The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-02-14
Ned BIG GUT N ]. I '||'|
Acting Gov. Wright of Philippines
Declares Reduction of so Per
Cent. Insufficient.
CUT MUST Be At LEAST rs PER CENT.
Cow Taft Continues His Testimony.
Before senate Committee-Ques-
ton Of Holdings of Friars Comes
Up-Their Titles Are GoOd-Have
Plenty of MOney-HOuse.

ton Of Holdings of Friars Comes
! Up-Their Titles Are Good-Have
/ Plenty of Money-House. &
- = i.AA-f: e"=' %> <
Z IVA shin OF on,.s Feb. Continuing
| his narrative before the senate COM
smittee on tile Philippines, Gov Taft
/ Saturday reverted ito his testimony OF
FRIDAY for the. purpose of introducing
aeeablegram he had received from Act
| ing. Gov. Wright, urging reduction IL 2
| the tariff on Philippine articles inn
| ported into the United States from the
Philippines. He said this. cablegram
.wassin response to an inquiry from
himself as to the effect of a reduction
| of so per cent. The reply ofsActing
Gov Wrightis as foflows3 !.
| Manila Feb 4EThe public session OF
| sugar and tobacco interests favor re-
| duction of 70 per cent. at least. A reduc-
ton of so per cent. leaves tariff almost pro-
| hibitiye. Sugar price now very low; Euro
pean market very dull on account OF over
production and low prices. Beet sugar
planters here have lost heavily by cara
baos machinery and otherwise. sugar
cultivation in a bad condition. Memorials
of Negros and Panay askfor free trade for
this reason Think a reduction of rs per
cent, on sugar and tobacco would be a
measure of relief and have excellent po-
litical effect"
The Holdings of Friars.
Senator Raw1ins questioned Gov.
Taft concerning the holdings of the
friars. Fhe governor said he thought
the general opipion as to the wealth
and holdings of theSfriars had been
greatly exaggerated. He did not be-
lieve, for instance, that they had three
fourths of the property owned in the
cities. That, howeyer, the religious
orders have ready cash was true, as
was evidenced by the fact that they
make loans. He instanced case in
which the friars had advanced money
to promote a corner in hemp which had
afterward failed because of regulari-
ties on the part of the manager.
Gov. Taft said .that the Philippine
government is DESTROYS of purchasing
the Manila property held by the friars
and that it also would be desirable to
secure their holdings of agricultural
lands.
Banking Law Needed.
In connection with the loaning of
money by the friars Senator Lodge
asked about the necessity for bank
ing law. and the witness replied that
such "a law is badly needed. There are
now, he said, two English banks in adj
dition to the Spanish Filipino bank,
| the latter being controlled largely by
the church and being the only bank of
issue. He said there had been some
grants of land to the church orders, but
that as a rule they had acquired their
holding by purchase. e
"The charge has been made" he said,
"that much of their land has come to them
| by deathbed conveyances, but this charge
| is not borne out by the tracing of the title.
| The truth is that the friars have the best
! titles in the island, and even where there
have been irregularities the statute of linn
itations would protect the title
He said that according to the charges
one method Of extending the holdings
of the orders had been by extending
their irrigation systems over adjoining
lands.
| Where Friars Get Their Money.
"Some thing after our own method Of
watering stock?" said Senator Proctor,
referring to irrigation encroachments.
| Senator Proctor also asked where the
friars had secured money with which
to purchase their lands, and this in
quiry Ted Gov. Taft to say that the fees
for marriages, funerals, christenings,
etc, had been so high as to be COM
| planned of. These charges for mar
riages had, he said, led many couples
to live together illicitly, but that in
most cases, the obligations thus taken
were observed.
House.
Washington, Feb. 10.-Some routine
business was transacted in the early
part of the session of the house