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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Extracts from the Congressional Record


REMARKS
OF
HON. ELMER A. MORSE
OF WISCONSIN


HON. MARLIN E. OLMSTED
OF PENNSYLVANIA
HON. JOHN A. MARTIN
OF COLORADO
AND
HON. EDGAR D. CRUMPACKER
OF INDIANA
IN THE


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 1, 8, AND 15, 1912
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE


1912


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SPEECHI
OF
HON. ELMER A. MORSE,
OF   WISCONSIN.
Wednesday, May 1, 1912.
The House having under consideration the bill (H. R. 17756) to
amend an act approved July 1, 1902, entitled "An act temporarily to
provide for the administration of the affairs of civil government in the
Philippine Islands, and for other purposes "Mr. MORSE of Wisconsin said:
Mr. SPEAKER: Of course the question of the ultimate disposition of the Philippine Islands is not before the House at this
time. The Delegate from the Philippine Islands has characterized the suggestion of statehood as an idle dream. I want to
say that, in my opinion, after listening to the eloquent words
of the Delegate from the Philippine Islands, this House would
be pretty nearly ready to admit these islands to statehood.
*       *        *       *       *       *       *
SPEECH
OF
or
HON. MARLIN E. OLMSTED.
Wednesday, May 1, 1912.
Mr. OLMSTED said:
Mr. SPEAKER: The passage of this bill would prove greatly to
the detriment of the Filipinos. Its defeat will be greatly to
their advantage, and yet if we do them the favor of defeating it
we must do so, it appears, over what seems to me the very
unwise protest of one of their representatives upon this floorthe eloquent gentleman who has just addressed you and whose
ability I concede.
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SPEECH
OF
HON. JOHN A. MARTIN,
OF COLORADO.
Wednscday, May 8, 1912.
*       *       *       *       *       *       *
THE ATTITUDE OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSIONETS IN CONGRESS.
Several times during the debate I have hea.rd the gentlemanl
fron the Philippines iMr. QUEZON I questioned with regard to
the attitude of his colleague and with a view to ascertaining
whether or not Mr. QUEZON'S colleague was in harmony with
Mr. QUEZON'S position with reference to land limitations and
sales in the Philippines, the obvious object of these questions,
coming as they do from gentlemen upon the other side of the
question, being to weaken the position of Mr. QUEZON by showing, inferentially at least, that Mr. QUEZON is not supllorted by
his colleague in his efforts in behalf of this bill and against
the sale of the friar lands. One thing all must say for Mr.
QUEZON, and that is, he is here to speak for himself and that
he has spoken so al)ly and so eloquently as to win the admliration and applause of all Memnbers, regardless of their attitude
upon this bill.
But I will go a step further and I will say that because of
Mr. QUEzoN's attitude in the Sixty-first Congress in favor of
the investigation of the sale of the friar lands, which investigation was ordered just at the close of the session in June,
1910, Mr. QUEZON was unanimously reelected by the 'Phililline
Assembly as a Commissioner from the Philippine Islands, whiile
his colleague, because of his failure to oppose the sale of the
friar lands, was unanimously rejected by the assembly. The
commission, however, which disapproves Mr. QUEZON and approves his colleague, refused to concur in the reelection of the
former without the reelection of the latter, and as a consequence a vacancy was threatened in both Commissionerslips
from the Philippine Islands. This condition was met in the iast
session of the Sixty-first Congress by the passage of aIn act
extending the terms of office of both Commissioners until such
time as the Philippine Legislature, consisting of the assembly
elected by the people and the commission appointed by the
President of the United States, shall elect their successors.
The attitude of the Philippine Assembly toward their congressional delegates is only another side light thrown clearly
upon the position of the representative Filipino body upon the
question at issue.
That Mr. QUEZON has been strongly and consistently against
this policy of exploitation from the beginning is clearly shown
by the following colloquy on. the floor of the House, which I take
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4
the liberty of reproducing from  the CONGRE:SSIONAL RFCORD of
May 21, 1910, at page 6823:
MIr. MISI:IN of Colorado. I would like to ask the gentleman how his
people will view the new movement of American capital into the Philippine Islands to buy up and develop large tracts of land there?
Mr. QUEZON. My peepie are informed of the policy of the United
States Government upon this question, which is not to sell more than
1,024 hectares of land to any corporation, and they have from the very
beginning applauded this policy.
In fact, the Filipinos have considered the provision of the " organic
act " limiting the area of land acquirable by corporations to 1,024 hectares as the best proof that the Philippines have not been occupied by
Americans for exploitation purposes.
Mr. MARTIN of Colorado. And they would not applaud any departure
from that policy then?
Mr. QUEZON. No, indeed.
Mr. MARTIN of Colorado. But supposing the land is held in large
tracts in the names of agents of exploiting foreign corporations or
Interests?
Mr. QUEZON. The result would be the same; it would be just as
objectionable.
Mr. Chairman, I shall avail myself of the opportunity afforded to
me by the questions of the gentleman from Colorado to make clear the
attitude of the Filipinos regarding the land question.  We are not
anticapitalists, neither are we antiforeigners.  We do not want to
encircle the islands with some sort of a "China wall "; we welcome
the coming in of capital to stimulate commerce and develop industry.
We receive with open arms every foreigner who visits or lives with
us. The hospitality of the Filipinos is proverbial. But we are against
the ownership of large tracts of land, either by corporations or by
individuals, for it is incompatible with the real prosperity of the
natives. You can not have, Mr. Chairman, a solid, conservative, contented, law-abiding community unless the plain people, as your beloved
Lincoln affectionately called them, have and cultivate their own land.
Moreover, large agricultural enterprises in the Philippines will, sooner
or later, bring about Chinese or other oriental immigration into the
islands, which we are fighting against. For these reasons I, on behalf
of my people as well as of myself, respectfully ask Congress to strictly
adhere to its policy concerning this matter, as it has been defined in
the "organic act."
SPEECH
OF
HON. EDGAR 1). CRUMPACKER,
OF INDIANA,
IN  THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Wednesday, May 15, 1912.
The House having under consideration the bill (H. R. 17756) to
amend an act approved July 1, 1902, entitled "An act temporarily to
provide for the administration of the affairs of civil government in the
Philippine Islands, and for other purposes "
The eloquent gentleman from the islands [Mr. QUEZON] seems
to be living in continual fear of Americanizing the islands. He
opposes every proposition that looks toward American enterprise
and the investment of American capital and the extension of
American influence there. He has in mind immediate independence of the people of the Philippines.
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