Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-09-20

an recently, Mr.. Taft said:
The greatest need in the material
development of the Philippine islands
is the construction of railways. Under
the organic act of 1902, congress gave
us authority to grant railway fran
chises, but try as we would, we were
not able to enlist capitalists In the en-
terprise except in the construction of
two small lines, branches of the old
road. In 1906 congress passed a law
enabling us to guarantee the interest
on the bonds of any new railway to
the extent of 4 per cent for thirty
years, the amounts paid to be a second
lien on the railroad, payable in about
thirty years. BY this means we Sc
cured the construction of one hundred
miles of railroad In each of three is
lands Of Negros, Cebu and Penya, In
LuZon we secured the construction of
400 miles of additional railway with
out any guarantee. 1t was secured in
this wise:
The Manila and Dagupan road had
been built under a Spanish franchise
creating a partnership in the railroad
between the railroad company and the
government. and having among its
many terms a guarantee Of fixed in
come to the company during the life
of the franchise for aighty-eight years.
Under the advice of the attorney gem
eral of the United States, that the pro-
visions of the charter and especially
the guaranty. were not binding on the
United States. the military govern
ment before / became governor, had
declined to pay the income when de-
manded and repudiated the obliga-
tions of the charter. This left the new
franchise in a most indeterminate con-
dition. In subsequent negotiations we
secured a contract with the company
to construct 400 additional miles in
Luzon under a perpetual franchise by
bringing the old railroad under the
same franchise. All the railroad fran
chises authorized by the present gov
ernment in the Philippine islands are
perpetual, just as they are in this
country They all contain the provis-
ion however, that they are subject to
amendment or repeal by congress,
The arrangement was made greatly
for the public benefit.
This is the part OF my record in
the Philippine islands to which | sup
pose Mr.. Bryan means to call my at
tention. He speaks of the Benguet
railroad franchise. There is no Ben
guet railroad / wish there were
presume he refers to the Manila and
Dagupan railroad franchise 1t was
fully described in an elaborate report
l made to congress in 1906 1t was
approved by the president and the
cabinet after full consideration Mr.
Bryan is the first person. so far as
know. to question It's wisdom or pro-
prlety.
Next, we bought the friar lands
and paid S7,OOO,0O0 for them This
was done to save new insurrection
by the 10000 tenants on the lands
who refused to recognize their title
claiming the AguiBaldo government
had passed a law nationalizlng these
lands and that therefore they would
not recognize the fIars as their law
ial tE,s Isass 'ss' a4i y1rtri l,. .a.,.
The purchase rid the government
Of the necessity of enforcing, at the
Instance of the friars, judgment in the
courts for the election of 10000 ten
ants and thus avoided new war. And
not only in the matter of friar lands,
but in the matter of many charitable
trusts we have effected a compromise
hxf t4rhiqh oh to -,
charitable trusts. and we take over
others. All the church questions are
settled, we'll settled and fairly settled
Meantime, the influence of the
Catholic church in the Philippine is
lands for good has been increased BY
the substitution of the American hier-
archy for the Spanish hierarchy Epis-
copaI, Methodist, Presbyterian and
Baptists churches have been estab-
lished there and a great Improvement
has come over the Islands with re-
spect to religion and morality after
the Generalization of four years war
and desolation
In an interview I said that even
the independentistas-t Is. those i'm
favor of immediate independence in
the islands, prefer republican victory
to Mr., Bryan's promise. Mr. Bryan
now responds with a cable from AL
bertO Barreto denying this on behalf
of certain authorities in the indepen-
dentistas party. I rely for my state-
ment on conversation | had last
month with Senator Queson who is
the leader Of the independenistas in
the national assembly, in which he
told me that although the indepen-
dentistas liked Mr.. Bryan's platform.
they preferred my election as a friend
of the Filipino to Mr.. Bryan's prom
ises This statement Senor Queson
subsequently repeated in a published
interview. There is evidently a diff
ference OF opinion among the indepen-
dentistas."
The speaker then took up what he
said was Mr.. Bryan's claim that the
republican party had adopted his pol
icy with reference to the islands: that
he desired to give them independence,
and that we proposed to give them in
dependence.
"Mr. Bryan's method of giving them
independence was to release them at
once. Immediately after the treaty OF
Paris. and let them make the best way
they could, through bloody faction
and chaos TO decent self-government.
And his further method was to inter-
fere as much as possible by agitation
in this country. and vehement denun-
citation OF our policy with the efforts
which we were making to bring tran
qulllity and peace to the islands. We
have always contended that the inn
mediate independence which Mr. Bry-