Evening star., 1926-05-09
ARTICLE III.
BY RALPH STOUT,


ing out of the agitation for
independence and the opposition to it
from the small number of Americans
i'm the islands.
All this centers in Manila; in fact,
20 miles outside of the capital in
dependence seldom is mentioned save
at election time or when the politicos
seek to stir Filipino patriotism as at
present. when a drive for a fund to
maintain propaganda in the United
States is pending. The great bulk of
the Filipinos are contented. They
have prosperity. and Il greater meas
ure of liberty than was ever theirs.
Fear Acts of Hotheads.
But there is well grounded apprehen-
sion as to what this independence agi-
tation may lead to eventually. At this
stage both sides desire to avoid a situ-
alton which may, at any moment,
through the action of Filipino or
American hotheads, produce blood
shed. The orators tell their native
hearers of violation of the sacred
promises of the United States of the
desire of the Invaders to gobh!e up
their land and keep them as serfs for
ever: that continuance of American
sovereignty under any form means the
abandonment OF the dreams of nation
ality.
In recent address to the Philippine
harriSters Dean kalaw Of the college
OF law of the insular university. ad-
viSed his hearers on what to do to
bring about independence.
Write novels he said, (which tell
of the peculiar charms of our women
or the romance of our ancient civiliZa-
lion. Tell them of the intellectual
work of our leaders in the past, of the
t-in of m, ior, horooS
of the genuine efforts of a race whom
destiny will undoubtedly lead to a bet
ter fate. but who is as vet subject
to an unjust and foreign domination.
We shall also arouse the Unborn sense
of justice of the American people into
the realization of the great sense of
wrong this country has done in the
Philippines"
Danger of 0u:!rcaIis Seen.
These and similar utteranCes go and
have gone to the creation Of Ill feeling
likely to flare up at any moment.
There was apprehension OF Il clash on
the National Prayer day" on Wash
ingtons birthday. when several thou
sand F'ilipinos assembled, principally
in Manila. and prayed to God for de-
liverance from their oppressors. Amer
lean authorities saw to it there were
squads of armed men in civilian dress
in all the gatherings and larger armed
forces within quick call to quiet any
disturbance that might arise. Among
the Americans are radicals who ask
Isn't it about time for us to oil UP
our guns
In the event that serious conflict
came. OF the II 900 soldiers on the
islands approximately 5000 are Fill
pinOs, officered largely by Americans.
What the course of Filipino troops
would he would remain for the future
to unfold, but the bulk of Americans
have no uncertain views as to this
In addition, following out the policy
of placing complete faith in the ma
tives, the Americans have put in the
hands of some $500 Filipino high
school students $500 Filipino high
which they use in drills by their mill
tary instructors.
Sneered at Gen. Wood.
The tone of these lines would be
called unduiy alarming by many peo-
pie in Manila. but the fact remains
that there is in existence a strong
undercurrent Of hostility TO the Amer
lean Government. II is manifested by
frequent sneers by Filipino leaders. at
Gov. Gen. Wood by the talk of boy
colt on American business men and in
many subtle ways which show not
only lack of gratitude for what the
United States has done for the islands
but an increasing desire for separation
and the removal of any American in
reference with expenditure of the
island revenues. This feeling is fan
ned consta ntly by the independence
agitation, skillfully conducted by the
political leaders which is certain to
intlame hostility to the United States
in inCrea sing measure, to make the
Stars and Stripes to the great inarticu-
late mass of the people symbol of
tyranny and oppression.
AT present the Independence agita-
ton has not spread far from Manila.
but the politicos are. through the
power intruSted to them by the Amer
lean Congress. by the appointments
they control throughout the islands
and the power they have through the
Legislature endeaTOring to enlarge the
field. The origin and the conduct of
he agitation is TagaloG and Eiscayan.
The mestizo type of these tribes pre-
dominating. These represent less than
Two million of the eleven million peo-
pie in the islands. The Tagalogs and
NiscayanS have a stronger infusion of
Spanish and Chinese blood than any
other of the MANY tribes. For more,
than 300 years the Tagalog land.
which is the part of Luzon around
Manila, was under Spanish tutelage.
That shows its effect today
Tagalogs the Agitators.
~ Spanish influence never penetrated
the remote districts: in fact it covered
a small part of the Philippine Islands.
The TagalOgs have been the agtators
and the revolutioniStS. Aguinaldo and
the great body of his followers were
Tagalog.
You cannot go outside of Manila
without being impressed with the de-
velopment under American sovereign
~. There are the schoolhouses built
under American initiative, the rock
roads which the Americans began to
build soon after they put down the
Aguinaldo rebellion and the artesian
wells at frequent intervals, another
American idea. The artesian we'll was
responsible for striking decrease in
water-borne diSease-dySentary ty-
phoid and typhus and cholera. The
native no longer goes to the sluggish
stream for water. but every barrio. as
the villages are called. has it's hydrant,
supplying fresh. pure water from an
. arteSlan we'll $50 to $50 feet deep.
Along the roads you encounter natives
with two 5-gallon Standard Oil cans.
the popular bucket of the Orient, on
pole trotting homeward from the
hydrant with his water supply.
The native lives in the same kind
OF nipa hut he did when the Ameri-
cans came 28 years ago. He still plods
behind his carabao in the field, often
with the same old pointed stick for a
plow, although some have adopted
American plows and very few even
tractors. Children run about as of
old, naked save for brief shirt
although there has been vast improve