Hurley v. Hawes

Up from Washington's Boiling Field last week soared a big Army plane carrying Secretary of War Patrick Jay Hurley on the first leg of his journey to the Philippines. The same day on the other side of the globe Missouri's Senator Harry Bartow ("Beets") Hawes sailed from Manila for the U. S. via China. During his six-week visit to the islands Senator Hawes had united a great mass of Filipinos for immediate independence, whipped their enthusiasm for freedom to the highest pitch in years. It was now Secretary Hurley's mission to find deft ways & means of undoing Senator Hawes's political handiwork.

Arriving by plane at Seattle, Secretary Hurley would there embark on a 23-day trip across the Pacific to Manila. Before he left Washington he conferred long and solemnly with President Hoover whose eyes and ears he will be in the Philippines. At its next session Congress is more than likely to pass a bill freeing the islands. To be forearmed for such legislation, the President wanted his war chief to make a special survey of Philippine economics and politics. President Hoover in principle opposes independence for the Philippines but last week it was hinted he might, on the strength of Secretary Hurley's findings, change his mind and offer a counterproposal.

Spearhead of the independence movement in the U. S. during recent months has been Manuel Quezon, president of the Philippine Senate and chief of a special independence mission for that purpose to the U. S. Like rivals who would not let each other out of their sight, Mr. Quezon and Secretary Hurley will cross the Pacific on the same steamer, land in Manila together. But between them is no personal animosity. Secretary Hurley took Mr. Quezon to the White House where the little brown gentleman spent 15 minutes bidding President Hoover a chatty farewell.

Meanwhile in Manila last week there were signs of a rapprochement between Governor General Dwight Filley Davis and the native Legislature. The report that Governor Davis would resign Jan. 1 to join his wife in Paris, coupled with speculation as to his successor, disturbed Filipino politicos who feared the next Governor General would be less friendly, more dictatorial. This fear prompted Sergio Osmena, president pro tem, of the Senate to declare: "Everybody knows of the continuation of Governor Davis in office at great sacrifice on his part. Because of the invalid condition of Mrs. Davis, the Governor feels the necessity of joining his family in Paris. We hope he will be able to accomplish his desire equally satisfactorily by taking a temporary leave to which he has a right after two years of intense and active service in the islands."

A whirlwind finish marked Senator Hawes's Philippine visit. Having caused a huge parade and at least one riot by his encouragement of Independence (TIME, July 20) he had an opportunity fortnight ago to tell the Manila Rotary Club how he felt about his achievement. Announced he: "I only asked a simple civil question: Whether the Filipinos wanted independence. I did not expect that to create such a disturbance." He lined up Emilio Aguinaldo, oldtime rebel, for immediate freedom, even if the price were civil war. To a joint session of the Legislature he delivered a farewell address in which he said:

"With thoughts of independence uppermost in your minds, economics and other subjects must take a secondary place. The proposal to delay the decision 15, 20, or 30 years is not a plan; it is a subterfuge . . . a graveyard policy. Those opposed to independence should have the courage to admit it. Frankness may furnish information for which crocodile tears are no substitute. You are willing to pay the high cost of freedom and you will by orderly peaceful persuasion convince Americans of the justice of your cause."

"Mabuhay! Mabuhay!" [Long life! Long life!] shrieked the delighted little legislators.

*Last month in his annual message Governor Davis urged the Legislature to put economics ahead of politics.

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