The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-14

ippines, 1000 miles from the Pacific coast of North America, furnish at once the greatest stake and the most difficult territorial problem of the United States in the Pacific" says a bulletin from the 1 Washington Headquarters of the Na- tional Geographic society,".
 l This is no tiny island territory like some of those that fly the Stars and Stripes in mid-Pacifc." continues the bulletin, but country of nearly l1e,oOo square miles, greater area than that of New York. Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Delaware and Maryland cc cmbined; or among the islands, greater than the three large south ern islands of Japan, upon which the life of that nation centered while it grew to imperial stature.
 This far-away territory of the United States is inhabited by 9,oo0,- 900 people of many races and differ- ent religions. less than a quarter the present population of the three most important Japanese islands. But the tropical Philippines, with their ann rle rainfall and 'luxuriant vegetation, are capable, in spite of their noun tainous character, of supporting a much larger population than at pres- ent
 l Magellan, who sailed almost around the world, and whose name has been given to the famous strait to the south of South America. dis covered the Philippines, sailing among them from across the Pacific l in 1521. He was killed shortly aft erward in skirmish with the na- tives. Magellan. though a Portu- guese, was operating for Spain, but 1 the Spanish were slow in asserting their sovereignty. They captured 1 the native city of Manila in 1870 and l founded the Spanish city the follow ing year.
 with only one slight break, Spain remained in control until Dewey de- feated the Spanish fleet in Manila bay in 1898, but it was not & peace I full possession. The Dutch attempt ed time and again to capture the Iarchipelago; Chinese and Japanese pirates made raids on the island cities; and In the sixteenth century Japanese Shogun actually demanded that the Spanish governor of the | | of Japan. The British captured Ma nila in 1762, and held it until the l following year. but their control did not extend outside the city. In addition the Spanish had to cope with the piratical Moros--Mohamme- dan Malays-of the southern islands, who were continually raiding the more developed lands to the north. Finally insurrection broke out, and it was in the midst of one of these l that the United States took control.
 Since pacifying the islands. the United States has given the Filipinos steadily increasing political control of ther affairs, The appointive com mission which ruled over the islands at first under the American regime has now given place to an elective house and senate, sand five of the seven members of the cabinet are Filipinos. The governor and vice governor are still appointed by the President of the United States. 1 Education has been the center of the American policy in the islands very small percentage of the natives were lterate in 1898. Numerous lan- guages and dialects were in use. and konly minority understood Spanish. It was determined to make English the common language and to open the necessary public schools to reach the great mass of children. By 1917 more than 4.OOo primary schools were in operation in charge of 13,377 Fili- pino and 417 American teachers. About half the estimated total of the l children of the islands-600,0 ,0UO-- were enrolled in that year. By 1920 ] the enrollment had reached 7sl.626. "The trade of the Philippines has llincreased tremendously since 1899. In that year the combined value of exports and imports was s32.o0o,ooo. lip 1917 the total was sl61. 1.oOo.oco.