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Show TO BUY OUT THE FRIARS. Washington, Jan. 18. Secretary Root was heard on the question of the friar lands in the Philippines before the house committee on insular -affairs today. He said these land holdings constituted one of the chief causes of , discontent among" the people," they were, the hotbeds of in surrection and had fiirnished Aguinaldo his chief appeal to popular prejudice. The secretary said the religious orders so fully recognized the bad condition ot affairs that they were disposed to seil out, and he urged that the government take advantage of the opportunitv to remove re-move the chief causes of discontent in the Islands. He did not believe condemnation proceedings pro-ceedings would be necessary, as there were indications that a fair price could be agreed upon. A rough estimate of the value of the lands, he said, was from $5,000,000 to $7,500,000 American money. |