Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-08
Filipino Freedom
Urged by Leaders

cacy OF its own handiwork, the new
treaty, aud 10 show lack oi con-
hdence In is new allies.
"Thcre is not the slightest reason
10 doubt but that the four-power
treaty is IN good faith. and il il Is. .
Philippine republic. the first Chris
tian democracy OF the far cast, viii
be perfectly safe. II the United
States set Il up as daughter repub.
lie. the four sreatyst nations on earth
will be behind il.
Advance Neutrality Plan.
"But. should there be the least an
prehension on this score, il will now
be a comparatively easy aud simple
matter for the United States 10 IN
duce its allies, Japan. Great Britain
and France. TO sign a special Philip
pine republic neutrality agreement.
There is every reason TO believe
the three allies would sign such an
agreement il asked 10 do so by the
United States. No nation could afford
TO refuse TO sign and thus so early
risk the worlds unfavorablc conclu-
sions as to its good faith respect
ing the new treaty as we'll as its hon
orablc intentions toward the Philip
pines.
But the really important develop
mcnt is that the Japanese bugaboo
has received its death blow. The
propitious opportunity has arrived
for the United States to keep its oft
repeated pledge to the people Of the
Philippine Islands"
The important consideration to the
advocates Of Philippine independence
is that the four-power treaty paves
the way to naturalization agree
ment. The four-powcr Pacific pact
itself protects the Philippines only
so long as they remain American
territory. II they should become in
dependent the Pacific treaty no long
er would apply to them and Japan
would be absolved from obligation to
respect their territorial integrity. The
protection could then be extended to
the Philippines only by making them
party to the treaty or by executing
a special naturalization agreement.
In answering the Wood-Forbes re-
port averring that a stable govcrn-
inent warranting independencc has
not been established in the Philip
pines. Commissioners De Veyra and
Gabaldon aimed a few shots at con-
ditions in the United States.
Explain Court Congestion.
Criticism is heaped on inferior
courts and an unstable government
inferred, in the report because in
hundreds of different courts Of the
islands, including the supreme, mt
nicipal and justice. the report alleges
that $4,000 cases are pending on the
different court dockets. If true in
fact, they regret this congestion in
the judicial branch of our govern
ment, but they submit that by the
same standard the United States gov
ernment might be found unstable be-
cause eight federal courts out Of
more than 100 in this country report
ed 63.844 cases pending on their
dockets, according to statistics Of
fered in congress last week.
Bearing in mind the unexccelled
record for peace, order and law-abid-
ing citizenship existing in the islands
which is admitted in the Wood
Forbes report, and without any pur-
pose Of criticizing conditions else
where, we frankly say that stories
of lynching, holdups of armed mail
trains and orders of shoot to kill.
bank robberies and crime generally,
related in the daily press here would
shock and confound the frequently
exploited head hunters and war
ring Filipinos who long ago joined
their peaceful neighbors and are now
abiding citizens of the islands"