The Washington times., 1904-05-14
Give Testimony Before a
Commissioner in the
PiouS Fund Case.
LOCAL MEN INTERESTED
Attorneys Claim Compensa-
tion on Contract Made
Thirty Years Ago.

An important conference, involving
the distribution Of a portion of the IA
nour Pious Fund. was held at the
Shoreham today between a party OF
prominent Roman Catholic Church dig
nitaries from the Pacific Coast and
several attorneys OF Washington. Two
sessions were held. the first this morn
ing and the second lasting well into the
afternoon.
The subject OF the conference is the
claim of Nathaniel Wilson and the Phil
lips estate for fees claimed by tlem
in connection with the hearing OF rhe
Pious Fund contention before The
Hague tribunal In the summer OF 1862.
That was the second hearing of the
case The local attorneys were employed
on the case some thirty years ago in
the first hearing and declared their con-
tract required their employment at the
second hearing. The church authorities
denied this. refused the attorneys prof.
fered assistance and determined to fight
their demand for fees alleged TO be due
under the original contract
Church Leaders Present.
The conference today was attended by
P. W. Riordan, Archbishop OF San Fran
cisco; T, ]. Conaty. formerly rector of
the Catholic University Home. and now
Bishop Of Monterey and Los Angeles.
CAL; Rev. Charles A. Ramm, of San
Francisco. and the church's attorney
there. Garrett w McEnerney. The local
contingent was composed of Attorneys
George E. Hamiltors Nathaniel Wilson,
and Frederick D. Mckinney, the last
named representing the Phillips estate.
The occasion for assembling the, church
representatives in Washington at this
time was 10 record. before a commis-
sloner, the testimony on which the
church viii base its defense when the
case Of the attorneys is tried before the
District Supreme Court here next Octo-
Der.
Dispute Over Contract.
The contention Of the chnrch is that
the contract with the attorneys was not
a continuing one. but referred exclusive
~ TO the first hearing of the case, in the
suit brought by the United States
against Mexico in the early 70s The
attorneys take the opposite ground that
their contract covered the right for
them to appear In any further proceed
ings until the final adjudication OF the
case They therefore claim as fees 3
per cent on the face OF the award by
The Hague tribunal in 1902.
The entire award was S606 900 and
payment on the undisputed portion was
made 10 the church authorities in the
following Jane. promptly on the turn
ing over OF the money by Mexico TO
the United States. The amount In Mex
lean silver was 81 400, OOO The local at
torneys obtained an injunction to re-
strain the payment OF the amount they
claimed as fees.
The testimony taken at this time is
voluminous in support OF the church
position
The Pious Fund had been before the
public so long that its history is well
known. 1t was founded in the seven
teenth century, by the gifts of indi-
viduals and the grants OF lands in Call
fornia TO the Roman Catholic Church
by the Spanish crown, for mission pur>
poses. Since then II has accumulated
immensely, but It's distribution was In
terfered with by Mexico in consequence
of political and national change. The
money has been in dispute for decades,
until the case was finally settled at The
Hague, two years ago