THE PHILIPPINES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18998, 20 October 1923, Page 10

THE PHILIPPINES

GTNERAL WOOD’S RECALL URGED. FORMER RESOLUTION RE-AFFIRMED. Association —By Telegraph— Copyright - MANILA, October 18. Following on an all-day debate in tho Filipino Legislature in joint session, the reaolutiousa adopted last July by the Independence Commission asking for the recall of General Wood were unanimously approved.- —A. and N.Z. Cable. Trouble arose in the Philippine Islands in July, when the Governor-General, General Leonard Wood, reinstated a Manila secret service official (Mr Conley) alter legal exoneration Irom charges ot wrongdoing without consulting the man’s immediate superiors. The Governor s Council ot State and Cabinet resigned in a body, and General Wood accepted the resignations. Then it came out that there had also been differences of opinion over financial policies, ifie resignations were followed by an appeal to Washington. ■ The Philippine Legislature met as the “Philippine Commission of Independence” to approve the resignations, demand the. recall ot the Governor-General, and plead for immediate independence as tho “only satisfactory solution of the probA statement made on behalf of the Filipino Idadersr said: “The intention of Congress in the Jones law, passed in August, ibid, was to give the Filipinos all possible powers of local self-government not incompatible with the'sovereignty of tho United States.-, But Governor Wood has gone directly against the spirit of the Jones law. His’acts and polities have been more characteristic of a military autocracy than of a civil Administration. Ho has vetoed much important domestic legislation of the Philippine Legislature. Governor Wood is attempting to supplant tho Philippine Council of State and the Philippine Legislature as the policy-making and the law-making power ot the Philippines. If he is to be allowed to” continue on the road ho has been travelling. Congress might as well abolish the Legislature and admit to the world there is no longer any local self-govern-ment in the Philippines.” The complete returns of the elections at the beginning of this month showed that Senor Uairiou Fernandez was elected to the Senate by ‘ # safe majority, thus scoring a Coalitionists’ victory, which strengthened the agitators for immediate independence as well as the anti-Wood forces. A Coalitionist manifesto invited ail natives “to join us in our national undertaking to overthrow the autocracy of General Wood.”

GENERAL WOOD’S ATTITUDE. SUPPORTED BY UNITED STATES. WASHINGTON, October 18. (Received Oct. 19, at 7.30 p.m.) Mr J. W. Week's (Secretary of War) has cabled to General Wood assuring him of his support of the Administration in the present friction in the Philippines.— A., and N.Z. Cable.