Evening star., 1937-04-03
QUEz0N DEFENDS
FILIPINO ARMY
Building Citizens for Peace,
Not War, He AS
SertS.
BY the Associated Press.

oS lne ASSOCIATED fTeSS.
NEW YORK, April 3.-Common-
wealth President Manuel Quezon re-
piled today to charges he was mill
tarizing the Philippines with the con-
tention he was building citizen army
of peace.
The Filipino leader defended the
islands new military program before
the Foreign Policy Association, which
had criticized the organization de-
veloped under direction of Gen. Doug
las Macarthur.
The compulsory military training of
youths, Quezon said, is modelled after
that of Switzerland and is supple
mented by only small professional
force.
Country's Rule Secuted.
who can serious contend that in
our rapidly growing nation Of at least
100000 a mere 10000 regular SOL
diers-some engaged in police duty
of the constabulary and others in
ordinary military tasks-can ever con-
stitute a special privileged class that
can rule the country?' he asked.
Terming laughable an assertion that
the program represented "a covert
conspiracy to keep the United States
in the Philippines" Quezon said 1t
was "the best evidence that we are
getting ready to depend upon our
selves for our own protection and not
upon the United States"
The charge that our national de-
fense plan is intended to strengthen
the military power of America in the
Western Pacific in the event of war
with Japan is not only groundless
but mischievous."
To Go Right Ahead.
Only destruction OF the japanese
navy, he said. would permit the trans
portation Of Filipinos in an offensive.
With the aim of giving the islands
better and more capable citizens, Que
zon said he would go ahead with the
military training even if he knew
his country could not be defended
against a firSt-clasS power.
Mai. Gen. William c. Rivers U. S.
A.. retired, a man with long service
under the Philippine civil authorities
at Manila, said he believed the Philip
pine Islands too far from our West
Coast and too near to Japan, for the
United States to be able to defend
the Philippines" He labeled as i'll
advised suggestions for construction of
a United States naval base at Manila.
Exposed Salient Seen.
with Japan between the United
States and Manila, all our Congress
could build at Manila would be an
exposed and indefensible fortified
salient-a salient which would be in
easy range of japanese air bombers
from nearby Formosa and from the
Bonin Islands and from Japan itself
said Gen. Rivers.
The general maintained that Japan
has no desire to forcibly annex the
Philippines, contending such action
would damage Japan's trade with the
Philippines and also divide her fleet
Stephen P. Duggan of the Institute
of International Education told the
that if the provisions of the
act regarding trade with
the United States were to be en-
forced as they now stand they would
probably spell the economic ruin of
the Philippines"
The act provides that the free trade
now existing between the United
States and the Philippines shall re-
main in force for the first five years
of the Commonwealth. In the sixth
year. 1941, tax of 5 per cent would
be levied by the Philippine govern
ment on all exports to the United
States and an additional per cent
for each of the remaining years of the
Commonwealth. When independence
is attained the full American tariff on
foreign goods is to be imposed upon
Philippine goods.