The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-03-03

Washington, March 2.-The admin
istration of lands in the Philippine Isl
ands has been fairly and honestly con
Quoted, and charges and insinuations
to the contrary directed against of
fiecrs either of the Philippine govern
ment or of the government of the
United States, are unwarranted and
upjust-this is the conclusion of the
majority of the house committee on
insular affairs, in its report of an eX
haustive investigation of those mat
ters made public today by the chair.
man of the committee, Representative
Olmsted, of Pennsylvania. The re-
port expressly eXonerates w. Cam
eron Forbes, governor-general; Chas.
II Sleeper, director of lands; Frank
w. Carpenter, executive secretary and
Dean C. Worcester, secretary of the
interior of the Philippines govern
ment, of any improprieties in the man
agement of the Philippine lands, and
describes them as "able, earnest, pa
triotic men, honestly performing their
duties under more or less trying cir
cumstances."
The report reviews at length the al
legged violations of laws governing the
sales of land and the issuance of
leases, and lays its principal stress
upon the intricate legal problem in
volved in the question of the status
Of the so-called "friar lands" which
were purchased by the Philippine gov
ernment from the religious orders,
with funds raised by a bond issue
Radical differences of opinion have
existed as to whether these friar lands
were governed in the matter of sales
and leases by the restrictions clearly
imposed by the organic law of the
islands upon transactions concerning
the public or crown lands purchased
by the United States government from
the government of Spain.
Representative Martin, of Colorado,
precipitated the investigation now re-
ported upon, by various charges made
on the floor of the house in the latter
part of the session of 1909-10, in which
he alleged improper sales and leases
OF the frar lands, especially to per-
sons who, he charged desired the land
for the benefit of the so-called sugar
trust. And, so. while the report un-
dertakes to refute number of charg-
es connected with the sale and lease
OF lands in the islands, it is devoted
largely to discussion of transaction
by which one e. L. Poole bought So
600 of the 100000 acres of the friar
lands.
Representative Martin contended
that under the "organic law" of 1902.
which gave a civil government to the
Philippine Islands, and which def
nitely limited the amount of public"
land that might be sold to individuals
and to corporations, Poole could law
fully obtain only 40 acres as an indi-
and only $500 acres as rep
resentative of a corporation. With
this contention the majority of the
EXPLICITLY disagrees; it
concludes that the "friar" lands were
not subject as a matter of law, and
ought not to be subject as matter of
practical expediency, to the restric-
tons upon public" lands. In support
of this position as to the legal status
Df the friar lands, the report cites
opinions of George R. Harvey. solicitor
approved by fgnacio Villamor,
attorney general Louis c. Knight, at
orney for the bureau of public lands,
u the islands, and OF Attorney General
and includes also a con-
roverting opinion by Moorfeld Storey
" Boston. The point here made IS that
he Philippine officials in their course
we're abundantly sustained, and We're
,ound to be guided by. the opinions
Il the law-officers OF their govern
nent. The transaction of Poole, to
which the larger part of the discus
ion Is addressed. was the purchase
Z the San Jose estate"
There has not been disclosed" the
eport says of this transaction, "the
Istated jsuG0 m
lightest irregularity or improperly
n the part of Dean C. Worcester. the
ecretary OF the interior; Capt. Chas.
|. Sleeper, the director of the bureau
7 lands, in the Philippines; the war
apartment or the bureau of insular
fairs at Washington, or any other Of
cial either OF the Philippine govern
ent or the United States govern