The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-16
FILIPINOS ARE
MADE SLAVES TO
U. S. IMPERIALISM
Bereft of Last Remnant
of independence
BY Laurence Todd,
Federated Press,

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14.-No sooner
have the senatorial and congressional
elections passed than the Washing
ton administration has struck at the
existing rights of the Filipinos Gov
ernor General Wood has issued an ex-
ecutiye order dissolving the board OF
control which until now has named
the directors of the public utility cor
porations owned by the Filipino gov
eminent. His action is seen as the
first step toward the sale of these
government enterprises to private
American capital.
Vigorous Protest.
Vigorous protest is made by Cue
vara, the Philippine commissioner in
Congress, and by friends of the cause
Of Philippine independence. General
Wood was sent to the islands by Pres
ident Harding to balk the hopes of the
people for national sovereignty, and
he has worked hard at the task. From
the beginning of his rule he has tried
to force the legislature of the islands
| to consent to the sale of the Manila
Railroad Co., which operates a paying
property in Luzon. He has tried to
force the sale Of the Philippine Ma
tional Bank, the National Coal Co. and
the National Development Co., as well
as other public enterprises. But the
Fflipinos, led by Osmena don Quezon,
have steadfastly refused to permit the
nations properties to be disposed of.
Early this year Wood appealed to
the war department for legal ruling
as to whether the board of control
created by act of the Philippine legis-
lature in 1918 and amended in 1921,
to control these public corporations,
should be recognized. The legislature
had ordered that this board be COM
prised of the governor general, the
president of the senate and the
speaker of the lower house Of the leg
islature. Thus the Filipinos had a
two-to-one majority against Wood,
and overrode his suggestions as to
policy.
Gives @opinlon."
On April 16 General Hull, Judge adj
vocate general of the army, gave an
opinion that the board was illegal UNI
der the organic act passed by congress
for the islands, This opinion went to
the department of justice, and on Sept.
rs an opinion was given by Acting
Attorney General Donovan, who is a
protege OF Senator Wadsworth of New
York, likewise unfolding Wood. DON
ovan ruled that under the terms OF
the organic act all executive functions
must be performed by the governor
general or by departments controlled
by him. Also, that members of the
legislature are forbidden to hold any
other public office. And, finally, that
the basic concept Of American consti-
tutional government is the separation
of the executive from the legislative
branch. Donovan closed his decision
by declaring that until the legislature
should create a board which gave to
the governor-general the power to
name its members Wood had the right
to exercise personally the functions
claimed by the board.
FIIipinos' Resentment.
The Filipinos and their friends look
upon this as a raid upon publicly owned
properties Of the Filipino people, and
as an act OF suppression which calls
for new efforts to secure complete ma
tional Independence. Agitation for In
dependence will, accordingly, be slim
ulated in tha c0mfnp aeRsioy, ~ rom
gress, while bills will be introduced
with the object OF amending the or
ganic act so as to give to the Fillpinos
the absolute control Of their public
utilities. If Wood should now force
the sale of the bank, the railroad and
the coal mines, he may provoke real
storm in congress and make Philippine
independence once more national
issue.