The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-26
FLAYS
WOOD RULE
IN ISLANDS
Alfredo Samson Charges Gov
ernor General With Military
Dictatorship.
Bv ALFREDO SAMSON,
President. Filipino Club of Wash
ingtOn, ID. G.

Francis Burton f1dFEISOH was gov
ernor general Of the Philippine
Islands for nearly eight years. He
was the idol of, the Filipino people.
When he sailed away from our
shores he received the greatest
ovation that any man Of a white
skin ever received in the Orient.
In his farewell report to the
Secretary of War at Washington,
he said: "a sense Of injustice must
never be allowed to gather Roadway
among these people. All of their
past history shows that they are
slow to formulate such sentiments
and slower to give them outward
expression, but that the accumula-
ton Of grievances quietly gathering
through the years will eventually
result in a sudden explosion"
These words were prophetic and
are explanatory of the situation
in the islands today. There will be
no explosion" in a physical sense,
for our leaders are too level-headed
and too loyal and grateful to Amer
lea for anything Of that character
to happen.
Woods Reign "IntOIerable."
But the Filipino people have be-
come determined that the ruthless
trampling upon our rights under
the Jones law must cease. The
reign of Gen. Leonard Wood has at
last become intolerable.
use the word general" instead
Of the word governor" purposely.
for the administration of Gov
ernor Wood has had all the fea-
lures of a military dictatorship,
and very few Of the characteristics
Of an administrator who believes
policies should be formulated and
applied with the consent of the
governed.
Since General Wood has been gov
ernor general of the Philippines
his headquarters, Malacanang Pal.
ace, has resembled nothing so much
as a military headquarters. He
keeps constantly surrounded by uni
formed military aids, who are his
chief advisers in all matters of
state and government, instead of
responsible Filipino leaders duly
elected by the people, as under the
Harrison administration.
Government by army officers Of
ones own race is bad enough, but
pity the people under the sway of
army lords whose skins happen to
be Of different tint. In such a
case, the rights of the native popu-
lation are on occasions trod under
foot with about the same ceremony
that a grown-up treats the protests
Of a small child. It will be best
for them II they are not all scnsi-
tive; If they have no pride and
little patriotism.
No Use to Appeal.
Little use to appeal to the mill
tary mind" about promises of mo
backward stone" consent of the
governed" and so forth, for such
appeals may only provoke smiles
into hearty laughter.
For instance, the Filipinos own
and operate their own railroads, ma
tional bank, sugar centrals and &C.
ment factory. General Wood laid
down the edict that they must "get
out Of business and stay out"
Before the government took over
the railroads, they charged exces-
sive rates for miserable service.
under government ownership the
efficiency has greatly improved,
mileage extended and they are pay
ing a nice profit. But this made
no difference with. our general.
Perhaps he was afraid the Ameri-
can people might come to know that
railroads can be operated success
fully under national ownership, and
success in this line by Filipinos
would be a bad object lesson.
So General Wood attempted to
arbitrarily lease the railroad to New
York capitalists. But it so hap
pened that he could not do this
without the signatures of ma
jority of the board of directors,
which included Senate President
Quezon and other Filipinos leaders.
They have absolutely refused to-
sanction the leasing of the road.
They likewise refused to close the
Philippine National Bank, which
entirely at the mercy of foreign
capital.
Climax Has Come.
And now the climax has come.
The Philippine Commission of In
dependence, composed of all men,
bers of all political parties in the
islands, has passed resolutions ask
ing for General Woods recall.
Until he is recalled or resigns,
he is governing 100000 men,
women and children not only with
out their consent, but in spite of
their unanimous protest. Surely
this is a most remarkable situation
to exist in a land where flies the
Stars and Stripes.
The Commission of independence
has also, without a dissenting vote,
Endorsed the action Of the members
of the Council of State and the sec
retaries of departments remaining
as a protest against General Woods
arbitrary methods of government.
An attempt has been made to
give the impression that the Fill
pinos are divided. They are not
divided on this issue. Let the
American people make no mistake
about that.
There are threre political parties
in the islands-the CollectiVista,
the Nacionalista and the Democrats.
Ordinarily, on domestic issues, they
agree about as closely as the Re-
publican and Democratic parties in
the United States do. But on the
question of Philippines 1ndepend-
ence and on questions closely re-
lated thereto, such as the contro-