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Show GUESSING THEIR TALK. Speculations Concerning Conference of Prelates With Cardinal Gibbons. Baltimore Correspondence Freeman's 'journal: Archbishop Ireland of St. Paul and Archbishop Reardon of San Francisco were visitors to Cardinal Gibbons last Friday, with whom they held a conference of several hours. The I distinguished prelates were reticent as to the subjects discussed, but the supposition sup-position is that the Indian school question ques-tion was one of them. Quite recently the interior department issued an order granting liberty to Indian In-dian children to attend on their reservations reser-vations either the public or the private schools of any denomination, and this concession, it is believed, was brought about by the vist of Cardinal Gibbons to President Roosevelt two weeks ago. The concession is a very important one. and possibly the prelates adopted some methods upon which to act. Other matters that may have been referred to were the meeting of the trustees of the Catholic university at that insti-Union insti-Union on Nov. 21. and the consecration of Mgr. Conaty, rector of the university, univer-sity, as a titular bishop on the same date, at which ceremony his eminence will be consecrator. The western archbishops left Baltimore for Washington Wash-ington on Saturday, and on the same day called upon the president. It is understood that one of the purposes of that visit was to induce the govern-men govern-men of the United States to renew its efforts to secure the payment by the Mexican government to the Catholic Church of California a sum now exceeding ex-ceeding $1,000,000, due to the Church on account of what is known as the Pious Fund. Before t he acquisition of Upper California by the United States the Catholic Church of Upper and Lower California had on deposit with the Mexican government money and property prop-erty aggregating a very large sum. j upon which the Mexican government was obligated to pay the churches a certain annual Interest. In the case i of the Church of Upper California the I interest amounted annually to $50,000. The interest payments ceased after the Mexican war, but after the lapse of twenty years a claim In behalf of the Church for interest unpaid came before the Mexican claims commission, which allowed the claim. But since that date, although the award was admitted by and one payment made by the Mexican government, no further payments of interest have been made, and the pres- j ent intention of Archbishop Reardon is j to press for the settlement of this Interest In-terest account. Negotiations h:ive h'-en proceeding between Washington and Mexico l'or several years, hut there have been no exchanges of recent date, nor any definite results secured. The j Mexican government has not shown I any disposition to avoid a settlement. I but bases its failure so far to pay in- terest upon the ground that the award h 1 by the Mexican claims commission to j the claimants of a sum aggregating I nearly $l.ooo.ooo acted legally as a set- 1 tlement in full. I |