Evening star., 1938-03-15
M'NUTT: ASSA|LS
'SCUTTLE AND RUN
In Forum Talk He Urges
United States to Retain
Hold in Philippines.

OF the Philippines, spoke on Philip
pine-American Relations" last night
on the National Radio Forum, ar
ranged by The Star and broadcast
over a Nationwide network of the
National Broadcasting Co. The text
OF his address follows:
Fellow citizens: History Is strange
thing; its events pass with the SEEM
ing finality of gunshot; but the con-
sequences of each event continue so
long as the world turns and man lives.
For nearly year have been serving
you and your President as your repre-
sentative in the far-off Philippines.
These 1000 OF the worlds most beau-
tiful and fertile islands do not often
intrude upon your attention-not often
enough. One writer has it, when
Dewey took Manila Bay in 1898 you
could almost hear the snap of geog-
raphies opening all over the United
States" I hope you will open them
again and put your finger on the bold
little archipelago which juts out at
the southeast corner of Asia. And it S
not 50 little. Its arabic land is prob
ably greater than that of Japan proper
and its total area is about equal to
that of Great Britain.
The 1000 islands are inhabited by
100000 people who owe allegiance
to our Nation, salute OUR flag, most of
whom speak our language, sing our
Star Spangled Banner" and, what
Is most important, worship our Chris
ttan God. And their number is grow
ing rapidly. Population has twice
doubled since they came under our
flag nearly 40 years ago.
We took over the Islands through
no real choice of our own. Their
acquisition was the consequence of a
war waged with Spain on another
issue. Perhaps it was not wise; per-
haps it was not altogether fortunate
for us, but it is fact of history and
We cannot shun its consequences.
When the treaty of Paris confirmed
our proprietorship We undertook a
very noble experiment-one which was
new to the world Of colonies and en-
pires.
Spain's Policy Reversed.
Spain had accomplished little else
than the Christianization of the great
majority of the people; nothing cred
liable in the way of schools; no
marked improvement of health and
sanitation; no improvement in the
peoples standard of living; nothing of
what we call political liberty; no sub
stantial participation in government.
She had ruled harshly amid big and
little rebellions and without the affec-
ton or understanding of her wards.
Our policy was the reverse. The
bugles of war had not quieted and the
acrid smoke Of gunpowder still clouded
the rice fields when, wonder of
colonial wonders, corporals and SER
geants shared their rations with
tamished natives and opened schools
Tor the thought-hungry youth of the
Philippines.
One Army transport, the unfor-
eettable Thomas, brought not guns
and soldiers but 600 American school
teachers. Then followed doctors and
sanitarians, engineers, judges, civil
servants and devoted commissioners
and governors line Of gracious, hu-
manltarian, altruistic Americans who
saw the Philippine problem solely as
one OF self-sacrificing duty in perfect
Ing harmony of welfare between the
motherland and the colony. As read
over the annals of American occupa-
tlon, feel proud of that list of distant
pro-consuls who so honorably acquitted
their tasks in so distant an outpost,
and I feel humility in joining their
company.
But my pride goes deeper than The
governors. No community has ever
haroored more attractive group of
Americans. Ex-soldiers and officers
who stayed on and others who followed
became honest merchants, founders
OF new industries. miners, lumber
men-a goodly concourse who believed
IN the Filipino and paid him higher
wages than he had ever previously
earned; who believed in the Philip
pines and gave it their last ounce CT
thought and Yankee ingenuity. There
was not an exploiter or enslaver among
them. They worked hard, ploughsi
pack theE profits. held their counsel
ana assisted nightly to lay the foun-
oatlons OF American culture in the
orient, Christianity and American cul-
ture.
Wide Suffrage Established,
With the best of intentions, ever
anxious to improve the ways and
means, the spirit and conscience. of
colonlal enterprise, the American re-
e1me followed two contradictory pol
lcles. What did we do on the political
side? From 1898 to 1918 we insisted
that the Filipinos be prepared for
self-government. While the word in
dependence' seems not to have been
ofncially used, we read aloud our own
Declaration of independence, and our
scnool teachers taught the children to
fecite Patrick Henry's Give me lib
erty or give me DEATH We made no
ef1ort to doctor" history. We let the
F1lipinos in on our own great enic
But more substantially, we estab-
Isned wide suffrage; we appointed
natives as town presidents and pro-
vlnclal governors-we nearly forced
them to take posts in their own gov
ernment.
IN 1916 we established a very full
scheme of self-government on the
American tri-power Democratic Re-
punilcan model, with a promise of
!uture independence, and, except for
the highest executive and the highest
Judges, We put the whole set-up into
native hands. When and where thew
ialied, they were taught to correct
ana so the process went on until an
autonomous Commonwealth Govern
ment and definite date of independ.
ence was set in the Independence Act
OF 1885. From some $4,000 American
soldiers and 5000 American civil en-.
ployes in 1900 we came in 1895 to
garrison of less than 5000 American
soldiers and about 100 American
employees. practically all in subordi-
nate positions. Thus, with good grace