Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-05-24

islands TO execute their policy OF greed
lusing that word in no offensive sense.
but only TO the end for which the cor
poratlon Itself Is organized). the land
being thus held and thus managed,
how are you ever TO have a citizenship
IN the Islands upon whom could safely
be deyolved the exercise OF the powers
or government? How do you ever eX-
pect by such a policy to uplift the
people of the islands and make them
III for self government? This policy
does not tend to insure an independent
and self-reliant and intelligent citizen
ship 1t tends to degradation, to turp-
itude, and slavery 1t tends to unfit
the people, and II they are now unfit
to be entrusted with the employment
Of any power Of government, they will
be doubly unfit after they receive a
schooling under the training and des-
potism OF alien syndicates holding pos
session Of all their lands.
SO, Mr.. President, this part Of the bill
relating to the frlars while apparently
justified on account of the difficulties
which have grown out of the situation
In the Islands, II seems TO me will re-
suit In no cure of the mischief, unless
we shall alter the bill so as to make
an entirely different disposition Of the
lands that may be acquired from these
religious orders.
FOR BENEFIT OF SPECTATORS
Passing from that question, Mr. Pres
ident, the lands, which are distributed
throughout the archipelago, held by
these religious orders, in some 80 diff
ferent localities, amounting TO more
than half million acres, II We are TO
believe the testimony Of Gov. Taft, are
no longer held by the religious orders
referred to. He says In his testimony
that they have been transferred, but
that, In his opinion, the transactions
are only colorado; that in reality these
lands remain the property Of the re-
liglous orders in question. They are not
the property Of the apostolic authori-
ties OF the Catholic church. They were
the property of the different corpora
tons constituting the Ave religious or
ders, and the property was supposed TO
be dedicated TO certain specific chari-
ties In the Islands; but ! alluded TO the
fact that ii was at one time thought
| that $1,000 600 would be sufficient to
cover the purchase price OF these lands.
More recently the figures have been
raised to $l70OO,OOO
Ii happens to have been disclosed In
regard to some OF these tracts, not
| ably one In Mndoro, referred 10 In the
/ testimony of Gov. Taft, amounting Ia
about $4,000 acres OF land, that Il has
been disposed Of at least under option
to q man, who attained some notoriety
as having been indicted for corruptng
certain officers and people in the Philip
! pine Islands. Having obtained an OPP
ton upon this large tract Of land at the
figures therein mentioned, he was inter-
ested in disposing Of the tract at pro-
III to himself and his associates. have
no doubt that the designation Of the
| condition of that tract Of land which is
10 be appropriated under the authority
to which have referred, will be found
TO be true with respect to every other OF
these tracts claimed TO belong to reli-
gious orders in the Philippine Islands.
The urgency or pressure is brought TO
bear to confer unusual and unlimited
power upon the government of the
Philippine Islands Is in order that such
government will issue bonds, raise the
money, and appropriate these lands on
terms which will prove profitable TO the
upon them. II Is, Of course, to the in
terest OF these so-called religious orders
in the islands TO dispose OF these lands.
The orders have BECOME so obnoxious
to the inhabitants throughout the ISL
ands that they cannot safely remain;
they cannot operate those large estates
with profit; and, as disclosed In the tes-
timony In the case which has been laid
before us, they are at present unproft-
able, owing partly to the disturbed
state Of the country; and these orders
have been only too willing to make
some arrangement, / have no doubt,
with Spectators 10 dispose Of these
lands; and the spectators, Of course,
have no other interest In this question
than TO obtain the profit upon the con-
ditional investment made by them. The
statement Of Gov. Taft that these
transactions are colorado when ex-
planned, will be found to mean nothing
more than the parties have obtained
preferential rights OF purchase, and
hold those rights subject TO the condi-