| Show independence NO HELP TO THE philippines granting the independence of the philippines at this time would ie be a gross injustice to the filipinos themselves and would not benefit the people of the united states as some politicians assert according to newton W gilbert former governor general of the islands in an interesting article on the subject in the current issue of the national republic mr gillert gilbert presents all the arguments against immediate philippine independence in a logical and convincing way in part lie he says living there for seven years gave me the opportunity of visiting every point of the philippine islands which as some of you do not know is composed of islands most of which are small but some seventy five of which are arc thickly populated in III the course of becoming acquainted with the islands themselves I 1 formed a close acquaintance with the leading filipinos and I 1 believe a very cicat understanding of the misses masses the masses of the filipino people are untutored and have little knowledge of world or government affairs there is a small minority who aze aie educated and a smaller minority still who know something of government who are arc anxious to bo be in control of the situation if we should scuttle the islands as is proposed we will leave a great mass of people at the mercy of the few politicians whom I 1 arn am bound to say are arc chiefly interested in their own personal welfare and success when the philippines are arc economically no pie prepared pared for independence and when education has been widely disseminated so that the masses of the people would really have a participation in their own government if at that time the masses desire to go it alone I 1 should not oppose the movement but that time his has not arrived in the first place the amount of money which can be raised through taxation has reached its limit and until the islands are so developed that there is a baiger amount of property to sup the tax it cannot be increased As you perhaps all know the products of the philippine pa ne islands enter the united states free of duty because of that fact the producers in the i islands receive a much higher price for their products than they could if duty had to be paid it is estimated by those best qualified to estimate that the people of the islands receive fifty million dollars more a near ear for their products than they would if they were obliged to pay duty fifty million dollars is not very much money in will wall street but it is a great deal in the Phillip pine islands and has enabled the people to improve their manner of living far beyond anything that would have been possible but for this free entry of goods into our f markets a arket s and cutting loose froni from the united states and therefore deprivation to the people of this free entry of goods would immediately and disastrously affect the economic s situation tion capital which is necessary for the development of the islands which already has been deterred from entering them in any large amount because of the uncertainty of the situation would be absolutely deterred from undertaking any new enterprises the islands which should be very rapidly developed with outside capital would remain in in a stagnant condition because no capital is available within the I 1 islands |
