Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-10-24
Archbishop ChappeIIe Denies
Funstop's Alleged Remarks
That Banishing Friars and Con6scating
Church Property Would End Revolt.
Americans Attack Filipinos from CaIamba
Insurgents Loss Very Heavy.

delegate to Cuba, Porto Rico and the
Philippines, today, gave out the fol-
lowing statement to The Associated
Press:
In answer to Gen. Funston's state
ment made in an address to the stu
dents 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 insurrection within one week;
the inhabitants of Luzon are complete
ly under the church, 1 deem it proper
to make the following public state
ment:
knowing what I do from most re-
liable authority Gen. Funston's broad
mindedness and sense of fairness, do
not believe that he has been correctly
quoted. 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 credit. All l
can say is, if Gen. Funston did make
this statement. he manifested a dense
ignorance of the work done by the re-
ligious orders of the archipelago. On
the very face of it, however, it shows
ouitely plainly that it did not come
from one as well posted as Gen. Fun
ston should be on affairs in LuZon. He
is quoted as saying: The inhabitants
of Luzon are completely under the
church.
Now | would ask how can this be
possible when every priest with the
exception of few natives) in the is
land of LuZon outside of the walled
city of Manila, is prisoner OF the m
surgents. For the past is months TINS
state of affairs has existed and during
al this period more than $50 friarS nave
been undergoing unheard of torture in
the insurgent dungeons. This being q
fact it is hard for me to see how the
islands can be under the friarS. 1t
looks to me as though just the oppo-
site were the case.
THAT the insurgents have asked as
one of their terms Of peace the eXpui-
sion Of the friars and the confiscation
to the insurgents of all the church
property is a fact We'll known; but We
are told by the government officials
(and | know il 70 be a fact from other
reliable sources) that the insurgents
represent only one tribe out of the 50
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
sentiment of the natives towards our
people and government.
What the natives are or have they
owe to the friars. BY them they We're
lifted out of savagery and brought I'M
der the blessed and refining influences
of Christianity. BY them they were
educated. not only in the schools, but in
the fields and the workshops. We're
taught by them the very industries
which are now the source Of their pros
perity.
Mr.. Peyton, agent of the Episcopal
Foreign Mission Association, tells US
that The natives are the most moral
and religious people on the face of the
globe Now the men who taught them
cannot be such men as so narrow mind
ed people would try to have us believe
Rev. Dr. Abeel, a Scotch Protestant
missionary. also testifies that nearly
the whole population of the Philippine
archipelago have been converted to the
Catholic faith by the Spanish monks
and a wonderful improvement in their
social condition has been the result.
He then goes on to show that if any
one doubts this Improvement 1t can
oasiIy be made manifest by comparing
the Christian native with his southern
neighbor of the same blood-the ia
natical Moro.
"As TO the confiscation of the estates,
would might as well talk of conllsca-
ting the estates of the Vanderbilts, the
Astors and other milionaires whose es-
tateS have in the course OF years 50
wonderfully grown. There would pc
lust 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 nave
naturally grown large, but If even I'M
biased Protestant witnesses are to be
credited. large as they are. all are used
for the betterment and uplifting of the
natives.
"A former British consul Ga Protes-
tanO writing on this subject says: IL
was by means of these estates the
friars introduced agriculture and set
tied habits of life among tribes origi-
nallv nomadics 1t is by means of
these estates that they got them to 1--we
| in villages and introduced amongst
them the arts of civilization. 1t was
| by means of these estates that they
! acquired the power of inducing them
| TO labor with certain amount OF reg
| ularity and method-the great safe
| guard against a relapse again into
| their original state of Savagery. The
| natives he says, are with some rare
exceptions, in need of tutelage with
out which they would fall back to the
customs of their ancestors, tutelage
| that TO one can exercise better than
| the friars Within the precincts OF the
| monastries are to be found carpenter
shops. FORCES. brick and tile yards. etc.
| TO teach the natives various trades. The
villages formed around them presented
; a pleasing picture of happiness and
| content in startling contrast with those
who were still pagan and uncivilized.
| I'm a short time l viii start for the
Philippines and / will personally inves-
tigate all charges made against relig-
| ious orders. titles of property, etc.
| Until | have completed my work. l
would ask the good people of the
| United States not to be too ready to
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