The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-24
he DEFENDS THE FhIARS
Archbishop Chappelle in Reply to
General Funston.
REDEEMED THE ISLANDS
They We're the Pioneers Of Civilization
and Lifted the Natives Out OF :Sav-
experimentation Of the Es-
tates OF the Church.

Washington, Oct. 2s-Archbishop
Chappelle Of New Orleans, apostolic
delegate to Cuba, Porto Rico and the
Philippines, to-day gave out the follow
ing statement to the associated press
I'm answer to General Funston's
statement. made in an address to the
students of Stanford university that if
congress would drive out the friars and
confiscate every inch of church property
the bottom would drop out of the insur-
rection within one week, and that the
inhabitants of Luzon are completely I'M
der the church, deem it proper to make
the following statement:
Knowing what do from most reiia-
Bile authority of General Funston's
observation-disclosures and sense of fairness,
! do not believe he has been quoted cor
rectly. He may have stated that the
insurgents demand this as a condition
of peace, but that he gave them as his
own sentiments l cannot believe.
From my own experience l know
how it is to be misquoted. All l can
say is that If General Funston made
this statement, he manifested a dense
Ignorance of the work done by the re-
ligious orders in the archipelago. On
tn every face Of it, however, it shows
quite plainly that it did not come from
one as well posted as General Funston
should be on affairs in LuZon. He is
quoted as saying:
The Inhabitants of Luzon are COM
pletely under the church.
Now ! would ask how can this be
possible when every priest. with the ex-
ception of a few natives, in the island
of Luzon, outside of the walled city
of Manila, Is prisoner of the insur-
gents. For the past is months this state
of affairs has existed, and during all
this period more than $50 friars have
been undergoing unheard-of torture in
the dungeons. This being a fact, it is
hard for me to see how the islands can
be under the friars.' 1t looks to me
as though just the opposite were the
case.
Whatever the natives are or have
they owe to the friars. BY them they
were lifted out Of savagery and brought
under the blessed and refining intiu
enceS of Christianity. BY them they
were educated, not only in the school,
but in the fields and the workshops, were
taught by them the industries which
are now the source of their prosperity.
Mr. Peyton, the agent of the Episcopal
Foreign Mission association tells us
that the natives are the most moral
and religious people on the face Of the
to be SO cannot be such men as some
narrow minded people, would try to
have us believe m
las to the conflscation of the estates,
you might as well talk of connscating
the palaces of the Vanderbilts, the AS
tors and other millionaires whose riches
in the course, Of years have grown SO
wonderfully. There would be just as
much right and justice in one case as
in the other. The estates Of the religious
orders have been acquired in the usual
way, by purchase, and in the course Of
nearly four centuries they have natural
ly grown large, but if even unbiased
Protestant witnesses are to be credited,
large as they are, all are used for the
betterment and uplifting of the natives.
in short time T will start for the
Philippines, and l will personally inyes-
tigate all charges made against relig-
ious orders. titles of property, etc. I'm
til have completed my work I ask the
good people of the United States not to
be too ready to swallow as facts the
opinions Of gentlemen whose previous
training and lack of opportunities to
get at the real facts do not warrant
their statements concerning the Catho-
lie minis tiers of religion, the intellectual
capacity, the moral and social condi-
ton of the people of the archipelago
to be taken as undisputed facts by SEN
s1ble or just mindS, nor can tney
therefore, be taken as an exact presen-
tation of a condition of things in the
Philippines upon which the United
States government could prudently and
equitably base its policy with regard
to this archipelago. The church asks
only justice, and will not countenance
the retention of one inch of property
which is not legitimately held.
Zone word now on another subject
l see that it is said the object of my
visit to the white house on Saturday
was to protest against the footing and
desecrating of churches in the Philip
pines. This was not the case. As to
the looting and desecrating Of these
churches. I am informed by a person
whose word / cannot doubt that this
looting was not done by your Ameri-
can soldiers. but by the insurgents and
the Chinese"