The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-12-31
THE FRIAR LAND TRADE.

The purchase by the United States
possessed by the friars in the Philip
pines has apparently met with the ap-
prevail it deserved, The press of this
country, including the Roman Oath
Ollie papers, appears to be glad that
the question has been settled, and sat
isfi ed with the terms of settlement.
The only dissatisfaction exhibited is
by the heads of the orders in Rome,
and by them only as to the price,
while it is reported that the Pope
does not share their feeling but is on
the contrary "highly delighted. 4"
having said. It is the best Christmas
box could have had. " One of the
highest officials of the Vatican court
is reported as saying:
The fact that an agreement has
been reached is considered new
demonstration of the loyal and lofty
manner with which the Washington
government deals with affairs res
pecting the rights of the Catholic
church. The question whether the
Frsnciscans, Dominiosns, Augustin-
ians, and Recollects shall remain in
the archipelago now rests entirely
with the Holy See. -
1t is we'll that so satisfactory a set
Element has been made. The question
was involved and OF vital Importance.
The friars held 415, 200 acres OF land
and OF this great area amounting to
nearly $50 square miles, all but IL, 900
acres has been bought for 81. $50, 600,
after long negotiations between Gov
ernor Taft and the representatives of
the friars. headed by Archbishop
Guidi. There is no question that
the presence of the friars in the Phil
ippines and their power under the
Spanish rule was a great cause of
trouble previous to the advent of the
United States in the islands Presi-
dent McKinley's Philippine commits
sion reported that the hostility of the
people to the friars was beyond
doub5 one of the causes Ut the rebel
lion" of the people against Spain
All sorts of charges have been made
against the friars some OF which may
have been true and some were prob
ably false. AS an official statement
from the Vatican guardedly stated.
1t has been proved that all the &C
cusations made against them were
partly false, partly exaggerated and
partly inexact - No doubt, as has
been maintained by the Roman Gath
Ollie press of this country, the friars
were Sian 1ered and msligned by the
secret societies in the Philippines,
by greedy land grabbers, and by che
pedsgogues out of job rs one
paper puts it, but no doubt also there
was grain of truth in some of the
charges after the chaff had been sifted
off. Anyhow. the purchase of the
lands was wise
The probable disposition of the
lands is outlined thus in Washing
ton despatch: 1T is in contempla-
ton to sell this vast area of land pur
chased from the friar orders for the
benefit of the Filipinos themselves,
for the money will go into their
own treasury. Payment will be made
by bonds, either turned over directly
to the friars, or sold by the Philip
pine government at the best price OBJ
tainable, the proceeds to be given to
the orders. The lands are to be sold,
as far as possible, to the tenants who
live upon them now, and. realizing
that few of the Filipinos have any
considerable sums of money laid by,
the Philippine government proposes
to allow them to buy the lands on
longtime payments, at a very moder-
ate rate of interest on the deferred
payments. The main purpose is to
create the greatest possible number of
landlords in the Philippines, for it is
believed that such a body will be
strong conservator of peace, and
will do much to discourage future
revolutionary movements.
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