The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-07-18
Question May Be Brought
Before Disarmament
-. Conference
UNITED STATES WILL
NOT DEBATE TIME
Seeks Only Guarantee of Territorial In
tegrity BY Other Powers After indie
pendence Is Granted Would Give
Confidence In Japan's Attitude.
By DAVID LAWRENCE
Especial Dispatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1921

Especial Dispatch To Inc he1Ormer.)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON. July lS.-The dis
armament conference to be held here
next fall may decide the future status
of the Philippines.
President Harding himself is notl
averse to discussion of the Philippine
question with other powers. Naturally
the United States will not debate with
any other government the question of
when independence shall be granted,
but. on the other hand. is ready to talk
over international international aspects
/ of the Philippine problem. In other
words, when the United States grants
independence to the Philippines will the
other powers join in guaranteeing the
territorial integrity of the Philippines
| The proximity of Japan to the Phil-
tippines has led to the oft-repeated
statement on the part of public men
! in both Japan and the United States,
! to the effect that the Philippines con-
| stitute a possible source of friction in
the future. Former President Taft at
one time said in public speech that
Japan would never secure the Philip
pines, because she could not coloniZeI
| there on account of the climate New
| ertheless, military and naval experts
| have always insisted that in a possible
| quarrel between the United States and
| Japan. the latter would Immediately
/ land an eXpedtonary force and hold
| the Philippines, in order to draw Amer
| lean forces to that region OF the Pa
| cifc. This would make the United
States carry the battle 5000 miles away
from American bases of supply.
| Fart ifieatiOuS a Rig EXDenSP
The fertilization of the Philippines
| has been one of Americas chief items
| of expense. and the prospect OF keep
| ing a protecting army over the Philip
pines even after independence has been
granted has not been relished here. OBJ
! viously. one of the practical questions
of he disarmament conference is how
to reduce military and naval expenses
/ now borne directly by the taxpayers.
| Indeed America might have granted in
dependence to the Philippines during
1.-THE Wilson administration if it had
ment with other governments for the
i naturalization of the Philippines 1t
Twill be recalled, however, that while MIR.
4 Wilson at first warmly advocated in
1 same was passed by the house, he re-
II versed himself when the measure
i reached the senate, and was instrumen-
tai in finally preventing action, His
Il reasons were never made public, but IT
lis commonly supposed that interna-
H tional events caused the sudden change.
| The World war had begun, and Japan
] had engaged in it with the definite pur-
h pose of achieving a dominant position
in the Far East. 1t was impossible at
Il that time to rivet the attention OF
Il Great Britain and the other powers on
i the matter of naturalization of the
i Philippines. because all the powers were
/ absorbed i'm the war against Germany
/ Feeling, therefore. that the time was
| not ripe for an international agreement
| to fix the status of the Philippines, Mr..
| Wilson POSTPONED action. 1t is signiti
cant, however, that III his closing mes
| sage to congress last December he re
| vived the issue and formally expressed
he hope that independence would be
/ granted the Philippines.
Harding's Problem.
/ President Harding is mindful of the
aspirations of the Filipinos, but he Is
| actuated also by ~ desire to save Amer
4 lea future expense in maintaining costly
! Notifications and military and naval
| forces in the Philippines when by inter
| national agreement the Philippines
| could be made a matter of common con
| Germ to all the powers. Indeed, there
would be no necessity for the mainte-
nance of an American fleet in Asiatic
/ waters if all the nations entered into
| a solemn agreement not to violate the
| independence OF terrltOrlal integrity OF
/ the Philippines when they We're set
free by the United States.
The question of whether or not free
dom shall be given the Philippines is a
domestic matter, and as such the other.
| powers attending the disarmament con-
| ference next fall would not feel war
ranted in tackling it any more than
outside nations have felt disposed to
interfere as between Ireland and Great
| Britain The United States. on the
other hand. by taking the initiative and
lettering for discussion simply the inter
national aspect of the Philippines ques
| ton, will remove all doubts which the
lpowers might otherwise have had as to-
the propriety of entering into the dis
| cuSslOn
As Mr.. Harding himself indicated,
the scope of the disarmament confer
ence will be determined when it actu-
allv gets into session, but no secret is
made here of the fact that the United
| States would like to have all the
powers, including Japan, 60 on record
as guarant eeing the territorial integrity
of the Philippines whenever indepen-
dence shall be decided upon by the
/ United States. If this can be accom-
rlished. one of the possible sources of
! friction and war in the Far East will
| have been removed and America 3 mill
/ tarv and naval expense can corresponds
! ingly be diminished from year to year.