INDEPENDENCE FOR THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1932

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON INSULAR AFFAIRS,

Washington, D. C.

The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., Hon. Butler B. Hare (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. I have one matter I want to bring to the attention of the committee before we proceed with the regular business of the day. I have a telegram from Dr. Hilario Camino Moncado, of Los Angeles, Calif., requesting three hours of the committee's time on next Tuesday, January 26. He wants to be advised if he can be heard at that time.

I didn't feel like taking the responsibility and saying that we would hear him for the length of time requested on that date before first consulting the committee. I might say further that we had not contemplated any hearing on next Tuesday. However, if it is the wish and the will of the committee, we can advise him that he will be heard on that day. Otherwise we will arrange a subsequent date.

Mr. KEMP. How much time does he want?

The CHAIRMAN. Three hours.

Mr. HOOPER. Don't you think we could compromise on 30 minutes?" The CHAIRMAN. If that is the will of the committee, we will so advise him.

Mr. THURSTON. Manifestly, Mr. Chairman, if we extended that same period to everyone interested, we could never conclude the hearings.

The CHAIRMAN. I am aware of that. Will you leave the time with the chairman to decide?

Mr. WILLIAMS. It will develop after we hear him how much time the committee can give him. Let us decide it after he reaches here, as to the amount of time he can have.

The CHAIRMAN. Then, if there is no objection, I will advise him he can be heard.

Mr. SMITH. Why can't we hear him on the regular day, Mr.. Chairman?

The CHAIRMAN. We have not fixed a regular date.

Mr. THURSTON. Mr. Chairman, would there be others who might want to be heard on that date? We can't have a meeting for just one person.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes; we have others who are anxious to be heard, and we can hear them all on the same day.

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Mr. THURSTON. The matter of extending preference to any one should be in the discretion of the chair.

Mr. CROSS. I do think that we ought to get through with these hearings. Every member on this committee, I presume, knows what he wants to do on this matter. It has been before the country for several years. The members have studied the question and know nearly all the angles of it that they can know, and if they are to do anything, I think we should get through and act.

The CHAIRMAN. Then, I understand it is the will of the committee that we proceed with these hearings with as much dispatch as possible. If that is the will of the committee, your chairman will be governed by that expression.

We meet to-day, gentlemen, for the purpose of considering H. R. 7233, and we have with us representatives of the Philippine Islands who are to be heard. We have also the delegates present from the Philippine Islands, and I am going to ask Mr. Guevara, the Delegate from the Islands, to introduce the members of the commission.

Mr. WELCH. Mr. Chairman, for the purpose of the record at this time I desire to state that H. R. 7233 does not contain either an immigration exclusion or a restriction provision?

The CHAIRMAN. I might have said at the outset that this bill is to be used as a basis for these hearings. We will take up, in executive session, all the bills that have been introduced and consider them and any amendments to any of the bills, or the bill agreed upon, will be in order at any time.

Mr. WELCH. Then, those who are here as witnesses will be permitted to testify generally on the subjects that are contained in all the bills now pending before the committee?

The CHAIRMAN. Most assuredly they will.

Mr. WELCH. Some have exclusion provisions and some do not. My bill H. R. 6, now pending before this committee contains an immigration exclusion provision.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir.

Mr. WELCH. It is understood that the question of immigration, as well as the question of independence, will be considered by the committee.

The CHAIRMAN. Anything pertinent to this question will be heard. Mr. THURSTON. May I make this inquiry: Will there be a disposition to apportion the time among the different witnesses so that one will not take much more time than might be fair and thereby deny some other witness a chance to be heard? Will there be any limit placed upon the individual witnesses as to time?

The CHAIRMAN. My idea is this, we will limit the time to the subjects, rather than to individuals. If there are four or five men who want to testify on a particular subject, or a particular phase of the bill, it will be the policy of the chairman to have them select one or two representatives and divide the time in that way.

Mr. THURSTON. I take it, if there is opposition, they likewise will have a chance to be heard?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes. Now we shall be glad to hear from Mr. Guevara.

STATEMENT OF PEDRO GUEVARA, RESIDENT COMMISSIONER FROM THE PHILIPPINES

Mr. GUEVARA. Mr. Chairman, it is a real privilege for me to fulfill the pleasant duty of informing this committee of the presence in Washington of a commission sent by the Philippine Legislature to express the views of the Filipino people on all matters affecting them. The members of the commission now in Washington are Senator Osmena, acting president of the Senate, Representative Manuel Roxas, Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, Senator Ruperto Montinola, Senate minority leader, Representative Pedro Sabido, House majority leader, and Representative Emiliano T. Tirona, House minority leader. Attached to this commission are Dr. Maximo M. Kalaw, dean of the College of Liberal Arts of the University of the Philippines, and Mr. Marcial Lichauco, an assistant to the Attorney General of the Philippines.

As this committee will readily observe, the membership of this commission represents the different shades of public opinion in the Philippines, and there can be no doubt that they can express the true sentiments and wishes of the whole Filipino people.

The Philippine question has been the subject of hearings before this and other committees of previous Congresses. In view of the presence of the Philippine Commission especially sent by the Philippine Legislature and fully empowered to plead the cause of the Filipino people before the constitutional agencies of the United States, it seems to be unnecessary for me to set forth the issues. The commission will no doubt make a résumé of the arguments already presented, and outline the issues which, in the course of the hearings, will be discussed. Fresh information from the Philippines will be very valuable to the committee. With such information and the records of the previous hearings this committee will be in a position to render a decision on the issues arised, with honor to America and with justice to the Philippines. It is hoped that the deliberation of this committee on the Philippine question which is now before it will result in a satisfactory solution of the problem which may be at once fair and just to the best interests of both the United States and the Philippine Islands.

I am sure that the Philippine commission will do its utmost to assist the committee in the study and consideration of the fundamental problems involved in American-Filipino relations. Let me express the hope that at this time a final declaration of American policy towards the Philippine Islands will be made by the Congress of the United States, and by granting our independence bring about a happy culmination of her sacred mission undertaken 33 years ago. Then and only then will the Filipino people be truly contented, and America feel proud to have built a nation whose people, though different in race and traditions, cherish for her everlasting gratitude. When that time arrives, Americans and Filipinos alike will have every reason to bless the days of their temporary association.

And now, Mr. Chairman, I ask the committee to recognize Senator Sergio Osmena, acting president of the Senate, who will speak on behalf of the Philippine commission.

The CHAIRMAN. I might say at the request of Senator Osmena that he has a statement prepared and it is a short statement and he desires to be allowed to proceed without interruption until the conclusion of his statement.

STATEMENT OF THE HON. SERGIO OSMENA, ACTING PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Mr. OSMENA. I appear on behalf of the Philippine commission now in Washington, created by a concurrent resolution unanimously approved by the Philippine Legislature. The commission is composed of the President and Acting President of the Philippine Senate, the Speaker and the majority leader of the House of Representatives, and the minority leaders of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This commission has been charged by the Legislature jointly with the Resident Commissioners from the Philippine Islands with the task of petitioning the Government and people of the United States for the granting of independence to the Philippine Islands at an early date.

The full text of the resolution to which I referred is as follows:

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Creating a committee of the Legislature_composed of three mem bers of the Senate and three of the House of Representatives to petition the Government and Congres of the United States the early grant of the independence of the Philippines

Resolved by the House of Representatives the Philippine Senate concurring, That a committee of the Legislature be, and the same hereby is, created composed of the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Senate, the majority floor leader of the_House, Hon. Pedro Sabido; the minority floor leader of the Senate, Hon. Ruperto Montinola; and the minority floor leader of the House, Hon. Emiliano T. Tirona, who shall, jointly with the Resident Commissioners, petition the Government and Congress of the United States for the early granting of the independence of the Philippines and submit to them from time to time the views of the Legislature on any matter concerning the Philippines under consideration by the Government at Washington.

We. desire, first of all, to convey to the people and Government of the United States a message of good will, respect, and gratitude from the people of the Philippine Islands. We fully appreciate what America has done for us her unselfishness, her altruism, her generosity. More than 30 years ago she set out in the Philippines on a unique adventure, nobly conceived and faithfully carried out, to liberate a subject people. This had never been attempted before, but so consistent has been America's adherence to her noble purpose that her administration in the Philippines has established a new standard of justice in the treatment of dependent peoples. Readily casting aside the belief current among many colonizing nations that democracy can not thrive in the Tropics, she trained us in the art of self-government. Her success is now recognized. No other country under the tutelage of another has attained more substantial progress than the Philippine Islands during the same period of time. This is the opinion of impartial observers. We regard America as our friend and benefactor.

Our desire for independence is age-long. It is an informed, intense, and sincere desire. It has been attested in the course of our unhappy history throughout our many struggles for freedom against Spain.