The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1922-02-02
GENERAL WOOD STAG
ING ANOTHER FIASCO

The Filipinos have their spokesman
in Washington, and these men, in
Congress. and in their educational
propaganda, have jumped onto the
so-called Wood-Forbes anti-lndepen-
dence report with all feet. When
General Wood and the former Gov
ernor Forbes went to the Phlllp-
mines in March, everyone knew that
they would make report that would
"staIl" the independence movement
for awhile, at least. To be fair with
these gentlemen, that was what they
were sent for.
Commissioner Gabaldon is giving
the widest possible publicity to the
position of his people. eve want
independence" he declared on the
floor Of the House of Representatl-
the other day, "but we are not knock
ing at the doors of Congress with
any bitterness in our hearts. But to
prove to us that independence is the
greatest blessing of mankind, as you
have succeeded in doing, and that it
is the one thing that every patriotic
citizen is justified in dying to obtain,
and then to deny US that Independent
ce, would surely be cruel accom-
plshment."
The Filipinos are handling Gene
raj Wood very respectfully, but they
have punched his report so full OF
holes that the General stands no more
show in the final resume of the sub
iect-which must eventually be rea-
ched by the American Congress, than
he did in his attempts to pick off the
Republican nomination la Newber-
ry in the Chicago convention last
year.
We have just had a great interna-
tional conference in Washington in
which many nations havesEoiced their
grievances, and one neaa only to re-
gard the upheaval of opAion in SYM
pathy with China to understand that
the heart of the people who believe
in democracy" still beats honestly
and patriotically for people who are
ambmitious to rule and govern them
selves. The PHILIPPINE problem be-
longs to the American nation, and
there is no question but what we
must meet it fairly. The Filipinos
are making their own wishes known,
and it is apparently true, as they sta
tie, that the selfish commercial inter-
ests that have grown up in the Is
lands, and that are mainly directed
by Americans, are obstructing their
progress towards self-government.
The Filipinos admit that the Ameri-
can government has been their bene-
factor; but they are pardonably
proud of their remarkable progress,
and very insistent for recognition of
the fact that their advancement along
educational, industrial and political
lines, must not be swept aside by a
mere thing like report" even tho
it happens to be made by a man who
has attained distinction by reason of
Presidential preference under two
Administrations. They challenge
General Woods report as opinonated
and lacking in true presentation of
the facts. Congress does not need
to be told that the Wood-Forbes re-
port teens with statements that are
contradictory of the conditions by
some of the ablest men in the Senate
and the House-members of both par
ties, who have personally gone to the
PHILIPPINES and made reports" that
were not inspired. The Wood report
involves the future status in the
World of ten million people in the
Phillipines-and, as usual, General
Wood is not convincing.
One is reminded by the Wood
Forbes report of the definition found
under the word report" in the Uni
versal Dictionary, which says: "The
sound of an exposition; loud noise;"
and defined more clearly in the next
line by a quotation from Shakes
peare's Midsummer Nights Dream,
which reads: "Rising and cawing at
the guns report"
INTEREST IN CON-
FERENCE WAVES