The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-11-21

frequent visitor to Key West, hav.
ing contributed several articles
which have been printed in The
| Citizen from time to time, had a
| write-up in the New York Times
7; recently on the subject of the
/ Philippines. The articles, which
follows, will be read with much in
terest by his many friends in Key
!. West:
To the New York Herald Tribune
From my close connection with
the FiIipinos over a decade, when
) lent by the Army for duty as a
civil servant of the Philippine gov
eminent performing military po-
lice work in all parts of the archi-
pelago, / am interested in your re-
cent editorial and in the address
of the retiring Governor General
on the pending bill for gradual
Philippine independence over a Pc
Rod of ten years.
Colonel Roosevelt characterizes
the Hawes-Cutting bill as thor
oughly bad and as ruinuous for
the Philippines and dangerous for
the United States. He lists the
principal forces passing this bill
as those interested in general in
sugar raising, other farmers and
laborers experiencing competition
at this time of depression, those
who consider the islands a con-
slant danger spot in the Orient,
anti-imperialists who have been
always against our Philippine oc-
cupation, and the incessant de-
mand of the Filipinos themselves
for independence. Colonel Roosez
welt says the independence senti-
ment among Filipinos has gained
force through the years until to
all intents and purposes all parties
in the islands have as their basic
creed immediate and absolute in
dependence.
He offers possible alternative
solutions for the problem. One is
the gradual severance of our tariff
advantages now given the Fill
pinos, starting after some short
period of years, with the grant of
full independence when the plan
is started-seemingly some altera-
ton of the present bill. Another
is a similar gradual tapering-off
under more flexible and alter
able tariff schedule. with retention
of our present position and au-
thority until full independence is
granted, uNon the severance of all
economic ties. Under this latter
plan it is suggested that altera-
tions could be made later looking
to a dominion form of govern
ment by Filipinos under Ameri-
can sovereignty, should both peo-
pies finally so desire.
Having confidence in the capa-
city of the Filipinos and sympathy
with their aspirations, as well as
sympathy with some of our own
people who find their products in
competition with Philippine inn
ports at a. time of distress, favor
the Hawes-C utting bill. If Pres
ident Hoover stated in his veto
message of the bill--subsequently
passed over the veto-that we have
expended many millions for the
maintenance of the military and
naval forces in the Philippines;
if many responsible groups in our
country desire to release the is
lands; il many students of STRAIT
egy. including President Theodore
Roosevelt. Senator Lodge. Secre-
tary of War Garrison and others,
were convinced-even before the
1922 treaty in which we gave up
building or improving fortified
tions in Guam and the Philippines
that the archipelago was true
heel of Archilles weakening our
own national defense. and if the
Filipino people necessarily de-
mand the independence we have
held out to them as their goal for
thirty-five years, it is difficult to
see how the present bin is iniqui-
tolis or wrong.
We have done well by the Fill
pinas. who have shown apprecia-
ton by their loyalty since layfsm
down their arms in 1901. after
two and a half years of bitter war
against US for their independence
la conflict that cost us great
sums for the 20, 600 American
troops and the Navy in the archi-