The record-union., 1899-10-24
ARCHBISHOP CHAPPELLE.
Answers the Statement Alleged to
Have Been Made by Funston.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23.-Archbishop
Chappelle of New Orleans, apostolic
delegate to Cuba, Porto Rico and the
Philippines to-day gave out a state
ment to the Associated Press in which
he says:
In 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
confscate every inch of church prop
erty the bottom would drop out of the
insurrection within one week The in
habitants of Luzon are completely un-
der the church, I deem 1t proper to
make the following statement:
knowing what / do from most re-
liable authority of General Funston's s
broad -mindedness and sense of fairness,
do not believe that he has been quot
ed correctly. He may have stated that
the insurgents demand this as a condi-
ton of peace, but that he gave them as
his own sentiments I cannot credit.
From my own experience l know
how easy IL is to be misquoted All I
can say is that if General Funston did
make this statement, he manifested a
dense ignorance of the work done by
the religious orders in the archipelago.
On the very face of it, however it
shows quite plainly that it did not come
from one as we'll posted as General
Funston should be on affairs in Luzon.
he is quoted as saying the inha bitants
OF Luzon are completely under the
church. Now I would ask how can
this be possible, when every priest with
the exception of few natiyes) in the
| island of Luzon, outside the walled
city Of Manila, is a prisoner of the in
surgents. For the past eighteen months
this state of affairs has existed, and
during all this period more than $50
fr1ars have been undergoing unheard of
tortures IN insurgent dungeons. This
being fact, it is hard for me to see
now the islands can be under the
frlars. 1t looks to me as though Just
the opposite were the case That the
insurgents have asked as one of their
terms OF peace the expulsion of the
frlars and the confiscation to the in
surgents of all the church property is
a Well-known fact, but we are told by
the Government officials land I know
1t to be a fact from other reliable
sources) that the insurgents represent
only one tribe out of the eighty five
tribes peopling the archipelago, so the
sentiments voiced by the insurgents
about the friars and church property
cannot be taken as the sentiments of
the great body Of the natives, no more
| than they can be taken. as the senti-
ments of the natives toward our people
and Government.
Whatever the natives are or have
I thew n ri Px
were lifted out of savagery and brought
under the blessed and refining infiu-
ences of Christianity.
'As to the confiscation of the es-
tates you may as we'll talk of confis-
eating the estates of the Vanderbilts.
the Astors and other millionaires whose
estates have in the course of years
grown so wonderfully. There would be
just as much right and justice in one
case as in the other The status of the
religious estates has been acquired in
the usual way by purchase, and in the
course Of nearly four centuries they
have naturally grown large, but if
even unbiased Protestant witnesses are
to be credited, large as they are, all are
of the natives
III short lIHle L VIII start Tor the
Philippines, and | will personally in
vestigate all charges made against re-
ligious orders. titles of property, etc.
The church asks only justice, and I will
not countenance the retention of one
inch of property which is not now legi-
timately held
Il see that it is said the object of
my visit to the White House on Satur-
day was to protest against the looting
and desecrating the churches in the
Philippines. This was not the case. AS to
the looting and desecrating of these
churches, | am informed by a person
whose word I cannot doubt that this
looting was not done by our American
soldiers. but the insurgents arm the
Chinese