(Useless Congress)
In 1917, Naval Governor Roy C. Smith created the Guam Congress. This body consisted of Chamorro elites from villages around the island, which were appointed by the Governor. Despite the democratic smell of the plan, it reeked of meaninglessness and tokenism. The Congress held true to the democratic principles of debate and dissent and created a body which at first, charged ahead in charting the course of their island, however in actuality that august body held no power. The best that could come from its efforts was advice to the governor. Beyond its advisory capacity, it held no power or authority.
Tomas Anderson Calvo, one of the initial appointees to the Guam Congress gave a speech at the first assembly of the Congress to his political peers as well as the Navy representatives present. His much publicized statements, and the discourse surrounding it, exhibit the confusion by local leaders under the Naval regime.
The surface of Calvo’s statements are as ravenous as political rhetoric can get. The majority of his speech follows the patriotic and loyal line by commending the United States for its wonderful work in Guam, and waxes wonderfully on the bright future which lies ahead, so long as we remain hitched to that glorious ship of America. In the minds of many elite Chamorros of that time, the desires of the Chamorro people were being met in part, if not whole at last. Pseudo-democracy had finally been planted on Guam and for the elites it energized their hopes for closer ties to the United states, or at least improved political status.
But paradoxically, the creation of this token body which galvanized many into believing in American perceived sincerity, and solidified their visions of the future as an equal part of the united states, also disillusioned some as well, and dampened their hopes in the United States to ever live up to its own hype.
Despite all the hoopla, the creation of the Guam Congress could only be for show, which is the only reason possible for its creation. With no real power or authority, its only job was to tell the governor how to improve the island, and the governor had no obligation to listen to them, or act on their recommendations. Statements made by Governor Smith softly allude to the duplicity of this Congress. “It makes them feel they are taking part in their own government” 10
The next statement must of course be, “even though they are not taking part in their own government.” Despite the oratory rhetoric of Calvo, most Chamorros, after realizing the absolute, full, total and unforgiving limitations of the Congress. The contradictions, the obvious flaws were just too glaring to be ignored. They had no real power, their representatives weren’t actually representatives since they were appointed not elected. In time the politicians stopped attending the sessions and people stopped caring. When the Congress was reformulated over a decade later it had been all but forgotten. That Congress would have the same advisory status, but with its officials elected. It would be taken more seriously, especially by those elected to positions, however the Chamorros would once again lose interest.
We find in this example, initial excitement, excitement at the prospect of acceptance in the American fold. Perhaps if the United States had actually installed a democratic government, or at least allowed the Congress some authority, things would have been different. The discourse of patriotism would have been able to suspend the interests and the loyalties of the Chamorros for far longer, and in a much firmer way. But since the intent was just to create a token government in order to appease native interests, it became just another point of passive resistance to American rule.