Evening star., 1925-01-16
The Future of the Philippines
BY FRANCIS B. LOOMS.

ritory of the people of the United
States. The Philippines are ase much
a part Of the territory of the United
States as that included in the Louis
lana purchase or Alaska
Having acquired the Philippines
Congress was authorized by the Con-
stitution to provide a government for
the first temporary act, followed IN
August, 1916, by the second act
| called the permanent act. These acts
| or charters to the Philippine govern
| ment differ only from the charters Of
other territories organized by Con-
gress in matters of detail.
The provision of the act establish
| ing the so-called more permanent
Jones bill, is preceded by a preamb BILE
which is said to convey the solemn
promise of independence. This pre-
| amble has no legal force and Is not
| binding upon our people and con-
| tains no solemn promise, az is loud1ys
claimed by the advocates of Philip
pine independence.
No Valid Promises Are Made.
| President Mckinley never made such
a promise nor has Congress made
such a promise. Some of our public
men since McKinley's time have held
out the hope for ultimate independ-
ence, but none of these declarations
| has been authoritative nor could
they be binding upon the people of
the United States. The entire failure
| of Congress or the people to ratify
President Wilson's promises at Yer
sailles is sufficient proof of this con-
tention. Their alleged belief In a
| promise of independence has been
| utilized by the Filipino agitators to
support their cause and their propa-
ganda which has, of late, assumed a
character deeply offensive to the
| PATRIOTIC sensibilities of all Ameri-
cans in the islands.
| It should be clearly understood that
there has never been any definite
promise made anywhere by anybody
to give the Filipinos independence.
that is, not without a condition and
| that condition was that they were to
be prepared to maintain a stable gov
ernment. BY stable government Is
! meant one that Is able to maintain
peace and security and guarantee jus
! tfce for the individual and safety for
| property at home, and to resist op-
preston from abroad. This is the
| measure of real governmental stabil-
ity. There never has been genuine
stability in the Philippines except
that furnished by the presence and
power of the United States As a mat
ter of fact, the Filipinos have great
er degree of independence than most
any other people in the world. They
are in no way oppressed as to their
liberty nor impaired in their develop
ment. They have more individual
liberty than the people of the United
States. The Volstead act did not ap-
ply to the Filipinos when 1 was there.
| Would Suffer Economically.
+, If independence were given the
| Filipinos they would be in q very
unfortunate plight. They would lose
their free access to the markets of
the United States; that me3ns they
would lose pesos per picul on sugar,
| which amounts to SO gold on every
139 pounds Of sugar. They would be
unable to compete with Java or Cuba.
They could not enjoy independence
| and free access to our markets be-
cause of more than SO treaties which
we have with other nations, which
provide that they must have the bene-
fit of competing under favorable
terms in the particular products cov-
cred by these treatieS
/ In the next place tpey would lose
the protection Of the Army and Navy