Mr. LozIER. Oh, yes; but you want to postpone it just like the British Parliament did in 1776, 25 or 30, 40, or 100 years. The English government claims that it would be folly for the British government to turn the American colonists loose. In the British Parliament, from 1773 to 1785, even to 1789, after our independence, the burden of the song was that the American colonists were not qualified, economically, politically, or otherwise for self government, and that our efforts at self government were foredoomed to end in disaster, and if granted independence, in a few years, the colonists would be knocking at the door of the British parliament asking for readmission to the British Empire. They even went so far as to say that the United States could not exist as an independent nation, without the protection of France, Germany, or some big European nation. Is it not your position now, that if we grant Philippine independence these islands would be an easy prey to mercenary and military nations, and would soon lose their independence? Mr. SWITZER. You are putting an awful lot of ideas in my head. Mr. LozIER. Well, there is plenty of room for a few, is there not? Mr. SWITZER. Oh, I do not know it all, like some people. Mr. LOZIER. I am going to call your attention to a few brief references in your article, Truth About Philippine Sugar. Mr. SWITZER. Mr. Chairman, may I ask one question of the Member, please? The CHAIRMAN. Certainly. Mr. SWITZER. I did not have a chance; you were telling about Great Britain's policy, so I had no chance to ask it. But you call attention to this propaganda of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce. May I ask the gentleman if that chamber is the only one that is sending forth any propaganda to the various Members of Congress? If so, of course, they are grievously at fault. Mr. LOZIER. I will be glad to answer that question. The Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce is the mother of propaganda with reference to the inadvisability of liberating the Philippines. If propaganda is being circulated by those who favor Philippine independence, such action was necessary in order to remove the poisons and the misrepresentations scattered like dragon's teeth throughout the Nation by the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce. Mr. SWITZER. May I call the gentleman's attention to the fact that if he will look at the records here before this committee, here and in the Senate, he will not find, so far as I recollect, a single member appearing here, either for himself or for the Philippine-Americar. Chamber of Commerce, who have opposed independence. Mr. LOZIER. But the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerc has been spreading the doctrine of delay and industriously propagating the threadbare contention that the Filipinos are not capable of self-government. Mr. SWITZER. My dear sir, are we not entitled to an honest and conscientious opinion as to when it is best and safe for independence to take place? We are not quibbling about independence. We want them to have it some time. Mr. LozIER. You are entitled to an honest opinion, and I would not deprive you of that right, but the fact that you have a mercenary, perhaps I should say financial, interest would tend to color and weaken the force to be given to your argument. I want to call your attention to some of the different subjects discussed by you in this pamphlet written by you and circulated by the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce: American Farmer Misled. Price of Sugar in the United States. Real, not Bogus, Help for Domestic Sugar. When will Philippine Sugar Injure Domestic Sugar? Movement Aims at Sugar Monopoly. Why Domestic Opposes Philippine Sugar [a lengthy dissertation]. National Bad Faith Toward Philippines. America's Loss. International Aspects. Advice of Americans who know Philippines. Now, let me give you just a few quotations from this very remarkable dissertation. You say in one place: Even the Filipinos themselves now realize the blighting consequences of near-by independence and the termination of free trade. Then you say again, under "America's Loss" : Do the American farmers, under a misapprehension, want to force the United States to suddenly grant independence terminating our tariff relationship with the Philippines, paralyze the industries of those islands, launch an impoverished, new, and independent government foredoomed to failure, and in thus leaving, ruthlessly sacrifice the friendship we built up with the Filipinos during the past 33 years? The farmers evidently overlook the unnecessary and fruitless ill will this would create in the mind of every Filipino. It would be an ugly specter in our history. Moreover, we need the friendship of the Filipinos in the Orient, as much as we need the friendship of the Cubans in Central and South America. Then you say: In Traditionally the American farmer acts right when he understands. setting before him the other side of the question, we have tried to make him understand. Will he write to and call off his great farm organization, his Representatives in Congress, and his legislative agents in Washington? In this you have argued and appealed to the American farmer to go over the heads of the organization which represents him, and bring influence to bear upon these organizations, bring influence to bear upon the Representatives in Congress, upon their legislative agents to allow you and those for whom you speak to have the privilege of determining what policy the United States Government shall adopt with reference to the Philippines. Mr. SWITZER. Do you object to our coming here and expressing our views? Mr. LOZIER. No, sir. Mr. SWITZER. Then what is all this about? Mr. LOZIER. You have laid yourself open by not being frank with this committee. Mr. SWITZER. You ask me any question you want to and I will answer it and show you whether I am frank. Mr. LOZIER. Why did you not in the beginning tell this committee frankly the concerns in which you were interested and your identification with the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce? Mr. SWITZER. Why, my dear sir, I told you in my opening remarks that I had interests in the Philippines. Mr. LOZIER. But that is a general statement, a conclusion. You did not go into details. Mr. SWITZER. Well, I had so much to say, I did not think it was worth while to tell the specific names of the companies I was interested in, because as long as I tell you I have an interest in the Philippines, is not that frank? Mr. LOZIER. Just one question more, and I will desist. You did not think it was worth while to take this committee into your confidence and tell them that you had organized one of these great commercial companies and been one of its executive officers until recent years? You did not think it was worth while to tell this committee that up to two years ago you had been president of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce, the greatest propaganda organization in the United States to-day, considering the interests involved? We had to dig up these facts and drag them out of you. Mr. SWITZER. No, it did not; no, it did not. I had a long brief here and I cut it down and made it as compact as I could. I said right in the beginning of my statement that I had financial interests there. I said I had lived there for 21 years. If I had gone into the details and told you all about what positions I had held over there, you would have thought that I was blowing my own horn. Mr. LozIER. Yes; but the real point is this: You did not, in your brief or in your statement, voluntarily take this committee into your confidence and indicate to them that up to two years ago you had been the president of the organization that has spilled more poison in the minds of the American people in reference to the Philippine problem than all other propaganda organizations combined. Mr. SWITZER. If I am not mistaken, Mr. Chairman, this is the gentleman who sort of objected to reading a long statement here. Mr. CROSS. No; I am the man that did that. Mr. SWITZER. I am sorry; I could not remember who it was. The CHAIRMAN. Unless there are some further questions, I thank you, Mr. Switzer. Gentlemen, we hope to conclude the hearings on next Saturday. We will have a hearing, not to-morrow or Thursday, but Friday morning at 10 o'clock, continuing on Saturday, when we hope to conclude the hearings. In the meantime I want to say to the members of the committee that since the Filipino Commission has submitted some amendments to the original bill introduced, we propose to-day to reintroduce the bill with these amendments attached, in order that members of the committee might be able to see the comparison. Mr. KNUTSON. You mean just to have a committee print? The CHAIRMAN. Yes. The committee will adjourn until Friday morning at 10 o'clock. (Thereupon at 12 o'clock noon the committee adjourned until Friday, February 5, 1932, at 10 o'clock a. m.) INDEPENDENCE FOR THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1932 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10.13 o'clock a. m., Hon. Butler B. Hare (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. We will hear Representative Horr of the State of Washington, who desires to make a short statement. STATEMENT OF HON. RALPH HORR, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON Mr. HORR. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am representing the Seattle district, in the State of Washington. I am appearing here this morning in a very short presentation to you of the opinion of our people on this Filipino matter. Our people, primarily, in my opinion, from what I can gather, particularly organized labor, with whom I have had very close contact, have one thing in mind, and that is the exclusion of the Filipino. We also have a very considerable industrial interest that is represented in the islands, which has expressed the opinion to me that they do not believe in the independence of the Filipino people at this time. We have had a very unfortunate condition in the Northwest. We have either spoiled the Filipinos who have come over to us and made their homes there or else we have had a lower type of Filipinos than I have had the pleasure to meet here. From a moral standpoint, the city of Seattle is not extremely friendly to the Filipino people who have taken up a residence in the northwest. I am of the opinion that it is because we are getting a lower type of Filipino, or it may go to the other extreme, that the white people in all probability have spoiled the Filipinos. At any rate, the condition exists in Seattle that I do not believe the people of the Philippines would countenance, or any other people in the world. Morally, they have not made a very high contribution to our city. They have aligned themselves with people of extremely low morals, particularly of the feminine sex of our city. We have felt the effect on our high-school students, and even down into the grammar schools. The last complaint I received was from the head of the Parent Teacher Association, when I left the city of Seattle, that not only the high-school youngsters were being debauched, but it also applied to grammar schools. Now, I do not attribute this to the Filipinos, as a people, but we have either gleaned a very poor product from the islands, or else 106240-32- -30 271 |