The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-12-11

covers a period of nine years, dating
back to when i started the aerial
defense movement In the United
States, which resulted in the or
ganization of aerial reserves In diff
ferent States and supplied the
United States army and navy with
more than 5000 men partly trained
and educated In aeronautic Snatters
when the United States entered in
the world war.
In 1918 Colonel Frank p. Lahm.
United States army, then lieuten-
ant in charge of the Signal Corps
Aviation School at Fort Mckinley,
made an aerial survey Of the need
Of q system Of defense. He sent It
to me with a letter urging me to
make known the facts about the
wealth and value Of the Philippines
from foreign aggression.
Our Farthest Frontier"
A superficial study impressed ms
with the importance of the Philip
pines to the United States and I
took the matter UP with Colonel
Roosevelt, Major-General Leonard
Wood, Brigadier- General Robert X
Evans, Rear-Admiral Bradley A.
Fiske, u. s. N, and other military
and naval authorities. They all con-
firmed Colonel Lahm's estimate OF
the importance of adequate protec-
ton for the Philippines.
The importance Of having oil re-
serves for the United States was
not yet realized then. because the
use of oil was still on a compare
lively small scale. Nevertheless.
without the necessity OF protecting
the oil resources OF the Philippines.
the need Of providing adequate de-
lenses was apparent.
Few people realize the import
ance of the Philippines, which
Colonel Lahm very aptly described
eight years ago as "Our farthest
frontier"
Tho Philippines are rich in min
erals. in products which nations
would like to control. There are
over seven thousand islands in the
Philippine group, @ dozen ranging
from the size Of Rhode Island to
almost that of New York State.
They have not all been explored.
but the limited explorations con-
Quoted to date have shown that
they are rich in petroleum, coal.
gold, silver. precious stones. copper.
iron, asbestos. gypsum, sulphur.
alum. Manganese and other miner
ais.
The fertile Philippine farms and
plantations, covering over eight
million 5000. O00) acres, yield rich
crops Of rice, hemp. sugar cane. to-
bacco, corn, cocoanuts and other
staple products, while tho Island
forests, which cover over 10000
square miles, are rich In valuable
timber, gums. raisins, dye wooos'
dye bark, rattan. bamboo, etc.
The Philippine exports amounted
to y$114.575.398 in 1918, and $113.
$4,000 in 1919 and increased In ls2o
by SO per cent over 1913.
The Philippines cover 11%.4oe
square miles and therefore are
larger than any of our forty-four
States. Tho only States having q
larger area are Texas, 265,s96
square miles: California, 16s.2s7;
Montana, LAG, 1897. and New Mexico.
1854 square miles.
In fact, the Philippines cover .
larger area than New York. New
Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware.
MARYLAND. Massachusetts,, New
Hampshire, Vermont. Rhode Island
and the District Of Columbia, which
combined total only 105,578 square
miles.
Philippine on.
The exclusion Of Americans from
tho worlds oil field through efforts
of the British and British-Dutch
Rovernment-controll oil monopo-
lies gives an added value to the
Philippine Oil resources. 1t supplies
an additional reason for adequately
protecting the Philippines and for
not acceding to Japan's proposal not
to build protective forts. Inc Phii-
ippines in American controi ana
adequately protected by forts ana
aeroplanes are not q danger to any
nation, while under the controi Oh
any other nation they would threat
an peace and international COM
meroe on tho Pacific.
AS william Randolph Hearst has
very aptly pointed out:
Stationary Qualifications can only
be used defensively, mover agEres-
siyely. Therefore Japan's proposal
merely means that the United States
possessions must not be prepared
Tor defense when attacked. The
United States can have no objection
to Japan terrifying F0rmOsa and her
other legitimate possessions because
tho United States has no desire or
intention to attack Japan. Japan
could not possibly object to tho
United States erecting defense for
tifIcations in Its own territory II
Japan did not contemplate war with
the United States and occupation BY
force Of ARMS"
Japan knows moro than anybody
else the value of the Philippines.
for the sample reason that japan IL
made I'D of a group of islands like
and near the Philippines. Without
the colonial" islands Of Chosen.
Formosa, Pescadores, and Karafuto.
Japan ID less than one-third larger
than the Philippines, covering 1887
758 square miles, against ne Philip
pines 144.400 square miles.
Lord Curzon, the British foreign
secretary. in his memorandum OF
April 81, 1921, to Sir Auckland
Geddes. the British Ambassador at
Washington, referring to the laws
adopted to the Philippine government
restricting the exploitation OF oil.
stated:
Regulations were introduced last
year in the Philippines restricting
the exploitation of certain lands to
citizens OF tho United States and OF
the Philippines. In this action. In