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.

6 INDEPENDENCE CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS

Confiding in the altruism and the justice of the United States,
we demand our independence not through the impulses of mere
sentimentalism and idealism, but because we are firmly convinced that the Filipino people are sufficiently prepared to
assume the responsibilities of a free and independent life.
We fight for our sacred national cause, inspired by the high
principles of the Declaration of Independence, one of the principal doctrines of which is that the just and legitimate rights
of all good government are derived from the consent of the
governed, and that no country is justified in subjugating another.
These sublime principles which gave glory to the United States
in the History of Humanity became the soul of true Democracy,
and, crossing the national frontiers, were accepted in their
entirety by some governments, while by others, they were perverted into the forms of monarchy, autocracy, a government
by one, aristocracy or oligarchy, government by a few. In a
few cases these ideas were adopted by representative governments in which the people were slowly given more participation
in the management of the public affairs. And these inviolable
principles were the ones that impelled the rapid and amazing
social, political and economic progress of the United States
which may be said to be the arbitrator now of international
affairs.
We are sure that North America will never turn its back
against its Declaration of Independence and its Constitution.
It should not, therefore, turn a deaf ear to the voice of the
Philippines which asks to be declared an independent state in
order to occupy a place among the concert of free nations and
to be an important factor in the progress of the Oriental
countries.
We avail ourselves of the birthday of the immortal Washington, the founder of the Great North American Republic, and
on this day request the government of the United States to give
us the immediate fulfillment of the solemn promise made in
the preamble of the Jones Law. It is a word of honor which
America has given before the world, and because it is jealous
of its national honor, should in no way elude its fulfillment.