The Cordova daily times., 1921-07-08
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1921
THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Do the Filipinos really want independence? There is doubt of it in well informed circles i'll Washington.
 The visit of General Wood and former Gov crnor General Forbes to the islands has served to again put the Filipino independence question in the IimcIi@ht in Washington.
 While the politicians who want to exploit their people in the Eastern way, which means squeezing out of everything and everybody, every cent that the officials can get while these men cIamor for independence and to be mtut tered by even aS little restriction as Governor Harrison put upon them, the more solid mon of tIc Philippine islands have different ideas. They see that their development under the American flag k much more sure than il can be under native rulers.
 Then there k the ~poctrr of Japan. If the Ao.nl.m flag was withdrawn from the :,Iand. arI they made absolutely independent many moons would not rise to shed their wonderful siIvrry wilderness over the waning pains If the Philippines before the flag would be replaced in some fashion hy the mikado's banner of the Rising Sun. The Filipino business men see clearly that close trade relations with America will be far more profitable than any other con ncction they can make Therefore, it is to be- safely anticipated that General Wood and Gen cral Forbes will find the FiIIinos far more unanimous for independence and it is more than possible that referendum would show majority in favor of retaining their present connection.
 As for ourselves, the dispute eyer Yap has not made any converts for Filipino mdcpen- dence, but quite the reverse. II has brought the attention of people to the vast importance of Far Eastern connections, for in that dircc tion lies the greatest hope of business develop ment. Way back, even beyond the dawn of his tory the greatest trade in the world was with the teeming millions of the Far East. More than half the population of the world resided in China, Hundustan, Japan and the adjacent countries The discovery of the Cape of Good Hope built mp the wealth of England, Holland and France, while Venice and Genoa decaycd from not having as good route to the East as that discovered by Vasco de Gcma in 149SI around the most southern point of America.
 If our enterprising merchants embrace their opportunities which they are likely to do, they will bring the trade of the Far East 1000 miles across the Pacific to Seattle Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. They will have a great advantage over the European merchants who have to bring that trade 10000 miles around the Cape to Hope to London, Liv- erpool, Amsterdam, MarsoiIlcS and other points In order to secure this enormous trade we must have pretty thorough control of the Pacific, and the Philippines are absolutely necessary to that control. We want to hold on to the Islands precisely as we want to hold on to Honolulu and Guam
 It hardly needs the gift of prophecy to tell the Philippines that their dream of independence is hazy idealism which will burn out under the harsh fire of commercial conditions and national aspirants.
 We are not going to freely give np the islands, which may and, in all probability would, be used as powerful factor against us.
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