Philippine Ills

The War Department has had no little trouble in the administration of one of its charges, the Philippines. The Collectivist Party dominates in its demands that the Archipelago be set adrift, be given complete independence. One phase of this demand has been serious friction between the insular legislature and Governor .General Wood. The independence faction in the islands sent a mission, consisting of Manuel Roxas, Speaker of the Insular House, to the U. S. last Fall (TIME, Nov. 19). Senor Roxas presented his case to the President, and last week received a plain-spoken answer in the form of a letter. Said the President.

In your presentment you have set forth more or less definitely a series of grievances, the gravamen of which is that the present executive authority of the islands, designated by the United States Government, is in your opinion, out of sympathy with the reasonable national aspirations of the Filipino people. . .

Although they have made wonderful advances in the last quarter century, the Filipino people are by no means equipped, either in wealth or experience, to undertake the heavy burden which would be imposed upon them with political independence. Their position in the world is such that without American protection there would be the unrestricted temptation to maintain an extensive and costly diplomatic service and an ineffective but costly military and naval service.

I should be less than candid with you, however, if I did not say that in my judgment the strongest argument that has been used in the United States in support of immediate independence of the Philippines is not the argument that it would benefit the Filipinos, but that it would be of advantage to the United States. . . .

I am frankly convinced that the very mission upon which you have addressed me is itself an evidence that something is yet lacking in development of political consciousness and capability.

The Government of the United States has full confidence in the ability, good intentions, fairness and sincerity of the present Governor General. It is convinced that he has intended to act, and has acted, within the scope of his proper and constitutional authority. . .

Senor Roxas was not at all pleased by this direct answer. He fumed. He was reported as saying in an interview:

"President Coolidge hasn't anything to do with it, anyway. Our charges against the Wood Administration were made to Congress and not to the President ; and the question of Philippine independence is also properly one for the consideration of Congress. The only time President Coolidge has a direct interest in the matter is when some measure comes up to him either for his veto or approval. . . .

"My people will not be surprised by the attitude taken by President Coolidge. They understand Mr. Coolidge must play politics in the matter, but they do have faith in the American Congress." Meanwhile ructions continued in the islands. The Insular Legislature provided some years ago an Independence Fund, an annual outlay of 1,000,000 pesos ($500,000) for promoting the independence of the islands. The fund, unlike any expenditure authorized by Congress, receives its annual income of 1,000,000 pesos without any specific appropriation. Moreover, it is spent secretly. Some time ago court proceedings were instituted by the opponents of the dominating political clique to compel the Governor General to publish vouchers for the expenditures. The Insular Supreme Court ruled that he could do so or not at his discretion. It is said that General Wood has meticulously refrained even from examining the vouchers presented by Philippine politicians for its expenditure. ' Its opponents intimate freely that it is used to line the private pockets of the Collectivist leaders.

Recently the Insular Auditor Ben F. Wright ordered payments of the fund stopped. Last week the Philippine Press Bureau, a propaganda organization maintained in Washington out of the fund, announced that in retaliation "the Filipinos are abstaining from patronizing American goods and American newspapers" and asserted that private contributions were being received which in the course of a year would aggregate not 1,000,000 but 2,000,000 pesos. If this latter is so, nobody should be dissatisfied. Other reports from the Philippines declared that the appeal for private contributions to the Independence fund had netted less than 20,000 pesos in a week.

Meanwhile in Washington the Insular Affairs Committee of the House voted 11 to 5 to report granting independence to the islands. Some of those voting for presenting such a measure are opposed to granting independence at present, but voted favorably merely to bring the matter up. A subcommittee was delegated to draft the measure with two basic provisions: 1) that the U. S. was to have the right to a naval base on the islands, and 2) that there should be suitable guarantees for the payment of Philippine bonds most of which are held in this country. Democratic and radical sentiment is largely in favor of granting independence. The measure will have a good chance of passage--and a good chance of a veto from the President unless the date for granting independence is set as 25 years or so from now.