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Show A NEW COMMONWEALTH. With the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth last week, with Manuel Quezon, a native Filipino, Fili-pino, as president, another step toward to-ward the independence of the Islands was taken. Under the law establishing establish-ing the temporary commonwealth it is provided that absolute independence indepen-dence shall be granted after 10 years. Whether the Filipino people will be better off as an independent nation na-tion remains to be seen, but in as much as the United States has been pledged to withdraw as soon as a stable native government coald be established, that pledge is being redeemed. re-deemed. Since the passage of the Jones act in 191G, the Filipinos have had the rights and privileges of American citizens, and many benefits besides, j They have paid no federal taxes, yet j have been given the protection of the American army and navy with- j out cost. Reciprocal free trade rela-1 tions with the United States have ex- j isted since 1909. Of all officials of j the government, more than 98 per: cent have been Filipinos in recent years. When full independence is granted in 1945, the Philippines will be required re-quired to pay duties on exports to the Unitel States, and will have to -provide means for their own defense. If world conditions are still unsettled when that time comes it may develop that the Filipinos will be paying a high price for their freedom. j But absolute freedom is their desire, de-sire, and Uncle Sam will grant it. All wisli for the success of the new government, and hope that when the commonwealth is ended the Filipino people may be able to maintain themselves as an entirely free and independent nation. |