Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SECTION 241

pletely abandon us. The Philippines could accept
this arrangement making herself afterwards a member
of the League of Nations in order that she might have
a right to protection against all aggressions. This solution perhaps would not be compatible with the interests of America in this Extreme Orient. American
commerce in this part of the world reached one sixth
of her total foreign commerce; and this needed the
adequate protection of the government and consequently the necessity of having naval and coal stations
in our territory.
In the second place, Philippine independence might
be recognized by the Government of the United States,
with a pledge of perpetual neutralization from the
Great Powers, or from Japan, Great Britain, France
and the United States.
In the third place, another possible solution of the
Philippine problem was to recognize our independence, imposing to the future Philippine Republic the
condition and obligation of not ceding any portion of
its territory to any foreign power in exchange of the
collective guarantee of its political independence and
territorial integrity by the Great Powers or by Japan,
the Great Britain, France and the United States at
least. A similar solution, was considered feasible by
the Great Powers of Europe interested in Baltic affairs,
when Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia
signed a treaty in 1907, promising their collective
guarantee of the political independence and territorial
integrity of Norway under the precise condition that
she would not cede any portion of her territory to any
other power.