Evening star., 1926-10-24
SAYS FILIPINO CENTERS
HOPE in INDEPENDENCE
Vicente G. Bunuan. Commenting on Col.
Thompson's Emphasis on Economic
Possibilities, Pleads for Liberty.

| limitation or the present land laws
and. in this way grow rubber in quan.
titles sufficient for the needs Of the
United States. Contract could he en-
tered into between the financing com.
pany and the small corporations by
! which rubber is to he delivered to
the former at the market price or at
price specified in the contract. Wheth-
| er or not American capital enters
| the Philippines. the FilipinOs are ex-
perimentine in rubber production and
will produce great quantities in the
next 25 wears.
An arrangement Of similar nature
| has been going on in connection with
our sugar industry. the success of
which testifies TO the fact that the
application Of our present land legisla-
tion Is not hampering the economic
growth OF our country. Millions of
dollars have been invested in the
sugar centers by corporations that do
not own the lands. hut have CON
tracts with the farmers. who. by vir-
tue OF such contracts. turn over the
sugar cane raised by them to the
centrals.
Change Held Unfair.
The hint Is made. almost with the
gesture of threat. that if the Fill
practically would he unlimited invest
ments. Congress should take a hand
and modify the present land laws of
the Philippines. To do so would he
destructive of the rights of the Fill
plno people granted by Congress-a
curtailment Of autonomy. Section Q
of the Jones law. the present organic
act Of the Philippines. says THAT
all property and rights which may
have been acquired in the Philippine
Islands by the United States under
the treaty of peace with Spain.
signed December 10. 1898 are
hereby placed under the control of
the government of said islands to be
administered or disposed Of for the
benefit thereof. and the Philippine
Legislature shall have the power ito
legislate with respect to all such mat
ters as 1t may deem advisable: but
acts OF the Philippine Legislature
with reference to land Of the public
domain. timber and mining, hereafter
enacted. shall not have the force of
law until approved by the President"
1t will be noted from the foregoing
provision that Congress itself. through
the Jones act, has vested initiative in
legislation in the Philippine Legisa-
ture with respect to the public do
main, and that. while Congress. by
exercising supreme legislative author
itv, can initiate legislation in this con-
nectiOn, II cannot do 80 without cur
failing the autonomy which itself was
granted the Filipino people through
the Jones law. The intention Of Con-
gress as expressed In this section of
the Jones act is made the more clear
by the proviso that all such legisla
ton must first be approved by the
President of the United States before
taking effect. The Philippine Legisla-
ture to legislate and the United States
Government. through the President,
to check. For Congress. therefore,
to initiate legislation with reference
to our public lands, instead of letting
our Legislature to act AS it deems best,
would be an unjustified curtailment
of our right to initiate legislation in
this connection.
Pressure Not Proposed.
This view seems to he the stand of
the present administration if the testi-
mony of Secretary Hoover of the De-
partment of Commerce before the
House committee on interstate and
foreign commerce, which held hear
ings on the rubber situation of the
United States during the last session,
Is taken as criterion. On Monday,
January 10. 1926. Secretary Hoover
told the committee. Our
Government agencies do not wish
to bring pressure upon the Philippine
government as to their policies public
land pOlicies). and that therefore, ad
vantagegouS as it might be to them to
induce large planting (rubber) in
dustry, do not believe that any of us
would want to attempt to impose
any method of so doing"
1t Is here again reiterated that only
the granting Of independence will
the Philippines. as clearly expressed in
a resolution adopted by the Philippine
Legislature, which was presented to
Col. Thompson upon his departure
from Manila: I'VE believe that the
chief reason why the full material de-
velopment of the country has not been
accomplished is that we have heen de-
MED the powers necessary to shape
our economic policies. We are firmly
convinced that independence alone will
give us these powers. Delay In grant
ing independence prevents us from
adopting policy which would facili-
tate the coming of capital from abroad
and cOnStrainS us to oppose an amend
ment of our land laws which would
permit vast orga niZations of capital
securing unlimited areas of our public
lands We likewise are opposed TO any
economic policy which would allow
selfish exploitation OF our natural re-
sources"
Such is the stand of the Filipinos on
the rubber question: Sincere desire to
help the United States in the solution
of her rubber problem without at the
same time. turning over the greater
portion Of their national wealth into
the hands of absentee landlords. for
let II he repated. lest it be forgotten.
not even the Filipinos themselves have
this privilege.