Show declares F filipinos bipin all want wan M independence former illinois Congre congressmen samm back from philippines philippine gives interesting views on island affairs t by FORMER congressman CLYDE H TAVENNER the inhabitants ot of the I 1 philippines n 1 T r e p practically unanimous m ous in their desire for independence ence i T h I 1 ls I 1 s Is t the it e strongest digest limpros slon that I 1 have brought back bach with me after touring the islands from one end to the clyde H tavenner other oilier ana and after having come in contact with all classes of the pe people olle I 1 found however that the viewpoint of 0 americans in ill the philippines and americans Ante ricans in the united states ou on the subject of 0 independence is riot not the same the attitude ot of the american government ern ment arid and tile the great mass ot of the people of the united states is to consider the philippine question from the unselfish viewpoint n t of w what hat is liest hest for the filipino people nine ninety ty five per cent 0 of the opposition to independence pen peri dence emanates from american investors lu in the islands who are quimp naturally more interested in the size of their dividends than the freedom of un an alien people feature of or the the unfortunate situation Is that the opponents of independence pen dence in order to convince tile the people of the united states that the V fill pinos pines should not be granted their independence und find it necessary to libel an entire race to tell a sensitive christian people that they shall not have their promised independence because they are riot not fit for it will in the end prove a mistaken policy it NN will ill oil only ay make their demand for independence the stronger at the present time however the masses of tile the fillipino Fill pino pillo people still 1 I 1 lave absolute confidence in the good faith of america i their loyalty and gratitude to uncle sam has not its as yet been impaired by the misrepresentations ot of the their leaders are intelligent ellou enough gli to distinguish between those americans who oppose their aspirations to 0 in depend eiKe for fol purely selfish reasons and the great mass of the american I 1 i people whom they know desire this I 1 i government to do by the only that which milich Is just and right in this connection it is interesting to reea the development of I 1 ent friendly relationship between the pino arid and american peoples ells to fo 1010 1910 the philippine american relationship is declared to have been not of tile die best cut but with the passage in that year of 0 tile the jones law by practically both the and democratic memberships of congress a better feeling developed tills this better feeling hat has now grown into a tery ery strong bpd bad of sympathy and affection the happy attitude of the filipino Fill pino people toward america is due not principally to the fact that americans have shown the filipinos how to make their country a bl better itter place to live in ill nut not principally prIne Pally to the tact fact we YC have superintended super intended the implanting in the of one of the finest educational cat ional systems in the tha world nor to tile building of high class roads bridges slid and public works but is due that in me fact principally to tile filipinos jones law america gave the lier her word ol of lionor honor that as soon as ar a could be established stable government from 0 we hiir the would c philippine lh withdraw islands our sovereignty it might at first thought seem scorn strange that in their sine sincere ere appreciation of nil that wo we have done lor for them the ino people should place most emphasis on the promise to grant them their indea independence en lence for it cannot be successfully denied that on oil the whole the united states has treated the filipino people better than any nation ever treated a dependent alien since the curtain curium curium n people nnie in all the days davs rose on the dawn ot of civilization it if we do not spoil it it Is it a record that ie ne can be proud of but it really isn t so strange that the filipino should love us more for our oter promise to jive give them sovereignty over themselves than for our other good works tor for which after all outside of army and navy expenditures the filipinos have been taxed and properly so tor for every evelly cent of the cost it if we but reverse tile the situation and place ourselves in the shoes of the filipinos which cannot be said to be an unfair way of g getting etting at the other follow fellows vs viewpoint we shall see that it is not strange suppose that great britain or any other power that you can think of 0 by referring to your geography or history should impose its sovereignty upon us against burwill our will ana then give us an infinitely better government than we now enjoy could any such much foreign power ever succeed in convincing us that it had our welfare more at heart than we have ourselves but to return to my story the fill heartily thanked us for the koues law considering it a sort of a CoNeria tit between the filipino and american peoples and immediately applied themselves to the task of setting up the prescribed stable government and they set it up it is in tile the philippines now flow americas own avni representative in the islands the governor general officially chIlly reports it is and recommends that since the and recommends that there filipinos bave earnestly fulfilled their alk ir part of the america should be ba as prompt in carrying out its part of the cont contract fact So that in a few words it is not the philippines that now are on trial but the united states there Is but one answer an america will carry out its agreement ement and since we are going to do it we cannot afford to quibble and split hairs and hesitate until our tard robs us ot of halt half the glory of our let us act with a prompts and willingness really worthy of america C a and when the people of the united states set up the philippine republic as the first christian democracy of the par far east they will ivill be building a monument to themselves that will wili stand throughout eternity on that day the beacon light lit ot of hope humanity and justice will flash around the world such an example by america will accomplish com more for tile the weak and struggling peoples of tile the earth t than J in lite tour four near ear world war with all its cost in ill life and treasure |