Evening star., 1927-11-20
DEMOCRATSALT
PHILIPPINE POLICY
Many Party Leaders Oppose
1924 Plank to Give Islands
Early Freedom.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Senors Quezon and Osmena, the dis
tinguished Filipino "politicos," now in
Washington on one OF their periodical
independence drives, have discovered
to their diSmay that their chief Amer
lcan supporters, the Democratic party,
have executed an about face. lnfiu-
ential Democratic leaders, contrary To
the pro.independence plank written
into the national party platform ut
New York in 1924, now oppose indie
pendence ut this time. Their position
is on all fours with the attitude OF
President Coolidge, IS just re-Cnuncl-
ated at the White House. At least |
members of the United States Senate
are on written record as favoring the
postponement of Filipino independence
until conditions in the islands make II
more desirable.
The Senate Democrats who have
turned their backs on the 1924 plat
form pronouncement are: Messrs.
Walsh (Montana), Harrison (Missis'
sippD, Tyson Tennesseel. Ferris Mich
igan), Copeland New York;, Tydings
.Maryland) Edwards (New Jersey,
George (Georgia1. Oyerman tNorth
Carolina). Sheppard fTeXas) and
Fletcher F'lorida).
Many Abandon Policy.
The Senators just named have made
their views known in autographed
statements supplied to Vicente Villa
min, a Filipino lawyer and publicist,
who has practiced his profession in
New York for many years. In addi-
ton to the Democratic members of the
Senate who now believe that the time
has not vet come for hauling down the
Stars and Stripes at Manila, Senor
ftNtN o..
pressions of the same view from
number of other prominent Demo-
Gratis.
These include Robert Lansing. for
nner Secretary of State: Lindley NJ.
Garrison, former Secretary of war;
William F.. Sweet, former Governor or
Colorado; Thomas W. Gregory, former
Attorney General; Dan Moody, Cover
nor of Texas; Robert L. Owen, former
Senator from oklahoma: Atlee Pom
creme, former Senator from ONO; KEEP
resentative Andrew J. Montague of
Virginia. Alfred p. Dennis, vice chair
man United States Tariff Commission;
Samuel Untermyer of the New York
bar, James A. O'Gorman, former Sen
ator from New York, and Hamilton
Holt, president Rollins College, Fla.
Only three nationally known Demo
Gratis have informed Senior Eillamin
that they continue to favor ''immedi-
ate and absolute independence" for
the Philippine Islands. This trio con-
sists of Josephus Daniels, former Sec
retary of the Navy; Senator Brous-
sard of Louisiana and Senator Blease
of South Carolina. Mr.. Daniels would
give the Filipinos independence like
that of Cuba, with Il Platt amend
ment attached so as to aid them and
keep them from serious errors in the
formative days of their government"
Sees Four-Power Safeguard.
Senator Broussard believes that any
danger of the Filipinos losing their
independence through aggression by
another nation ''can be safeguarded
against by agreement of the four ma
tions now parties to the four-power
pact in the Pacific" Senator Blease,
in characteristic thrust, asserts: ITO
withhold independence from the Fill
pinos would be to make us liars and
thieves. l may be mistaken as to the
facts"
II was Senior Quezon himself whose
impa sSioned and persuasive eloquence
voiced in scholarly English-brought
about the Democrats independence
platform pledge at Madison Square
Garden three years ago. The Demo
cratic party, ever since William Jen-
nings Bryan instigated his anti-im-
perialistic crusade following the War
with Spain, has consistently espoused
Filipino independence. The 1924 plank
read as follows:
THE Filipino people have succeeded
in maintaining a stable government
and have thus fulfilled the only condi-
tions laid down by Congress as a pre-
CIT tn . 1fi nf n n.
ence. We declare that it is now our
liberty and our duty to keep our
promise to these people by granting
them Immediately the independence
which they so honorably covet."
G. o. r. Plank Opposed.
The 1924 Republican national plat
form plank on the Philippines was
considerably longer, but the kernel of
its contents is contained in the con-
Guiding sentence. reading: THE re-
suits of a careful study of conditions
in the Philippine Islands convince us
that the time for granting the Filipino
peoples desire for complete independ-
ence has not yet arrived" The Cleve-
land convention acted along the iden-
tical lines advanced by President
Coolidge in March, 1924, in his famous
letter to Senor Manuel RoXas, then in
Washington as head of the Filipino
independence mission.
Mr.. Coolidge declared: "The Govern
ment of the United States would not
feel that IL had performed its full duty
by the Filipino people, or discharged
all of it's obligations to civilization, If
it should weld at this time to your
aspiration for national independence. -
Senor Villamin, who has developed
the new Democratic attitude toward
Filipino independence, furnishes this
writer with the following statement,
apparently addressed to Senors Quezon
and Osmena:
Urges Economic Consideration.
1.-The welfare of the common people
Of the Philippines imperiously directs
the Filipino statesmen now in the
United States to open an important
department in their minds for the con-
sideration of economic questions with
out thus closing the busy departme Mt
/. of politics and dialectics. Incidentally,
they would give proof that their lead
: ership is not only patriotic but en-
lightened. that their purposes are not
egocentric but disinterested public
service. AS a Filipino ] want them TO
have the voice of thunder when de-
Tending and promoting the well-being
Of the Filipino people. but they can
not have that attribute if they con-
fine themselves to doctrinal eclecticism
and political dithyramhics.
Now, right now, there are move
ments on foot i'm the United States.
! started by competing business inter.
J ests, which tend TO jeopardize the com.
! mercial and industrial position of the
! Philippines. and it would he of capital
significance if the Filipino leaders were
, IN p%bihif moro iffeyact in, 1aoptip, tho
situation. Will they just turn up
their noses and snort the litany of the
preamble, the political status and the
formula of independence-complete
absolute. automatic? And. in straight
United States language. are they go
ing to get away with it?''
downright. 1877. }