely ruined by Philippine in
dependence; that they cast their lot
with the Philippines under the vir-
tual promise of their party that the
islands would be retained; that to go