The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-24


Power by the Catholics In the
Philippines, but, on the Contrary,
the Church Has Done Much to I'm
prove Condition of the Natives
Will See for Himself.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 2s.-ArchbishopS
Chapelle, of New Orleans, apostolic dele
gate to Cuba. Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines, today save out the following
statement:
In answer to Gen. Furston'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 insurrection within
one week. as the inhabitants of Luzon
are completely under the church deem
1t proper to make the following public
statement: Knowing what | do from
most reliable authority of the generals
broad-m indedness and sense of fairness,
l do not believe that he has been quoted
correctly. He may have stated that the
insurgents demand this as a condition
of peace, but that he gave them as his
own experience 1 know how easy it is 10
be misquoted. All 1 can say is, If Gen.
Funston did make this statement he man.
Tested dense ignorance of the wo:k
1pelago. On the very face of it, how
ever 1t shows quite plainly that it did
not come from one as well posted as Gen.
Funston should be on affairs in Luzon.
He Is quoted as saying: THE inhabi-
tants of Luzon are completely under the
church.
sible. when every priest with the ex-
ception of a few natives) in the island
Of Luzon. outside OF the walled city Of
Manila. Is a prisoner of the insurgents.
eighteen he ct 70
of affairs has existed and during all this
period more than $50 friars have been
undergoing unot going unf1eaTd of torture in insur-
hard for me to see how the islands can
be under the. friars 1t looks to M as
though just. the opposite was the case
That the insurgents have asked, as one
of their terms of peace. the expulsion
Of the friars and the confiscation to the
insurgents of all the church property, is
a fact well known, but we are told by the
from other reliable sources) that the in
surgents represent only one tribe out Of
the eighty-fye tribes peopling the archi-
pelago so the sentiments voiced by the
insurgents about the friars and church
property cannot be taken as the senti-
ments of the great body of the natives, no
ments of the natives towards our people
and government.
OWE ALL TO FRIARS.
Whatever the natives are or have
they owe to the friars By them they
were lifted out of savagery and brought
Of Christianity. BY them they were
educated, not only in the schools but
in the fields and workshops, and We're
taught by them the very industries which
are now the source of their prosperity.
Mr.. Peyton, the agent of the Episcopal
Foreign Mission association, tells US that
ligious people on the face of the globe.
Now, the men who taught them to be SO
cannot be such men as some narrow.
minded people would try and have US BE-
lieve. Rev. Dr. Abel. a. Scotch Profess
tant missionary, also testifies that near
ly the whole population of the Philip
pine archipelago has been converted to
the Catholic faith by the Spanish monks.
and wonderful Improvement in their
social condition has been the result" He
then goes on TO show that if any one
made manifest by comparing the Chris
tan native with his Southern neighbor Of
the same blood-the fanatical Moor
As to the confiscation of the estates,
you might as well talk of conhscating one
of the estates of the Vanderbilts, the
Astors and other millionaires. whose
estates have in the course b Of o EeaT IS
just as much right and justice in one case
as in the other. The estates of the re-
ligious orders have been acquired in the
usual way by purchase, and in the course
of nearly four centuries have naturally
grown large; but If even unbiased Pro
testant witnesses are to be credited, large
as they are, all are used for the better
ment and Uplifting of the natives. A for
mer British consul, Protestant, writing
on this subject, says:
at was by means of these estates that
the friars introduced agriculture and set
tied habits of life among tribes originally
nomadic. 1t was by means of these estates
that they got them to live in villages and
introduced amongst them the arts of
civilized life. 1t was by means of these
estates that they acquired the power of
inducing them to labor with certain
amount of regularity and method-the
great safeguard against a relapse again
into their original state of savagery."
1.-The natives" he says. are with some
out which they would fail back to the
customs of their ancestors; tutelage
that no one can exercise better than the
friars Within the precincts of the mon
asteries 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 start,
ling contrast to. those who were still
pagan and uncivilized."
WILL SEE FOR HIMSELF.
In a short time 1 will start for the
Philippines and will personally investigate
titles or property. Until have completed
my work. l would ask the people of tho
United States not to be too ready to SwaI-
low as facts the opinions of gentlemen
whose previous training and lack of OPP
portunities to get all the real facts do not
warrant their statements concerning the
Catholic ministers Of religion, the intel
lectual capacity, the moral and social
condition OF the people of the archipelago.
TO be taken as undsputed facts by the
sensible and just minds: nor can they,
therefore, be taken as an exact preSenta-
ton of condition of things in the Philip
pines upon which the United States gov
eminent could prudently and equitably
base its policy with regard to this archi-
peiagO The church, asks only Justice and
| will not countenance the retention of
one-inch of property which is not now
legitimately held.
One word now on another subject I
see that 1t IS said that the object of my
visit to the White house on Saturday was
to protest against the footing and desc
Grating of the churches in the Philippines.
This was not the ease. AS to the footing
and desecrating of the churches. | am in
formed by person whose word | can
not doubt that this looting was not done
By nur American snflierS but by the In