Letters: Dec. 5, 1927

(4 of 8)

Sirs:

I have read with much interest the reputed speech of Senator Bingham and the letter of Mr. Underwood concerning the Philippines [TIME, Nov. 7]. I wish to congratulate Mr. Underwood, especially, upon his ability to write learnedly about these Islands after a three days' visit, most of which time he spent in jazzing and in conversing with the gentle Quezon and his cronies. Some years ago I spent two years in the Islands. I assure you I have never felt competent to write about them, but then I have never enjoyed the rare privilege of being a member of the "University Afloat." At that time I was only a supervisor of schools.

He refers to General Wood's "lack of understanding of the Filipinos" and of his inexplicable lack of consideration for them— which is putting it very mildly indeed." No doubt Mr. Underwood, after his jazzy three days, understood the natives better than General Wood, one of the greatest men of his age, who spent long years of patient toil among them, and who practically gave his life for them.[In the language of the Bible: 'greater love hath no man than this, that he gave his life for them.*']

Every one who knows anything about the Islands at all knows that Senor Quezon is one of the smoothest, craftiest, most cunning, most unscrupulous, and most corrupt politicians imaginable. One of his smoothest tricks is to take charge of visiting committees and other tenderfeet and show them what he alone wants them to see, to the end that on their return the United States will be deluged with Filipino propaganda. . . .

In regard to mingling in a social way, times may have changed since I was there, but I have seen Americans, from Governor-General down, dancing with Filipino senoritas, brown and black. If a white man here in the States were to mix with Negroes, Indians, Mexicans, Chinese, or Japanese to the one-hundredth part that the Americans in the Islands mix with the Filipinos, he would be completely and permanently ostracized.

He refers to the enslavement of the natives by the Americans. That surely must have taken place since I left. I have seen Americans arrested by police officials on the ground that their clothing was not sufficiently modest to suit the fastidious taste of the Filipino ladies, while at that very time millions of Filipino men were going around without a single shred of clothing on their bodies with the exception of the G-string, a piece of cloth some 3½ by 8 inches.

If Mr. Underwood will make a careful comparison of the conditions of the Filipinos in 1898 and in 1927, I think he will find that their freedom and independence have been increased about 10,000%. He will find that the biggest problem of the American officials in the Philippines has always been to prevent the complete enslavement of the Taus (common laborers) by such men as Senor Quezon.

E.F. GEORGE

Lubbock, Tex.

Underwood Flayed

Sirs:

No one ever writes an article beginning "When I was with the Ford Peace Ship" and no one familiar with the Orient has expected to see any thing written with the preface "When I was with the University Afloat," but apparently, the wide open spaces of Dubois, Wyoming, have given courage to Mr. John E. Underwood whose letter regarding the Philippines appears in TIME, Nov. 7.