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Show Independence Desired By The Philipino Peeple WASHINGTON, D. C, May 25. "The Phlllpplno Islands offer a vast field for the extension of American industry and commerco In tho far cast. Wo wclconio American capital. Wo bcllovo In it. Our government Is awako to the great need of Uio time." v This was tho reply of Rafael Pal-ma, Pal-ma, vlco presldcnt-Df-tho Philippine Mission, whon asked for a statement relatlvo to opportunities for tho Investment In-vestment of American capital in tho Philippines. Tho statement is lm- portant becauso it comes from one of tho three foremost lenders of the party In power In tho Philippines, these three Including Speaker Sergio Ser-gio Osmcna, Senate President Manuel Man-uel L. Quezon and Mr. Palma who Is secretary of tho Interior of the Philippines, Phil-ippines, and a member of tho Phlllpplno Phll-lpplno Senate. Mr. Palma was born in Manlllla In 1874 and has been an Important figure In tho political llfo of the Islands slnco early manhood. In 1908 ho was appointed a member of tho Phlllpplno commission by Presldont Roosevelt, rjrhich was an evidence of the 'confidence placed In him by tho American government, as I the commission ' was at that tlmo a rtry important factor in the governing govern-ing power of the Islands. Mr. Palma Is also an ex-newspaper man, having" been editor of General Lunas La Independence, which Mr. Palma admits was anything but a quiet occupation in the stirring days of 1898, when the staff had to bo almost constantly flying before tho advancing lines of American troops. The editorial room was frequently a car on some sidetrack and was more than onco punctured by bullets. When It was found Impossible to continue this paper Mr. Palma was Invited by Sergio Osmcna, now Speaker Osme-na, Osme-na, to assist In editing a Journal In Cebu, which was called El Nueva Dla. This wna under the censorship of General Mclntyre and on tho appcar-anco appcar-anco of Uio first number tho editors wero left In tho singular position of seeing every prominent article bluo penciled. Conditions aro different now, however, as Senors Osmena and Palma occupy high no8ltlonln the government of 10,500,000 people Mr. Palma Is a slnccro advocate of closer economic relations between tho United. States ami tho Philippines, Philip-pines, and contends this can best bo brought about by a final solution of the Philippine Independence issuo. "Tho agricultural and commercial poslbllltles of tho Philippines aro almost al-most limitless," sold Mr. Palma'!' referring re-ferring to tho openings for both tho largo and Small American capitalists capital-ists in tho islands. "Of tho total area ar-ea of 120,000 square miles of rich i tropical land only 14,000 square j miles havo been touched by the plow. Tho 100,000 square miles remain In its pTlffloval state Just waiting the Industry of man to glvo up its mineral min-eral wealth or to produce bountiful crops of sugar, hemp, cocoanuts, rubber, rub-ber, lumber and all sorts of tropical raw materials. The Philippines can sustain from sixty to seventy million i people. Tho valley of Cotabato alono can produce enough rlco to feed the presont population of tho Islands. Tho entire archipelago, through modern mo-dern scientific cultivation, Iho development de-velopment of Its natural resources, j tho harnessing of its wonderful water wa-ter powers nnd the development of Its commerco, can be converted Into a paradise. jggj "Manilla hemp, the leading cord-ago cord-ago fiber of Iho world, Is produced only' In tho Philippines. Thto fioei la obtained fioih tho stalk of a plant which closely resembles Iho common banana, and la known in tho islands as abaca. The 'crowing of hemp Is lono of the safest and 'at the saiao time ono ol tne most profitable lines I of agricultural Inveslucal In our country. ' "Sugar cane can bo produced very cheaply, and Is a fast growing Industry, In-dustry, offering great opportunist- to Investors. Tho cocoanut Industry has developed Into ono of tho most lucrative ones In the Islands. The best rubber producing lands In the world may be obtained In tho Philippines Phil-ippines tor a few dollars per aero. The lumber Industry Is but In Its Infancy, In-fancy, tho Philippine public forests covering 40,000,000 acres, with less than a million acres beld by prlvito owners. "It Is highly desirable that thore be greater relations between this country and tho Philippines. Ours Is almost entirely nn agricultural country, with an nbundant supply of raw materials for your Industry nnd commerce. Yours Is n nation with a surplus of men and capital which could assist us greatly i utho development devel-opment of our natural resources. I "Thero is no more friendship moro 'lasting than that which Is based upon up-on wholesome economic relations. Our trado suffered at times becauso or the lack of proper understanding and tho uncertainty of tho future, as concerns tho granting of . our 'complete Independence which Is earnestly ear-nestly desired by all tho. Filipino people. It has been a noticeable fact I that trade between our two countries coun-tries has advanced in almost exact 'proportion with tho amount of increase in-crease in self government that has bcengranted us. When you give us our complete independence, you will then havo not only our deep gratitude grati-tude but the assurance of enduring business relations. I can state, without with-out hesitation and with Justifiable pride that we can and will maintain a stable government, guaranteeing protection of any capital Invested for the purpose of assisting In the proper pro-per development of tho resources and Industries, of the Philippines. Wo would notybe true to ourselves It wo did not say that we love America and the American people and wo would not be loyal to youlf we failed at tho samo time to ask you to do what Is right and Just to tho Filipino peo-' pie." |