Evening star., 1932-04-04
PROTESTS
FREEING ISLANDS
Letter Made Public by Repre-
sentative Bacon in Blocking
House Vote.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Representative Bacon, Republican. of
New York, tcday made pubic a letter
Secretary of State Stimson wrote to
Chairman Bingham of the Senate Ter
ritories Committee declaring that for
the United States to free the Philip
pines would be a demonstration Of
selfish coWardice and futility On our
part to every foreign eye.
Bacon made public the letter a few
minutes after he had prevented the
House from taking up under a unan-
imous consent agreement the Hare bill
to grant independence to the islands
A move to bring it up under suspension
of the rules was expected to follow.
Bad Effects Abroad.
In opposing the move to grant the is
lands independence. Secretary StimSon
wrote:
1T needs no imagination to grasp the
effect which such a result would have
upon the moral prestige and material
influence of the United States in the
Far East.
ITO every foreign eye it would ne
demonstration of selfish cowardice and
futility on our part. No matter under
what verbal professions the acts OF with
drawal we're clothed, to the realiSt OBJ
servers of that part of the world it
would inevitably assume the aspect of
abandonment of the ward we had un-
dertaken to protect.
In the Orient, far more even than
in the Occident, prestige is the meas
ing rod of success. Such a change
would be an irreparable blow to Ameri-
can influence.
Again, our presence in the Philip
pine Islands has already contributed to
the development of new base OF politi-
cal equilibrium throughout the area Of
the Western Pacific and Eastern Asia.
At present. or within any definite fu-
ture, withdrawal of American sover-
eighty from the Philippines and the
termination of American responsibility
in and for the islands would profound
ly disturb that equilibrium.
1T would inevitably have an un-
settling effect in the relation to politi-
cal thought of the various races, or
nations. in the Far East and in rela-
ton to the contacts of those races, or
nations, among themselves and with
the rest of the world"
1T would not be in the interest of
world peace, but to the contrary"
stimson continued. 1T would not be
to the political, economic, social or
moral advantage of the United States
or to that of the people of the Philip
pine Islands, or to that of any other
country or people.
1T would throw additional burdens
upon the stability of practically all other
governments in that vicinity; and it
would render more difficult the safe
guarding of our own interests both in
the Far East and throughout the world.
Every consideration which / have
enumerated in this letter applies with
tenfold force at the present moment
when the state of affairs in the Far
East is chaotic; when every element of
stability is threatened and when out of
the Orient may again come one of those
historic movements which will disturb
the whole earth. Agitation of change
in the status of the Philippine Islands
at this moment can only infiaIne most
dangerous possibilities"
StimSon said undoubtedly the out
standing development, for good or Ill,
in the foreign relations of the United
States during the remainder of this
century will be that of our relations
with the countries on the western side
of the Pacific Ocean.
Granting independence to the Philip
pines, a question of 80 years standing.
had come up today in the House at the
lliS1SJSIlCC VI OpCdhCl ATdIIleT
The measure before the House, spon-
sored by Chairman Hare of the InSular
Affairs Committee, provides for indie
pendence at the end of eight years of
provisional government, but requires
that the Filipino people shall draft a
constitution acceptable to the President
of the United States, who, on approving
it. shall free the islands by proclama-
ton. The Filipinos would enjoy auton-
omy on domestic affairs pending inde-
Dendence. but island exports would be
limited by quotas proportioned to Amer
ican investments in the islands, and
immigration also would be quota limited
to so a year American right to mill
tary and naval bases on the islands
would be reserved
Hawes Bill on Calendar,
The House decision on the bill con-
trolled to a large extent Senate action
also. The Hawes independence bill is
on the calendar there. and Chairman
Bingham of the Territories Committee
indicated it would be rushed up for
action if the House voted for the bill
Otherwise Senate status of the question
would become doubtful
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