Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-06

States. They say that it is unfair for
the Government of the United States to
permit cheap Philippine labor to come
into the United States from those far
off islands to break down the American
wage scale. They point to recent racial
disturbances on the Pacific Coast show
ing that this influx of Philippine labor
is presenting a very serious problem.
Certain manufacturers then called the
attention of Congress to the fact that
the Philippines are beginning to make
certain products out of the abundant
raw materials of the islands and are
sending these manufactured products
into the United States to compete I'M
fairly with American-made products
Thus the farmer and manufactures
ask that Philippine products be placed
under our tariff laws, and the American
t Federation of Labor asks Congress 10
exclude the Philippine people from our
shores just as we do other Orientals.
But there seems to be a distinct feel
ing in Congress that it would be mani
! testify unfair for the American Govern
ment either to place the ban of exclu-
sion on a people who are still under our
| flag or to restrict the product OF a
| people by tariff barriers, when one OF
the purposes of our occupation OF the
| Philippines is to assist these people to
develop their resources.
| No nation in the world, including Eng
land, France and Holland. has ever at
tempted to exclude their own colonials
! from the home country. The appllca-
ton of tariff barriers would seem to be
equally unfair
Congress refusing to act in a piece
meal manner on any of the pleas made
| to it by these essential elements in our
American life, is confronted with the
problem of the future of the Philippines.
| Every one who knows anything of the
Philippine problem at all admits that,
as the result of our presence in the
! islands without fixed policy for the
future, great uncertainty exists which
| is bad for the Philippines and harmful
to American interests.
Foreign Capital Fears Future.
Not knowing what the future is to be,
new American capital will not enter the
islands to develop them: foreign capital
will not enter the islands at all.
The Philippine people have been
! taught to believe they will be given
! independence. An entire generation has
| grown up with this promise constantly
| before it. It is part of the national
aspirations of these people. The de-
mand for independence comes from
every walk of life in the Philippine
| Islands-its bankers, its industrialistS
| its governmental officials. its educators
In fact every element of Philippine life
from the veteran Aguinaldo down to
the 1.110000 children in the Philippine
schools unite without dissenting voice
in a demand for independence.
Beginning with President Mckinley
and continuing under Roosevelt. Taft
Wilson and Harding, we find in the ex-
pressionS of our Chief Executives state
ments clearly indicating that all OF
our constructive work in the Philip
pines has been to prepare for indie
pendence.
And yet we have today no definite
plan for the future. In the face Of
our lack of definite policy on the one
hand and our promise on the other
the uncertainty that has arisen is tend
ing to breed trouble for both the Filipino
and the American interested in the
Philippines.
We have reached a point where we
must redeem our promises or at least
remove the uncertainty.
Five Ways to End Uncertainty.
There are five ways in which to settle
the uncertainty:
1. We could grant them immediate
independence. While the Filipinos de-
mand this, most Americans do not urge
! 1t, as there undoubtedly will be a period
of reconstruction under a new relation
ship, during which trying time the
| Philippines should have the benefit OF
! our aid and assistance.
2. We could fix some distant date in
the future when independence shall be