Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-09
WASHINGTON LETTER
BY VICTOR ELLIOTT.

WASHINGTON, Sept. with the
coming into power of a new govern
ment in Mexico City the question
arises: Will the new regime pay the
debts of the State and all just claims
filed against it?
The most interesting claim of the
United States against Mexico Is that
on account of the Pious Fund. Under
the terms of convention OF Inc
Hague, Mexico owes the United
States an annual payment of $4S,-
o5O. 80. ANY Mexican faction paying
that claim, by that very act gives
fairly strong evidence that 1t is the
| responsible head of the Mexican ma
| tion. Huerta paid it this year. and
many claimed that the United States
should have recognized him on that
account.
| incidentally. the story of this
Pious Fund constitutes about the
most romantic bit OF financial history
! ever related. Coming to the light IN
| these modern days and hgurins
| prominently in cold, present day. poll
| tics. its old world charm Is refresh
| Ing.
When the company of Jesus vol
| unteered to colonize and develop
| what then was believed to be the
island of California, money was nee
essary to support the venture. The
| Padre Huan Maria Salvatierra, a
| man of noble family, haillng from
| Milan. and the Padre Juan Ugarte
| headed the first expedition THESE
two, with four Spanish soldiers, were
the first white men to set foot on
California soil They landed neal
where the city of La Paz, Lower
California, now stands Hernanuo
Cortez had discovered this land, and
he had been told that the Aztec treas
ure house was hidden somewhere In
its Businesses. He believed that the
Sea of Cortez, or the Gulf of Lower
California. as it is now called, ex-
tended northward until 1t Joined
| Puget Sound, making of California
an island of almost continental pro-
| portions. In fact, the North Ameri-
can Pacific coast was mapped on that
theory up to time almost within the
memory of living persons.
Certain it is that the Catholic
Church believed that this country
/ should be cultivated. Therefore the
| Society of Jesus was sent to explore
and exploit it. High churchmen ant
| mobiles from every court anc
Catholic country in Europe sub
scribed to fund to sup
: port the enterprise. That was the
foundation of the Pious fund in 1897
1898. Padre Salvatierra and his monks
built numerous missions and the
Peninsula of Lower California begar
to flourish. The Mexican Marquis d.
Villapuente contributed thousands o.
pesos between 1725 and 174O. Gradu
ally it became the fashion for ricl
mobiles and churchmen on their death
beds to contribute money to swell tn,
Pious fund. Marie, Grand Duchess
of Borgia, kinswoman of Caesar
Borgia, bequeathed $4,000 pesos to the
fund to be used, for the erection o.
missions in the three most inacces
sible parts of the world. These spot.
were all found in Lower California
and the missions of the San Borja
Santa Maria and Calamyget wer,
erected. San Borja still Is standing
In 1871 the Pious fund amounted t,
100000, in 1735 100000 was added
twelve years later s120,000 more wa
contributed, and in 1884 an additions
100000 went to swell the fund. These
with smaller donations, soon brOugh
the fund to considerably more thar
81 900, 900 From about 1900 the KIM
of Spain acted as trustee of tn
fund and in 1906 he lifted 5000, 900 from
1t for his personal purse. The incom
is alleged to have all been grated.
Upon the establishment Of Mexican
independence the State sold the fun
to M De Mofras for $1,000. 900, bu
shortly after took 1t back. In 1874
Mexico passed an act giving the fun