The San Francisco call., 1899-11-26

F'iIipinos for military purposes some time
before the United States troops arrived.
The church had been thoroughly secular
ized and the natives had stripped II or
everything OF value. After the american
troops occupied IL somebody discovered
garment alleged TO have been part OF the
Iainent of n statue of the Virgin and
presented II 10 Mrs. Funston. tather
McKinnon OF the California volunteers
told her there was no lmproprletH III ,,aS,, n1t
accepting II. and consequently she KEPT
IL. That is all there Is TO the stOry VI
desecration.' .,-t.s
The story is a lie. I never authorized
anv one on any occasion to retain any
article of church property. How TINS as
sertioI came out in the Detroit paper
don't know; nor am l much CohGeru,eu:. ,:
One thing j am sure OF, though, Is Indt
Father Reaney never made the state
ment Perhaps there are EDITORS IN De De
troit, as we'll as in San Francisco, VINO
TO establish their own pet theories Wouiu
neither stop at garbling and misrepre-
senting the statements OF priest, nor at
giving unwarranted reliance 10 the asseT
tions of a scoundrel. But. however op-
tained. II IS a lie, and the Monitor In re-
producing such base insinuations SHOWS
an animus consistent perhaps with yer
low journalism, and perhaps cons ny SSSat
the Catholic organ OF san franclsGo
should be. The paper was not IortneILy iE !L
so conducted and | am mistaken AK NtnritnT ~ tnT
fall from the position and dignity IL mere
tofore occupied.
Ill With regard to the General Metcalf
incident l refer your readers 20 the unin-
peachable testimony OF reliable witnesses
In Wednesdays and Thursday ddlIy
papers. There they will ma tnat the o.
fetal investigation ordered by MAJOR zen
eral Macarthur entirely eXonerates Con
eral Metcalf from any connection with the
AFFAIR. Not only this, but the man on
whose authority the affidavit mentioned
was made admits that like the Monitor ;
friend Fox he was drunk and did not
know what he was doing when he was
induced to sign same.
". Concerning the question OF church
looting the editor OF the Monitor says that
l "emphatically stated that the American
army is not in the slightest uegree re-
sponsible <or these outrages." This Is
exactly my proposition. This was my
statement from the beginning. and this
/ still maintain. / did not deny that .Qot-
ing had been done. This l admitted. Inis
every one knows. But, as l SAID before'
the American Government is not RESPONSE
BILE.
At the very beginning OF the war strict
orders were issued by all the govern
mental authorities that defaulters in this
respect would be dealt with most severely.
The necessary provisions were made that
this command would not be violated. The
generals OF the respective brigades were
warned ana they in turn warned those
under them.
I was delegated by the different COM
manders under whom l served TO see that
no desecrlton took place. Immediately
upon entering a captured town i went TO
the church. took an inventory OF every
thing left by the insurgents and Chinese
looters, had these articles stored away IN
the sacristy and locked and sealed the
door OF same, then placed a guard over
the church TO see that the seal would not
be broken. 1t Is needless TO say that II
never was.
Now, unless the editor OF the Monitor
can prove that the American Government
did not do all that could be reasonably
expected in order that the laws might be
observed. he makes an unwarranted asser-
tion when he says that the American
authorities were responsible. In fact, so
unwarranted is II that. though like the
donkey mentioned in the EDITORS fable OF
this issue: he wishes 70 appear as Hon,
he brays like the other animal.
Now. can he prove that the American
officers In the Philippines did not do their
utmost TO see that these laws were OBJ
served? He cannot. He has made an ef-
fort 10 do so. Week after week he has
filled the pages OF the Monitor with the
assertions OF men who were as remark
able for their want OF veracity as they
were for their want OF common sense and
decency. Week after week he has given
one lame argument after another TO sub
stantiate his own theories about the Phil