Show Philippine Independence Won After Struggle of Centuries es II I i ta- ta tar r iM Q I 4 2 h I President Roosevelt Handing Signed Philippine Constitution to Manuel Quezon President of the Philippine Senate Inset Emilio Aguinaldo t Who May Be a Candidate for President By WI WILLIAM LLIAM C. C UTLEY N 1809 Deweys Dewey's IN I guns had hardly concluded their theli pronouncement that AmerIca had become a world power and anc the echoes were still rumbling over Manila bay the InhabItants inhabitants inhabitants' inhabit InhabIt- ants ants' of the Philippines were already demanding complete political Inde lade Ten years from this comIng Fourth of ot July they may get It at al last after a long struggle both physical and diplomatic President Franklin D. D Roosevelt signed his name In Ink to the constitution ol ot the new Philippine government So did Manuel Quezon president of ot the Island senate Six weeks before be be- fore toro that members of t the Philippine Philip pine house of ot representatives signed It one of ot them In his own blood Philippine Independence has not always been our worry The struggle struggle gb gle had had its beginning centuries before before be be- fore tore the United States ever existed The story really opens so far tar as the white race Is concerned In the year 1521 when Fernando Fernano Magellan that most Irrepressible of ot all nIl gadabouts gad gad- abou ts discovered the archipelago archi l- l pelago of ot the eastern Pacific It may be well Imagined that Skipper Magellan's hearties with many moons on the open sea having depleted depleted depleted de de- de- de their food supply to the extent extent extent ex ex- ex- ex tent that the dinner menu consisted of ot fricassee of ot leather riggings and boiled tongue o of shoe hailed the Islands with de delight The native nath rice and sugar which would have been Just another Tuesday night t dessert at nt Mrs Gomez Comez Seamans Seaman's home back In sunny Spain must must have looked to them like a banquet I for the gods Senor Magellan Is still t there but not because he fell Cell In love with the scenery He w was s killed by natives natives natives na na- na- na tives on the Island of ot And what remained of ot his stout-hearted stout crew continued around the globe without him When the boys got back home they were pretty much the toasts of ot their respective communities and were Invited to address the local Rotary and the Iberian equivalent lent of ot what we call can the Hot Stove league Egged on with bribes of hot tamales and rare C wines they were not above spellbinding spellbinding spell spen- binding wide wide eyed eyed senoritas with reluctant reluctant re re- admissions of their daring deeds Mixed In with their revelations revelations there ther was probably a little truth and the word eventually got out that there were Philippine Islands Islands islands Is Is- lands somewhere In the Pacific say about two mutinies and three famInes famines fam lam ines men out from Barcelona Bullied the Natives At any rate Spanish sailors of ot the next generation again found the Philippines and began bullying the natives into submission submission in 1565 gaining complete control In 15 1570 O. O It Is la doubtful if It these Spaniards knew or anybody else knew until the Rand Rand-McNally map makers got busy that their new v colonial holdIngs holdIngs hold hold- Ings lags Included Islands two islands two of ot them Luzon and Mindanao and square miles In area aren and nine others more than 1000 p sQuare miles apiece However Filipinos like elephants never forget torget and the idea of ot com corn complete complete Independence kept rankling in their minds for tor quite a spell until until un un- til tn in it swelled forth l In open revolt under Emilio Aguinaldo The Thc Spanish rulers pacified Senor AguInaldo Aguinaldo Aguin AguIn- aldo with threats promises and goodness knows how v many pesetas pesetas pese pose tas tan and he and his principal henchmen henchmen hench bench men retired to the heterogeneous I obscurity of ot Hong Kong In 1897 1891 there to plan their subsequent revolt re re- volt voU In 1603 In that year America won th the war with Spain and Spain ceded the thc Islands to the United States fo for The Filipinos thought they ought to be given independence at that time and when they failed I Ito to get it they broke out again and anc were not pacified until July 4 1001 The United States still later arrested arrested ar ar- arrested rested an Independence movement t tb b bj granting them thew an aD autonomous 3 government the Jones act o ot of 1910 1010 The islanders were quick to tc offer olTer their al aid nid to the tue United States In the World war arid and as ns soon as It II was over oyer began n a consistent t petitioning petitioning peti peU- for Independence which has lias never subsided Must Walt Wait Ten Years They made some headway In December December De Do cember comber of ot 1932 1032 when con congress passed the Hawes bilL This Tula provided that subject to the approval approval ap ap- approval ap- ap of the bill by the Philippine legislature the Islands would be allowed to draw up a n republican constitution which would have to tobe tobe tobe be acceptable both to them and to the President of ot the United States Then after a period of ot ten years the Islands would be granted complete complete com corn Independence During the ten years exports and the number of ot Philippine Immigrants to the United States would be restricted After Atter that the Islands were ere to be outside the American tariff wall President Hoover vetoed the bill January 13 13 1 1933 1033 33 on the grounds that It had bad been selfishly planned to protect American agriculture against Philippine labor and products products products prod prod- It did not satisfactorily discharge discharge discharge dis dis- charge Arneri Ameri American nn an responsibility towards towards towards to to- wards the Islanders who were unready unready unready un un- un- un ready for Independence Economic Independence of the Philippines must be attained before political Independence can be successful was the way he put It and It would lay the Islands open to the danger of or turbulent conditions In Inthe Inthe inthe the Far East Enst Congress overrode the veto four da days s 's later The PhilIppine Philippine Phil Phil- legislature rejected the bill nine months afterward Tire Tile new constitution was prepared prepared pre pre- pared under the conditions of ot the Tydings bill which was passed by the last congress and signed by President Roosevelt Varied Resources The Philippines are not as many folks l In the metropolitan centers of ot the states might believe a nation of ot elevator operators bus boys and professional pong ping-pong players They raise gre great t quantities of or rice sugarcane sugar sugarcane sugarcane cane hemp manila manUa coconut corn tobacco and maguey Their forestry fishing and mining Is Important They manufacture sugar cocoa coconut coconut coconut co co- co- co oil cigars and cigarettes chocolate and coffee In 1895 1805 before the American market market market mar mar- ket was opened up to them the exports totaled about In 1929 1020 It had reached 16 although everything e but sugar slumped to a considerable degree during the depression that followed While WhIte only 3 per cent of ot the exports exports exports ex ex- ex- ex ports reached the United States before before be be- fore tore the Islands became an American American Ameri Amen can possession Cl 61 per cent of ot them are today sold In American marl markets ets The present agreement Is not what the Philippines have long hoped for tor but In their enthusiasm they have apparently decided It Is s about all they will get for in the Island plebiscite which followed the Uie signing of ot the constitution by President President dent Roosevelt they approved the document by an nn overwhelming vote Women voted for tor the first time inthe In Inthe the history of ot an oriental country as ns the result of ot a bill passed by bythe bythe bythe the legislature last December and signed by Gov Gen Frank Murphy former mayor of ot Detroit The new Philippine constitution which now becomes effective as ag soon as the existing government Is terminated by a proclamation of ot President Roosevelt is much like our own Constitution with the following fol tol- tol- tol lowing Important differences The president may serve only one term six years He can enn veto any part of ot any bilL The le legislature legis Is- Is lature with two minor exceptions cannot appropriate more money than budget calls for tor The vice president Is a member of ot the cabinet and cabinet members may speak before the legislature There will be only one legislative legislative legisla legisla- tive tl body the assembly In times of ot war or other great reat national emergency emergency emer erner- gency It can vote to make the president presIdent president pres pres- ident a dictator The Supreme court i 1 will have eleven en Justices automatically automatically automat automat- retired at seventy se who can declare a R law or treaty unc unconstitutional unconstitutional by a two-thirds two majority vote ote Women to Vote on Suffrage Literate men over twenty-one twenty willbe will willbe willbe be allowed to vote A plebiscite will willbe willbe be held heM In two years on woman suffrage rut gut frage and if women vote for It they will be given the Uie right of ot suffrage All AJI natural resources are ore to become become become be be- come the property of ot the state not notto notto notto to be leased for longer than 25 25 years The state may operate and establish Industries and systems s stems of ot communication and transportation In the Interests of ot national defense The state will protect labor and regulate relations between landlords landlords landlords land land- lords n and d tenants and between habor la labor In- In I bor and capital It may provide for tor compulsory arbitration Treaties will be ratified by a n majority majority ma ma- of ot the assembly and that body alone may declare war Althou Although h the plebiscite on May 14 was a n landslide In favor of ot the new constitution It was held heM In Inthe Inthe inthe the wake wale or an uprising which was the bloodiest the Islands had seen In 15 years There were several actual actual ac nc- ac- ac battles Constabulary officers ultimately quelled the uprising but not until Gl 61 rebels were dead and 54 rebels and 10 constabularies constabularies' wounded Quezon and Murphy were In the tue United States at nt the time Dissatisfaction with the trade requirement requirement re re- re- re of ot the Tydings bill was one of or the things upon which the revolt was blamed Economic Future A congressional committee headed headed head head- ed by Senator Millard F. F of or orMar Mar Maryland land author co-author co author of ot the bill blU has just returned from rom the Islands with recommendations which will probably provide material for tor a study of their economic future The bill calls cans for a conference on that subject one year before the commonwealth commonwealth com corn period expires but It Is probable that this will take place at an earlier date The final outcome It Is thought will result In one of the following possibilities 1 Complete Independence exactly exactly ex ex- as ns proposed which will In Involve Involve In- In volve volvo according to most authorIties authorities authorities author author- economic ruin and probable absorption of or the Philippines b by an Oriental power 2 Independence exchanging tariff tar tar- iff ur preference to the Islands for or free ree entrance of ot American goods 3 Dominion government of ot the Islands allowing them trade preference preference preference prefer prefer- ence but keeping a n political string attached to them The Islands are determined to have Independence complete and at any cost according to Quezon who has fought for Cor It In diplomatic circles In this co country for many years served as ns president of ot the Island senate since 1 1910 1010 1 and will willIn willin In all likelihood d be its first president dent The dapper little diplomat somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where about sixty years ears of age aIe admitted admitted admitted ad ad- that his nation was setting out on a great grent adventure ad and would probably make mistakes What nation does not noti he ho asked But nut we have hare been prepared for our adventure by a great reat republic We have trusted you In the past and have been rewarded for tor our out trust We Ve have depended upon you yon and have hare not been disappointed We know that we can count upon you In the future Mentioned ned as a n possible candidate to oppose Quezon for the presidency Is Aguinaldo the same Emmo Aguinaldo who led lell the revolts and guerilla warfare more than thirty years earl ago Quezon then was his trusted lieutenant CO V tern Upton |