The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-19
BY JAMES G. WINGO
written for NEA Service)

PrOfit1ng from the NaZlS' mistake
in Norway of placing despised trait
ors at the head Of the puppet gov
eminent, the Japanese have sought
to avoid similar trouble by selecting
popular and long recognized leaders
to govern their conquestS IN the
Philippines.
Playing their cards with cum
ming, the japanese passed up such
well known, articulate pro-Japanese
as Pho Duran, lawyer for Nipponese
interests, and Benigno Ramos, anti
American rabble-rouser. Instead,
they chose, as the new Philippine
"chief of state" Jorge B. Vargas, 81
year odd close friend Of President
Quezon.
Bending over backward to try
and maintain best possible rela-
lions with the conquered people,
the Japanese loaded Vargas cab
met for the puppet regime with
popular, consistently winning, men,
bers of the Nacionalista Party.
REvOLUTIONARIES
ARE PASSED BY
The invaders passed over, for the
time being, at least, two legend
airy revolutionary generals collabo-
rating with, one of whom will like
ly make an ideal Filipino Marshal
Petain and the other a Quisling II
and when the Japanese find 1t adj
vantageous to set up one of them.
The candidate for "Petain" is
72-year old Emilio Aguinaldo, gen.
eralissimo of the Filipino forces
which fought the American for over
two years following the United
States occupation of Manila In 1899.
Because Aguinaldo, by radio,
recently appealed to Gen. Doug
las Macarthur to surrender to
the Japanese and urged the loyal,
gallant Filipino soldiers fighting
under the American flag at Ba-
taan to lay down their arms, the
War Department called him "a
sort of Quisling."
The candidate for "Quisling" Is
77-year-old Gen. Artemio Ricarte
y Vibora, self-styled wiper" who
fled to Japan after the Insurrec-
tionists' defeat and vowed never to
return to his homeland until the
Americans were driven out.
In Tokyo the wiper" sought the
protection of the super-patriotic
Black Dragon Society, imbibed
heartily of the japanese doctrine
of Asia for the Asiatics" and
taught Spanish and Filipino dia-
lects to young japanese who later
became most useful in the Philip
pine invasion.
VARGAS WAS
FORMER MAYOR
Before his appointment as head
Of the vaSSal government, Vargas
was the Japanese designated "Chief
Administrator of the Philippines"
and mayor of Manila.
In Vargas the Japanese have
bagged the best-equipped Filipino
to run the kind Of order-maintain-
ing government that the invaders
currently need. Although unlike
most of his cabinet members he has
no personal political following. Var
gas knows the insular government
better than any man.
During Quezon's absences from
the islands, he acted in the Com
monwealth Presidents behalf i'll
stead of Vice President. He exer-
cised 50 much administrative power
and held so many directorSh1ps OF
government corporations that he
was referred to as 1.-THE Little Die
tator." He is quick thinking, hard
driving administrator.
Presumably Vargas IS now IN
stalled in Malacanang Palace, ira
ditional residence of the head OF the
Philippine government, for Gen.
Masaharu Homma, commanding the
invading forces, studiously avoided
taking over that symbol Of highest
Philippine authority, apparently IN
line with the japanese policy OF
leaning over backwards to appear
considerable of Filipino nationalistic
feelings.
The Vargas administration re-
portedly includes Jose Yulo, Be-
nigno Aquino, Antonio de las
Alas, Quintin Paroles, Claro M.
Recto and Leon Guinto. all one
time henchInen Of President Que
zon and who held posts in Que
IONS cabinet or positions OF at
least equivalent rank.
Only newcomers are Pacita Gle
los Reyes, a beauteous. young
woman lawyer, and 1gnacio Mang-
lapas, a Socialist labor leader. NO
woman ever held cabinet post
before.