Evening star., 1932-05-08

AUG VIC AdfG CStdDllSIlcu LII Vic al
East an outpost of Western civilization
with population that will in time be
almost entirely English speaking due
to the necessity of a common language.
There Is no one native tongue but as
many as 81 languages and dialects. In
total population of about $4,000, 900,
there are 100000 children in school
learning the English language Prob
ably nine-tenths of the people are
Christians; but the minority represent
problem that 1 shall mention later
have recited these facts. about
which there can be no controversy, that
there may be clear understanding by
all as to what we are dealing with when
we legislate on the fate of the Islands
and our own fate as a world power
One other essential fact remains to be
stated: Under the Washington Confer
ence treaties with other great naval
powers, by which ornaments were lin
| tied, we agreed not to strengthen our
defenses in the Philippines. We there
by put stop to vast competitive ex-
penditures for war purposes in the Far
East We also agreed to maintain the
status quo in the Far East, and by CIV
ing up the Philippines We would be vio-
lating the spirit Of the Washington
treaties
Now it remains to consider what hap
pens If the Philippines are given "inde-
pendence'-in practical effect, set
adrtft-in or 10 years.
Bloody Conflict Expected.
In the first place, there probably
would be sanguinary conflict in the
islands, for one-third of the area Is
possessed by approximately a million
Moros, occupying what is known as the
Mahometan territory. These people
were never subdued by Spain; they are
not likely to be subdued by the Fill
pinos of the Christian island provinces.
They are essentially different Their
faith Is that Of Islam. Their spoken
language descends from the Arabian,
with only small mixture of Malayan
words. Their written language shows
a mingling Of Sanskrit and Indian
Arabic. They recognize the Sultan of
Sulu and various other native chiefs,
| or Datus, as they are called. There
have been bloody conflicts In the past
between the Mahometan Moros of the
south and the Christian Filipinos in
| the northern islands We disarmed the
MoroS and put weapons In the hands
| of the Filipino constabulary, so that
they are able to exercise a semblance
| of authority. But take away the re-
straining hand of the United States,
backed by wisdom and consideration In
dealing with the proud Moro segment.
and what happens when the Philippines
attain independence? I think the best
answer to that question Is contained In
this excerpt from a Moro petition sub
mitted to Congress:
Therefore, we, in representation OF
nearly 500, 900 Mahometan residents OF
Mindanao and Sulu, do solemnly affirm
| and declare:
That we are loyal unto death to the
| United States.
THAT in proof of this loyalty we
have pledged ourselves, by the most
solemn oath known to Mahometan. to
die rather than submit to domination
! by Christian Filipinos from the north,
and. If necessary, to die in order that
| the United States Congress which here
| tofore has lent deaf ear to our petit
tiens, may now hear us"
And much more to the same effect,
only in even stronger terms.
Remembering the long struggle OF
Ireland against England, remembering
the hatreds and wars bred in Europe
by forced allegiances Of racial minori-
ties, remembering the savage, bloody,
| long sustained religious wars in the
Orient, we may anticipate reverend
ing rebellion in the Moro provinces II
Philippine independence and sovereign
| ty are now proclaimed And remem-
bering, too, the vast numbers of Maho-
metans in the territory adjacent to the
Philippines. the conclusion is inescap-
able that a religious war of wide ex-
tent may again be precipitated in the
| Far East disastrous to every great ma
| ton.
To understand the economic disaster
| that will be inflicted upon the Filipino
people by separation from the United
States one must know something OF the
| forces which were aligned to secure
passage of the independence" bill
through the House of Representatives.
Sugar Interests Blamed.
Openly and covertly advocating sepa-
ration of the Philippines and the United
states were the paid lobbyists Of Cuban
and American sugar interests who want
to keep Philippine sugar out OF this
| country by tariff barriers when "inde-
| pendence" becomes effective; and the
! lobbyists of dairy, cottonseed oil and to-
bacco interests, who want to bar by
| import duties Philippine cocoanut oil
(used mainly in making soaps and, to a
small degree, margerine substitutes for
butter) and Philippine cigars and to-
| bacco.S
We produce here only one pound of
sugar out Of every five pounds con-
sumed by our people; so that to exclude
| Philippine sugar would be OF the great
est benefit to Cuba.
The intended effect of course, of
| limiting our importation of Philippine
! cocoanut Oil is to increase the market
| and raise the price for domestically
produced cottonSeed oil, at the ultimate
| expense of the consumers of soap. For
| cottonseed oil will not make soap. The
only result will be that the American
people will have to pay more.
Now, assuming that these selfish OBJ
! jects are accomplished by the grant OF
! independence and the imposition OF
| tariffs against Philippine products for
the benefit of limited classes in this
country-what Is the general effect?
Easily answered: First the practical
destruction Of the means of livelihood
Of several million people in the Philip
pine Islands; the ruination OF the bank
! ing systems of the islands, which have
| made loans for sugar and cocoanut oil
! and copra and tobacco production,
| and. last, but not least, probably rebel
| lion by native workers who will be re-
duced to the low economic status of
other struggling, suffering populations
| of the Far East.
These will be the direct effects in the
Philippines But we ourselves shall be
punished and penahzed, directly and
| heavily, for our act of hypocrisy in ad-
yancing certain special, selfish interests
under the guise of liberation OF q peo-
pie already free for all practical intents
and purposes.
We shall lose, first of all, the i'm
mense latent resources of the Philip
pincs-such ss its 486 900, ,00o, 900 board
feet of commercial timber-largely rare
hardwoods, not produced in the United
States-snd the islands capacity for
rubber production.
We shall lose a market-the largest
we have in the world-for our cotton
piece goods; for, of course an inde-
pendent Philippine nation would cancel
the preferential tariff which now gives
| -. Ii ..Iii... .I.4l.