The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1911-03-09
CLEAR OFFICIALS
IN LAND CASES
No Irregularities Found in Friar
Sales.
SUGAR TRUST NOT GUILTY
Majority Report of House COMMITTEES
Declares Corporation Did Not OBJ
tain Tracts While Minority
Believes II Did.

Washington, March Complete ex-
oneration of the officers Of the Philip
| pine government of charges of irregu-
larities or improprieties in connection
| with the administration, sale or lease
/ of lands In the Islands is combined
with pointed criticisms of the made
quaey of the laws To prevent monopo-
| lies in what are known as the friar
lands in both the majority and minori.
~ reports of the house committee on
insular affairs submitted to the house.
The charge made ON the floor OF the
house a year ago by Representative
Martin of Colorado that the so-called
sugar trust had acquired $4,000 acres
the friar lands led TO an investigation
tration of public lands as we'll as friar
lands. utr.
Differ on Method of Sale. ...
Both reports concur in the opinion
that the organic act Of 1902 limiting
individuals TO 40 acres and corpora
tons 10 $500 acres in the amount Of
public land that may be acquired does
not impose the same restrictions on
the disposition of friar lands. The
majority report argues that as a prac-
tical expedient the fralr lands should
be sold in larger quantities TO attract
buyers, while the minority asserts that
the sale in large tracts may develop
system of absentee landlordism, as OBJ
noxious to the Filipinos as that OF the
friars against whom they once re-
belled. The latter also suggest that
friendly proceeding be begun in the
courts by the officers OF the Philippine
government 10 determine the exact
legal status of the friar lands with re-
spect to public land reg lations.
AS to the acquisition of E. L. Poole
of $4,000 acres of the friar lands on
behalf OF Horace Havemeyer, Charles
J. WEIGH and Charles H. Senff, both
reports declare the public officials in
volved were not culpable, being guild
ed by the best available interpreta-
lions of the law. The majority men,
bers, however. deny that the land was
obtained by the sugar trust, while the
minority asserts that If the sugar trust
did not acquire 1t the next door neigh
Dor to the sugar trust did, and
that there is apparent "a community
OF interest" evidencing a holding by
one person of upward of $4,000 acres.
Considers II Unavoidable.
The minority accepts the situation
as unavoidable but holds the incident
up as a warning against further ex-
ploitation of the lands by American
capitalists" and suggests that no more
sales Of large tracts be made pending
the action of congress or the outcome
of court proceedings that might be be-
gun by the Philippine officers.
The majority report was signed by
Representative Olmsted of Pennsyl
vania, chairman Of the committee, and
Representatives Crumpacker of Indi
ana, Hamilton Of Michigan, Fuller Of
Illinois, Graham of Pennsylvania, Par
sons of New York. McKinIay Of Cali
fornia Douglas OF Ohio and FOrnes OF
New York. The minority report was
submitted by Representatives Madison
OF Kansas. Hubbard of Iowa and Davis
OF Minnesota.
There will be third report OF the
Investigation, embOdying the views OF
the Democrats on the committee, pre-
pared by Representative Jones OF Vir-
ginia, but II is not yet ready II Is I'M
derstood that the Jones report, like
the others, absolves the Philippine Off
Gals and comedies that they acted
within the Interpretation OF law laid
down by officers. by whose opinion
they were bound to be guided, but
holds that their action was in pursu-
ance of a mistaken policy.