convey to the States in which located Government-owned or approach roads to national cemeteries and national military parks.

Under the provisions of the above law the Secretary of War under date of July 7, 1926, conveyed to the city of Fayetteville, Ark., the Government-owned approach road to the Fayetteville National Cemetery. A number of other national cemetery and national military park approach roads which are part of the local highway systems, have been returned to the cities and States in which they are situated. The general policy adopted by the War Department to carry out the provisions of the above law, is to return to the cities, counties, or States all Government-owned or controlled approach roads to national cemeteries and military parks which have become more important as parts of the local highway systems than as cemetery or park approaches, thus placing on the cities and States the cost of maintenance, which should be borne by the local taxpayers. In view of the above policy adopted by the War Department to carry out the provisions of the act of Congress approved March 3, 1925, with reference to Government-owned or controlled cemetery and military park roads, the department can not consistently approve a measure for improving a road to a cemetery which the Government does not own or control. For the above reasons, it is recommended that S. 4247 be not enacted into law.

Sincerely yours,

о

F. TRUBEE DAVISON,

Acting Secretary of War

MAY 29 (calendar day, JUNE 2), 1930.-Ordered to be printed

Mr. HAWES, from the Committee on Territories and Insular Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 3822]

Your Committee on Territories and Insular Affairs, to whom was referred a number of bills providing for, or relating to, Philippine independence, respectfully report that they have considered all such bills, and a majority of the committee reports favorably S. 3822, "A bill to provide for the withdrawal of the sovereignty of the United States over the Philippine Islands and for the recognition of their independence; to provide for notification thereof to foreign governments; to provide for the assumption by the Philippine government of obligations under the treaty with Spain; to define trade and other relations between the United States and the Philippine Islands on the basis of a progressive scale of tariff duties preparatory to complete independence; to provide for the calling of a convention to frame a constitution for the government of the Philippine Islands; to provide for certain mandatory provisions of the proposed constitution; to provide for the submission of the constitution to the Filipino people and its submission to the Congress of the United States for approval; to provide for the adjustment of property rights between the United States and the Philippine Islands; to provide for the acquisition of land by the United States for coaling and naval stations in the Philippine Islands; to continue in force certain statutes until independence has been granted, and for other purposes," and recommends that it do pass with the following amendments:

(1) On page 5, line 2, between the words "of" and "an", insert the following: "an adequate system of sanitation and".

(2) On page 6, line 3, between the words "States" and "Commissioner", insert the word "High".

(3) On page 16, line 9, strike out the words "such termination" and in their place insert the following: "the passage of this act".

The other bills before your committee were S. 204, providing for the withdrawal of the United States from the Philippine Islands; S. 3108, to enable the people of the Philippine Islands to adopt a constitution, etc.; Senate Joint Resolution 113, requesting the President to call a conference on the Philippine question; Senate Resolution 199, to investigate the feasibility of tariff autonomy for the Philippines; and S. 3379, to enable the people of the Philippine Islands to adopt a constitution, etc.

EXTENT OF INQUIRY

Your committee at various times between January 15 and May 22, 1930, held public and executive hearings on all of the bills mentioned. Witnesses were heard by the committee both for and against the proposed measures. These witnesses included the officially authorized representatives of the Philippine people sent to this country for the purpose of presenting the Philippine cause; Americans with business interests in the Philippines, economists, political leaders, and experts familiar with every phase of the Philippine question.

At the conclusion of public hearings, your committee decided to hear also the Secretaries of State, War, and Navy in executive session. The Secretary of State also appeared at one open session and a letter from the Secretary of War, detailing his views on the question of Philippine independence, was made a matter of record.

Among the Filipinos heard by your committee were Hon Manuel Roxas, speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippine Islands; Hon. Manuel Briones, majority leader of the Philippine House; Hon. Pedro Gil, floor leader of the minority party in the Philippine House of Representatives; and Hon. Pedro Guevara and Hon. Camilo Osias, Resident Commissioners of the Philippine Islands. It is pertinent to state that the Philippine Commission represented both the minority and majority political parties, as well as the different sections of the Philippines. They asserted, without contradiction, that they voiced the unanimous desire of all political parties and peoples in their islands for Philippine independence.

Your committee calls particular attention to the extensive array of facts and figures concerning the economic, political, social, racial, historical, and geographical phases of the Philippine question which may be found either in the 700 pages of testimony taken by the committee or in the many speeches on this subject delivered by Members of the Senate and House and reported in the Congressional Record.

In addition, there are available the facts presented to the House Ways and Means Committee and to the Senate Finance Committee during the consideration of tariff problems; the testimony obtained by the Commerce Committee of the Senate on the question of the extension of the coastwise shipping laws, and statements and data recorded in the hearings of the House Committee on Immigration on the subject of Filipino exclusion.

It is doubtful whether any material facts relating to the Philippine question have not been made accessible in the records of the present Congress.

Your committee further calls attention to the fact that although the Philippine question has never, since the occupation of the islands in 1898, been entirely outside the contemplation of Congress, the

question has not heretofore (with the possible exception of the session of 1916) received the detailed and comprehensive consideration that has been given it in the present Congress. So that, in making this majority report to the Senate, your committee feels that little need be left to speculation. The facts may be gathered accurately from the records.

PURPOSES OF BILL REPORTED

In a general way, S. 3822 may be said to contain four major purposes, as follows:

(1) To provide for the drafting of a constitution for a free and independent government of the Philippine Islands;

(2) To provide for a ratification by the Philippine people of the constitution so formulated, and the election of governmental officials under the new constitution;

(3) To provide a 5-year period of test for the gradual change in the economic and political relationship between the islands and the United States, thus giving the Philippine people an actual experience of such relationship, and an opportunity, following such experience, to decide at a plebiscite whether they approve or disapprove of separation from the United States;

(4) To provide, in the event of an affirmative vote in the plebiscite, for the final withdrawal of American sovereignty over the islands, with such agreements by treaty or otherwise as may be necessary for the protection of American rights and properties in the Philippines, the liquidation of the public debt of the Philippines, and the retention by the United States of sites for coaling or naval bases as the United States may deem advisable.

UNITED STATES REMAINS IN CONTROL

During the "test" period and under the constitution to be adopted by the Philippine people for this period, the United States, in pursuance of the terms of the bill reported, remains in complete supervision and control of every step taken by the Philippine people toward Philippine independence, and is not to relinquish the islands finally until the provisions of the bill shall have been satisfactorily complied with and until the Congress of the United States shall have approved both the constitution to be framed by the Filipinos and every other step in their progress toward competence as a self-governing people.

DETAILS OF S. 3822

In detail, the bill (S. 3822) provides as follows:

(1) That the Philippine Legislature shall elect delegates to a constitutional convention for the purpose of drafting a constitution for a free and independent government, the expenses of such convention to be provided for by the Philippine Legislature;

(2) That the constitution so formulated shall provide for a government republican in form and adequate to secure a stable, orderly, and free government;

(3) That the constitution so formulated shall, pending the final and complete withdrawal of United States sovereignty, provide among other things as follows:

(a) Citizens and officers of the Philippine Islands shall take the oath of allegiance to the United States;

(b) Religious freedom and tolerance shall be secured and all citizens protected in their religious worship;

(c) Property owned by the United States, and cemeteries, churches, parsonages, convents, and buildings used for religious, charitable, or educational purposes shall be exempt from taxation;

(d) Foreign affairs of the islands shall be under the supervision of the United States;

(e) All acts of the Philippine Legislature shall be reported to the Congress of the United States, which shall have the right to annul such acts;

(f) The United States may intervene for the preservation of the government of the islands;

(g) The Philippine government shall maintain public schools in which the language of instruction shall be English, and an adequate system of sanitation for the protection of public health;

(h) No revenue shall be used for sectarian or denominational purposes;

(i) The authority of the High Commissioner of the United States to the Philippine Islands shall be fully recognized and accepted.

(4) That after the adoption by the convention of the constitution so formulated, the constitution shall be submitted to the people of the Philippine Islands at an election and they shall vote directly to accept or reject it;

(5) That the constitution so adopted and approved shall be submitted to the Congress of the United States for approval or rejection;

(6) That if approved by the Congress, the President of the United States shall certify this fact to the Governor General of the Philippines who shall issue a proclamation for the election of Philippine officials to assume and administer the new government;

(7) That the new government having been thus formed and installed, trade relations between the United States and the Philippines shall be, during the 5-year period, upon the following basis:

(a) During the first year, trade relations shall be as at present. (b) During the second year, 25 per cent of existing duties shall be levied upon all articles imported into the United States from the Philippines, and on all articles imported into the islands from the United States;

(c) During the third year, 50 per cent of such duties shall be levied; (d) During the fourth year, 75 per cent of such duties shall be levied:

(e) During the fifth year, full duty shall be levied upon imports to both countries in the same manner as on all foreign imports.

The proposals for the gradual application of tariff duties during the period of transition from the present status to complete independence were adopted from the provisions of a bill introduced by Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, a member of this committee.

Should the Philippine people fail to ratify the proposal for independence in the plebiscite, the bill provides that tariff relations between the islands and the United States shall be restored to the basis in effect at the time of the passage of S. 3822.