Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 105, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1916 — PHILIPPINE BILL KILLED BY HOUSE [ARTICLE]

PHILIPPINE BILL KILLED BY HOUSE

Vote of 193 to 151 Kills Four-Year Proviso—Representatives Sjt As Committee. Washington, May 1. —Sitting as a committee of the whole, the house tonight voted, 193 to 151, to eliminate the provision of the Philippines bill authorizing the president to grant in-/ dependence to the islands in four - years. This was accepted as meaning defeat for the section on a final vote. On the 18th anniversary of the battle of Manila Bay the Philippine independence bill was taken up in the house by unanimous consent. There was ,po resort to a special rule. The debate began under an agreement between democrats and,.republicans for eight hours, providing that at the conclusion of general debate, the Clark amendment for independence within four years should be taken up for a vote first of all. Defending the Clark amendment, Representative Jones, author of the bill, declared that the choice presented to the senate was between a “vague, indefinite, meaningless and almost inconceivable proposition and an honest effort to redeem the solemn promises of the democratic party.” Representative Tov/ner of lowa opposed the bill, maintaining that there was no more reason for surrendering the Philippines than for surrendering Hawaii or Alaska. If the present navy was inadequate to defend the Philippines, he said, it should be enlarged, for instead of being j. source of weakness to the United States, Che islands were a source pf strength.