The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1910-06-19
TAFT MAKES
HASTY TRIP
To PENN,
Receives the Degree of Doctor Of
Jurisprudence at Saint
Thomas College.
TALKS POLITICS WITH
SENATOR PENRosE
Delivers Speech on the Philip
pines at Villa-Nova-Tells
About Friar Lends.
TALKS POLITICS WITH
SENATOR PENRoSE

WASHINGTON June 1Sy-PresI-
dent Taft made flying trip through
southeastern Pennsylvania today. He
left Washington at o'clock this
morning and returned TO the White
House shortly before 10 O'Clock to-
night.
The president spent three hours at
villa Nova. Pa, where be received
from st. Thomas college the degree
OF doctor OF Jurisprudence and where
he delivered an address IN tribute to
the work of the Augustinian fathers
in the Philippines and had something
TO say OF the frier lands.
From Villa Nova the president
Journeyed to West Chester. thence to
the negro institution at Lincoln uni
versity. Pa, and made the last speech
OF the day from the car at Oxford.
In the midst of his journeyings Mr..
Taft found time TO talk little pol
iucS" with Senator Penrose, whom
he summoned To his car at Philadel-
phia. At Lincoln university the pres
ident spoke briefly OF the negro edu-
cational problem.
The president in his speech at
villa Nova reviewed the history OF
the Philippines and the federal work
OF the Augustine monks and told how
the friar lands came to be purchased.
When we reached the Philip
pines" he said. the men on these
lands refused to recognize the title
of the friars. But under Aguinaldo's
government they have done what
other governments sometimes do to
the church, | am sorry to say-they
had nationalized the lands. That
means they had taken 1t away from
the orders and had appropriated it
to themselves.
Now. we came In there with our
ideas of justice and ownership Of
property. The moment We re-estab-
lished order and put in courts 1t be-
came necessary for us to use the
strong arm of justice to re-establish
the friars In the ownership of those
lands. in the collection of rents and
the establishment generally of their
rights OF property. But SO bitter was
the feeling that had we done other
wise we should have had upon us the
burden of eviction OF upwards OF
sixty thousand tenants. and that
meant a second revolution.
Tho question was, what were we
to do? We concluded that the only
way to do was TO buy those lands un-
der n voluntary purchase,
I've approached the heads of the
order in the island. but they I'D not
have authority.
They were established under a de-
cree of tho pope at Rome. and the au-
thority TO permit OF the sale rested
with the pope. Now, the American
way OF dealing with that was to go
directly TO the man and the authority
that could act,
But 1t was said 1t was contrary to
all our traditions TO deal diplomatic
ally with the head of the church. and
therefore 1t was not done. Well, We
at last reached the conclusion that
the best way was the direct way:
that VIC would send a man to Rome
to sec II 1t could not be arranged.
"Now. what I wish to point out in
regard TO that settlement-in regard
to the visit to Rome in regard to the
good feeling which Ii has engendered
throughout this conntry-is the prog
ress. not OF intidelity, nor of disbe-
lief in the fundamental creeds, but
the progress of tolerance between
denominations, the tolerance OF re-
ligious liberty and the great reunion,
and the coming closer together of all
Christian denominations. In the
brotherhood OF man, In the father
hood of God"