The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-21
FTLIPINOS CRITICISE
LAND CASE DELAYS
Only u Trifling Fraction %
Work to Be Done Has
Been Accomplished.
FRIARS TURN BANNERS
~ OSCAR KING DAVIS.

" fttEN o,NiNlN lf u. FUi.lAIIes
we're: First, sanitation second, ,d II
the purchase Of farms and homes ana IN
securing title TO their land hold NJ,
third. education, and fourth, publ,
works.
The work OF the Americans has mo,
with varying degrees OF success |,
subject to certain criticism, bu, 4, .
chiefly the criticism of those uho either
oppose the whole American sxpe men,
here or who are against tho limo Of polic,
followed.
Broadly. we have been sucr.ssfnl ~
the work Of the last fifteen year,
markedly so in three OF the four line.
Concerning what we la We done. or taL.,i
to do. In the facilitation OF land purchase
n h settlement of title criticism /.
more justified than In any OF the oihc,
phases OF American activity. Accom-.
plishment on the land question "a no,
nearly 50 great AZ II has been in each
Of the other lines. In fact wo hard,
nave made more than a start.
This matter does not seem 20 TN
portant as IL Was In the beginning. and
the slow progress made has not arouse
any special opposition or created the dis.
content amor the Filipinos Witch al
| Americans twelve or fifteen years ago
| believed would inevitably follow ia,
We have set up "A special land c0ur
for the adjudication Of title cases. hut ~
many insta nces its process hss been 20
4 slow. tedious and expensive as practically
to defeat the purpose for which II Va
created. II has taken three years %.
more to settle somc cases, ana even Their
the final judgment was neither complet.
nor conclusive.
Little work Accom- pIishca.
Only a small fraction Of tho cases to
be settled have been handled A. AL
There are something like .,I0o, 900 pa.
cells Of and assessed for taNltlo7 ana
exempt in the Philippine. The holder.
of great numbers OF these parcels Asvt
title only by possesslCn. n waa the
original idea that the court OF land regis
tration would enable thes. holdo ; nr
possession to perfect their title. BIZ
less than $1,000 cases hav. been settled
up TO now. d practically negligible fra.
ton OF the work TO be done.
II is not wholly fair to hold the cour.
responsible for all the DELAY. Tho mo.
ment this and question Is tackled there
comes up the question Of 4 general sur.
,cy. That has never been made. Z,
Spaniards never attempted IL TIE
Americans have been surveying IN ~
and streaks ever since We got her. suI's
at and work here In the same way a. ~
have gone at'rivcr and harbor develop
mcnt at home.
There Il sone complaint among 10,
Fiiipinos about the siowres- Of IN ~
cedure for settling land titles. bu 90 q.
doubtful II such criticism t. as gr,a' H
volume or as rigorous IN tone a. 9
criticism of Mr.. Taft for his action Re-.
garding the friar landa.
Tho desire OF the tilipinos for the -
pulsion OF the Spanish fr'srs from t''s.
islands was recognized by the iu.'r.
States in IN. authorization for m, py-
chas. of the friar land and tho rr
! sale TO Fil!pinos IN snail lot aui o.
special terms. Tn. islands were boz .rI
FOR 1000. uuu pesos 80. 900 ,opOb I g..
qulre the friar interests,
Eriar Problem Revived.
There vas great enthusiasm iilp-
the Fflipinos a. the time. for TIN,
. , tcrpreted II all at meaning the f-iar
must go. Bu, IT didu't turn on 'l
way. The friars sold most Of Their lam
and many Of them remained -
Islands. The frisr lands were m'..'
converted into cash capital. which 's '..
; invested IN tnc iAiauus. ard the ~ d.
! complain hat from being landlords 81.
/ fr'ars have merely becon. banker, 80
that the last condition {, a. bad ts ..
, first.
The general land question iruriol
!, VIII remain unsettled for sutn, TINE 20
less a different line OF proccdI-. "a
taken han has been followed 90
past. 1t Is always potentially = 'rol''
maker, although at present f. no. ar14-
Ing any special complaint
The surveys which are Coins ur 80"
little by little, As money ca, b, ''u-
= for them, will eventuslly settle ~. UHa'
E problem. II time can be- given tor "
! completion Of the entire survey r7..
n now cover some zoo. 600 pArcc's
When the Filip!nos or anybody '
n demand what the Americans We, taui
In the early days when they we've sp,'.
ing millions for automobile road
stead of putting IA fair share - n.
4 sential. IL will puzzle the Americas VII
, were IN control then 10 CIV, g. 49,"
quate explanation.
The fac, Is rOad nakius wa' "".
, SNOWY and more promptly r"uu' "".
, who could ride IN AUTOMOBILES .t'-
: good road didnt care wie'h,r 'h"' ra'
!. cllcd by lands that had been sl~r"f :
not, or whether the owner ..ti t'r' ..
TO Perfect their title.
A~utuinohiling around lama 30 . -
ant and there wa - much c-.a' q,
probation OF fine mayaiau -. p D..
than there would have been v .H'-
tas, c~aicsas n sarruai'o hu' "
~ ucd to be the customary Nc.,'''
s"nal transportation, a. they ''. .
FIRST days Of the American ncrHl ..
In the cases ~ s%luita,o- a.. t
ton vastly greater IrOGr' ~
made than with IN" land quest
"a is or course criticism # bot s
is Of every thlng else hove, q
Viii h. now that partisan p'
started its machinery to W""l