Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-04-16
SAYS OFFICIALS ARE
GUILTY OF DUPlICIlY
Colorado Gentleman Accuses Repub'
lican Majority of "eianketing Move
in Defeating His Resolution Call
ing on var Department for In
formation.

! MASftiNNr O4N. II. -. mp II ~
Representative Martin, Democrat. oil
Colorado. who has for weeks been
waging a fight in the house in an ef-
/ fort to show that the friar lands OF
the Philippine Islands are being
| seized by the sugar trust, with the
acauiesence of Attorney General
| Wickersham and the war depart
ment. tonight gave to the press an
! interview i'll which he reviews his
| effort. assails the government OF
| Gcials alleged to be involved. charges
/ that information which would prove
| his contention. is being withheld by
/ the war department and demands a
full congressional inquiry into the
matter.
Mr.. Martin characteriZes the action
of the Republican majority of the
| house yesterday in defeating his reso-
| luton. calling upon the war depart
ment for information regarding friar
lands as "blanketing moves" Tie
points out number of alleged dis
crepancies in the reports sent by the
war department TO the house on in
! sular anairs concerning the friar land
transaction and accuses the govern
] llent OIuCidIS Vi UuD-4tliH anu utNS't'
He charges the administration with
having begun "a policy of exploitation
in the Philippines" and declares that
''if it was falsely accused let 1t take
off the lid
Mr.. Martin announced that he was
preparing a new resolution of inquiry
into the friar land deal, which he
said he would introduce in the house
as soon as he had finished drafting
it,
Mr.. Martins statement follows:
His Statement.
IF there was ever any doubt about
| the necessity for an investigation OF
Philippine affairs. it is removed by
the disclosures made by the war de
partment in response to my reSolu
ton of inquiry.
THE war department report, upon
examination fully justifies such
move. IL disclOses negotiations be
tween the war department and tbs
Philippine government. whereas the
war department. in a statement pub
iished in the Congressional Record Of
March IS. saws that its information
/ concerning the sale of the estate wa
received through the public press
This affirms my contention that thi.
L deal had been under way for month:
and was practically consummatee
Lefore Attorney General Wicker
sham was asked for an opinion.
No Such Cabiegram.
1T was also stated that when tn
secretary of war heard about thi!
matter through the newspapers, h.
cabled the Philippine governor gen
eral to hold up the sale until he coul'
&c, an opinion from Attorney Gen
eral Wickersham.. No such cable
gram appears in the information nov
furnished On the contrary. there az
pears one from the war department
Ito the governor general dated DE
cember I. 1909. the very day Wick
ersham's opinion was asked FOR az
proving the sale OF the San Jose es
tate. which had already been made.
Another cablegram from the gov
eTnor general. antedating the reques
for Wickersham's opinion shows tina
The sale was not TO Poole as hereto
fore represented by the war depar'
mcn,. but to Poole or nominees. o
to a subsidiary sugar trust col
pOration. probably the Mindoro dc
veIopment Company. already organic
cd by dummy incOrPOrators under Ia
laws of New Jersey.
Prior Negotiations
Then. there is a cabieCTSm date
October p. from the governor ger
cral 10 the secretary Of war Stain
tina; P-cntiSs and Poole desired q
purchase the San Jose estate. wkic
cablegram refers to prior negotiation
~ one Hammond with the war d.
partmcnf about these fTiar lands
This Hammond. u develops. Is
member of the firm 81 Strong an
Cadwaiadcr. Of New York. Of whic
Henry ". Taft Is nov the sccon
member. to which rank he was pr
NOTED from fffh place when VI
Wickcrsham left the Urn 20 bccom
attorney general. Mr. Harmon
orcncd negotiations with the war d.
f.arfmcnt and then. obviously for Al
rcarancc sake turned their c,nsHn
nation over 10 another hrm ~ a
torncys. hammond represented Hav'
never. The purchaser Poole rcpr'
sruscd TiavcmcycT. Havcmcycr - N
& sugar trust.
b y could poin; ont many oth'
b / ihirrs. buf INC proper Time an
. place ~ point them out siil bc IN
congressional investigation The a