The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-04-09
Operations of Sugar Trust in
the Philippines.
The Purchase of $4,000
Acres of Friar Lands.
The Deal Said to Be Against
Public Interest.
special to The Irish Standard.

which is fast taking on the earmarks
of a national scandal, the specific
charge in the premises being that the
government sold $4,000 acres of VAL
liable Friar lands in the Philippines
to the Havemeyer interests, both I'M
lawfully and against public interest.
Once again legal opinion of Unit
ed States Attorney General George W.
Wickersham, who stopped important
suits against the beef trust imme-
diately upon taking office, who rem
dered an opinion unfolding Ballinser
and viciously attacking Louis r. Gla-
Wis, and who framed the administra-
ton railroad regulation bill contain
ling proviso legalizing the Southern
tPacific-Un Pacific merger, is being
relied upon to absolve the Taft ad
ministration of blame.
Demand for an investigation of the
sale of the valuable sugar lands to the
sugar trust, presented in the form OF
A. Martin Of Colorado, while tempor-
arily suppressed, as is customary with
all legislation adversely affecting the
star campaign fund contributing sugar
trust, is certain to be brought forward
repeatedly to the embarrassment Of
the administration. The fact that
Martin, the man behind the demand
for an inquiry, is a member of stand
ing and responsibility, is attracting
the keenest attention to the sugar
trusts newest transaction with the
government.
One of the features of Martins de-
mands for an investigation was his
charge that Wickersham had been the
former attorney for the trust This
charge has been made many times in
MED, was generally accepted as being
the case. Mr.. Wickersham denies that
he personally represented the trust.
He says his law partner at one time
represented the sugar trust, but that
he was not himself consulted by the
trust or by his partner. Mr.. Wicker
shams law partner, it develops, was
Henry w. Taft, the brother of the
president.
The story involving the sale of the
Friar lands is a most interesting one.
When the United States government
took over the Philippines, President
Mckinley impressed upon members of
Congress time and again that what he
wished to avoid was the exploitation
by any special interest of single
acre of land, if possible. Apparently
Mr.. Mckinley had some apprehension
on the subject, because he Is known to
have worried and fretted over the mat
ter. To avoid the exploitation Of the
islands 1t was provided by law that
no corporation should be allowed to
purchase over $500 acres of land, and
no Individual over 40 acres.
With the American occupation of
che Philippines, the Friars held over
100000 acres Of sugar land, the rich
est and most valuable in the islands.
The government purchased these lands,
paying $7,2oO,ooo.
On December press dispatches
brought the announcement to WASH
ington that E. L. Poole, a representa-
tive of the Havemeyer interests, had
purchased $4,000 acres of F'rlar lands.
A few days later it began to dawn
{ on members of Congress that the
transaction was of doubtful legality be-
cause of the restrictions as to the
amount of land that could be pur-
chased by. an individual, which was
contained in the organic act passed by
Congress creating the Philippine gov
4 eminent ~
An investigation developed the ex-
PLANTATION that the attorney general, to
make possible the sale of these lands
{ to the sugar trust and other combina-
I tions without restriction by law, decid-
Led that as they were not part of the
public lands at the time the act of
Congress was passed, tho act could
not apply to them.
s5,f Whether this was good law can make
II little difference in view of the fact
that the sale to the sugar trust Of 55,-
900 acres Of these Friar lands was an
violation of the policy prescribed
by Congress and declared to be abso-
slutely necessary to prevent just such
ssmonopolization as the trust has been
Sspermitted to effect.
Representative Martin declares the
4 sF'riar lands do come under the organic
law and challenges the attorney gen.
sgeral to show otherwise. The theory
ssthat because the law does not require
sglly mandatory clauses, public officer
exert himself for the protection. of