Salt Lake Telegram | 1924-05-17 | Page 6 | Dr. Frank Crane's Daily Editorial

Dr. Frank Crane's Daily Editorial ! Filipino Facts.- ' By DR. FRANK RANE. Th Philippines are 708 J Islands off tha coaet of Asia, almost strslitht west frbm Guatemala, In Central America. Thera ara ll.ooo.so Klltplnoa. . Hlxtjr par cant can read and write. They ara Malays and about 104,000 ara non-Christian. Their import and export buaineaa In 120 amounted to f300.000.00o. They were takan over by the United 8 tales at tha close of tha war with Spain. We paid rood money for them.. 8 1 nee then their government govern-ment has been controlled by the I' tilted H tales, at least In part. . We have promised them independence when they are ready for Jt. At present they elect their own national legislature, which, like ours, has two houses and decides about budgets. They are already self-governing In about ii per cent of their actions. They have paid all the coats of their civil government from local taxes since l0l. I'p to 1?0! they had coat us 1170,000 000. Their chief executive, however, la not choaen by themselves, but by the president of the Vnlted Htatea, Ha la called the governor general, .and can veto the acta of their legislature. They ara not free to make treaties with other nations, to tax our goods. of to make their own constitution. What their rights are depends upon what we want to give them. ' There ia a movement on foot, both there and here, to eecure their Independence. Th. reaaona why they want Independence are. aa they allege, that tha Filipino themaelvea deaire it. that tha I'nlted State, ha promieed It. that they hav atabll.hed a atabla government and are maintaining -It, that there I. no danger of foreign aggreenlon. that long dial. nee government ta unaatl.'actory and that, much aa they love America, they lov Freedom mora. On the other hand. Prealdent Coolldg.. on March I. wrote to Manuel ftoxaa, head of tha special mtsaion from tha Philippine., which la over her. trying to get Independence, and expreeaed the following opinion: That many Pllipinoa themaelvea believe that Independence now would be a ml.fortune. that a majority of American, want further delay, that tha welfare of the Filipino la Improved by thla delay, that they could not afford aa army, navy and dlplomatle aervlce, that they' might. loae. their Independence If w withdrew our support and eome other nation gobbled them up. that their dlaaatl.factlon with General Wood la unfounded and .how. unnreparedne.a for fh. full obligation. ,of cltlsenahip and. finally, that It would be unfair to civilisation now, when tha world la In a .tat. of high tendon and unaettlement. for ua to leav tha Philippine to poealble economic and politic) disorder. This ta only tha presidents opinion; rongresa must finally decide th. duration and may disagree with him. Advocatee of both aldea of th. question nr. undoubtedly sincere and have .the welfare of the Filipinos and or th human rare at heart. It I a matter to be decided by good judgment and not by passion, denunciation and revolution. Tha ahov point are recommended for debate by high echool pupils aa good practise In politics. The. pupil will probably know as much about It and think aa Intelligently aa statesmen. tCopyrtght. !:. by The McClure Newspaper 8vndlcate.)