The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-02-14
NEED BIG GUT N ]. THRIFT '||'|
Acting Gov. Wright of Philippines
Declares Reduction of so Per
Cent. Insufficient.
CUT MUST Be ATLEAST rs PER CENT.
Cow Taft Continues .ifis Testfmo ny
Before senate Committee-aues-
ton of Holdings of Friars Comes
Up-Their Titles Are Good-Have
Plenty of Money-HOuse.

4
! Up-Their Titles Are Good-Have
I Pfenty of Money-House.
sre.i y ~ ]tt'
81 wa shin OF oi1,,s Feb. Continuing
1 his narrative before the senate com
Emittee on, tie philippines, Gov. Taft
! Saturday reverted ,to-his testimony Of
Friday for the. purpose of introducing
saeablegram he had received from Act
! ing Gov. Wright, urging reduction II
the tariff on Philippine articles inn
I ported into the United States from the.
/ Philippines. He said this, cablegram
Swas3in response to an inquiry from
himself as t6 the effect of a reduction
| of so per Gent. The reply of Acting
Gov Wrightis as follows! ;
manila. Feb. 4.1The public session of
| sugar and tobacco interests favor a re-
| duction of 70 per cent. at least. A reduc-
| ton of so per cent. leaves tariff almost pro-
| hibitive. Sugar price, now very low; EURO
pean market very dull on account OF over
production and, low prices. Beet sugar
planters here have lost heaVlty by cara
baos, machinery and otherwise. Sugar
cultivation in a bad condition. Memorials
received from sugar growers association
of Negros and Panay askzfpr free trade for
this reason Think a reduction of Is per
cent, on sugar and tobacco' would be
measure of relief and have excellent po-
litical effect.''s
The Holdings of Friars.
Senator Raw1ins questioned Gov.
Taft concerning the holdings of the
friars. The governor said he thought
the general opinion. as to the wealth
and holdings. of the-zfriars had been
greatly exaggerated. He did not be-
.lieve, for instance + hat they had three
fourths of the property owned in the
1 cities. That, however, the religious
orders have ready cash was true, as
was evidenced by the fact that they
make loans. He instanced a case in
which the friars had advanced money
to promote corner in hemp which had
afterward failed because of irregnlari-
ties on the. part of the manager.
Gov. Taft saidathat 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.
LAW NSeueu.
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 ad-
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 rule they had acquired their
holding by purchase.
seThe 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 lin
| ftations 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.
"Something after our own method of
watering stock?" said Senator Proctor,
referring to irrigation entertainments.
! 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.
Washington, Feb. 1O.-Some routine
business was transacted in the early
part of the session of the house
Saturday. Bills were passed to au-
| thorize the ST. Clair Terminal Rail-
road company of Pennsylvania to
construct bridge across the Monon-
gahela river; to establish a United
| States court at Cattlettsburg, KY; to
authorize the construction of light
| station at Bluff Shoals. Pamlico sound,
| n. c., at cost of $4,000.
| IL duUlOIlZc Ullc UEduS1or an dQ-
| joining district of causes in district or
circuit courts in which the judge of
| the district wherein such causes are
pending is disqualified; for the relief
of John Hornick; to authorize the
secretary of war to loan to the Penn
sylvania Society of the American Sons
of the Revolution certain trophies
now in the Allegheny arsenal and the
senate bill to amend the revised stat
utes relating to a reciprocal recogni-
! ton of boiler inspection certificates
| between-the several maritime nations
having maritime inspection laws
| The house then laid aside public
business to pay tribute to the memory
of the late Representative Robert e.
Burke, of Texas.
| Presents Minority Report