The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-03-02
OPPOSITION DEVELOPS PATRI-
OTISM

II those who wrote the Wood FORBES
philippine independence report
believed they were thus placing the
aspirations Of a nation of people in
definitely on the shelf their work was
in vain.
Instead of acting as an anesthetic
TO the hopes and desires of the Phili-
pino people, it has served only as a
stimulant. To use subterfuge in OPP
posing the just and righteous nation
nlistic ambitions of people
IS only to fan the flames OF patri
otism of that people. History reports
this fact over and over again. The
Filipino desire for independence is to-
day stronger than ever. The Wood
Forbes recommendations have inten-
sified II.
Isauro Gabaldon, resident commits
sioner from the Philippines, in his last
speech on the floor of the house of
representatives, stated the whole sit
uation, when he said:
1.-THE recommendations made by the
mission are unsatisfactory to my peo
pie. We can neither agree TO them
nor 10 accept them. We can reach no
other conclusion than that the object
OF the investigator wa1 to find ex-
cuses for delaying independence in
stead OF to fulfill the promise of in
dependence upon the establishment of
a stable government contained IL the
Jones law of 1916.
I'VE can only feel that in deciding
upon our ftness f0e independence the
members of the mission set an arbi-
trary qualification that no government
on earth can now or ever win be able
TO meet. II we must wait until we are
100 per cent efficient. which is SEEM
ingly the standard the mission would
require OF us, our prospects are hope
less. The editorial opinions of many
American newspapers fully uphold our
contention that the mission has set
qualification for us that the United
States itself does not approach.
MY answer TO the Wood Forbes re-
port Is to demand anew, and with more
emphasis than ever before, the imme-
date granting OF independence to the
10000, 900 inhabitants OF the Philip
pine Islands. / insist that this is the
only logical and righteous answer the
Filipino people can make to this re-
port, because 1t does not contain a sin
gle justifable reason for America to
longer postpone the keeping OF its
solemn pledge 70 us. The Jones law
promised us independence upon one
condition, the establishment of a sta
BILE government. / submit, therefore,
that the Wood-Forbes report could
have justified the further delaying of
independence only by proving that we
have not yet established the specified
stable government. We today have
such a stable government The report
absolutely failed to disprove this fact.
AS the mission could not successfully
meet the real issue involved, 1t pro-
ceeded to ignore it.
'The report Is a clever but unworthy
attempt to change the issue from that
OF stable government TO a multitude of
other conditions not required by con-
gress. II this can be done, then in
dependence can be denied to Filipinos
forever. But congress never intended
that Independence should be denied us
by such subterfuge. Having a stable
government, we ask for immediate and
complete independence"
The Filipino people desire their in
dependence, and in the language OF
Camille Osias, President OF the Nation
al University. Manila, they viii be
satisfied with no other earthly exist
ence."