The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-10-28
LET US NOT BE HOODWINKED

Rev. n. H. Hartman, who says H.
went to the Philippine islands in
"semi-official capacity with quasi
relation to the army has most re
markable article in last weeks indie
pendent on Religious Liberty In the
Philippines
Mr.. Harriman's article sings the same
refrain which is found in nearly every
article coming from Protestant sources
about the Philippines. The old cry thai
General Otis is incompetent is repeated
ad neauseam. 1t is time now that the
Catholic press and people should inves-
! tigate these profiigate charges and seek
to understand the motives that under
lie them.
There are matters of more urgent
| Importance to the Catholic peo-
pie of America IN the Philip
pine administration than the fact
that few American soldiers
have sent several vestments back to the
| United States, and perhaps in some in
stances not shown the respect that
Catholics would wish in the occupancy
of churches. AS the Intermountain
Catholic pointed out some time ago, all
this talk of church dissertation lacks
the element Of truth
Hence we pass over this question of
alleged church desecrat ton on the part
of our troops, and come to a consider
alton of the attempted church confisca-
ton, which some Protestant mission
aries and their abettors would have our
government indulge in.
Catholics should not be hoodwinked
by minor issues. There is an open, pail
pable and unjustifable effort being
made to force the administra ton into
a theft of all the Catholic property in
the Philippine islands, Notwithstanding
the obvious fact that the church's title
to this property is more valid than the
title of the United States to the islands
themselves
Mr.. Harriman's article throws off the
mask and urges upon Mr. Mckinley
and the administration the necessity
of driving the Bishops and Priests from
their homes in the Philippines, and i'm
plores that this be done, so that the
horde of ecclesiastical brigands from
America may take possession of the
church property from which the Cath
olics shall be evicted.
1t will be of christening interest to
know precisely in what 'se7ni-offfcial
capacity Mr.. Mckinley sent Mr.. Har-
riman to the Philippine islands. In
passing, the Intermountain Catholic ex-
presses surprise that the independent
gave place to the purely gratuitous and
iil-grounded statements of Mr. Harri-
man, whose article, from beginning to
end, sounds like a nightmare or the
fabrications of a rancorous bigot.
Many grievances, indeed, has this Mr..
Hartman, the principal of which seems |
to be that the Catholic church has the |
field
This is really too bad. What a pity! !
The Catholic church should withdraw
from the Philippines and abandon its
work of 300 years to this great Ameri-
can missionary, who, after spending
seven weeks there, assumes to speak
knowledge of a seer.
The following delectable morsel Will
give our. readers a pretty accurate idea
II what this ''semi-offfcial'' functionary
IF state and same time missionary de-
sires:
And concerning the property rightly
oetonging to worship" there is even a
more deiIcate problem to solve. the So
ution OF which will cali for the use
# all the political power of the Catho-
ic church in America-we refer to the
disposal of the cathedrals and parish
;hurches of the islands. We observe
10 signs that Protestant America is
It all awake to, or is aware of, the fact
hat our government actually owns all
hese buildings, and has paid for them
n good American money. This is true,
however, and the fact should be re- {
nenbered in our efforts for religious ,
quality in the islands The cathedral
f old Manila, as ] am informed on
God authority, was built by the same
lan who built the city walls, and paid i
or out of the same funds. The parish
hurcheS also-which dot the islands
hickly, near enough together to be
ignal stations; built large, built solid,
18th walls from four to twelve feet
nick, like fortreSSeS: with massive I
overs, filled with bells, from Which :
gnals were sent out by the Spanish
RESTS of Manila to the insurgents
fter the uprising, until discovered by
he secret service and stopped-these t
lildings were built with public money,
rung from the natives by burdenSome
lXation, and were owned by the gov
'nment and their Priests supported at !.
lblic expense. In the treaty of peace,
lese, with all other public property,
,verted to our government in the $780, II
0 900 indemnity. 0
Herein is the real animus of the OPP IL
,sition to General Otis, who has not 8
ade himself particeps crininus with .
e band of missionary thieves who
ould rob the Catholic church and the s.
atholic people of the Philippine D
ands of their rightful possessions. a
The whole head and front of the OPP a
sition to. and the real animus of the &c
lacks on General OTIS arise from the M
nple fact that he has thwarted such III
IN as Hartman.
This is the first time that we have a
en- the brazen claim advanced that OF
e United States government actually al
ms the churches and religious insti- ST
tons on the island of Luzon. I'll
We ask our readers to peruse care
ly the above extract from Mr. Harri- w
ms article, and then ask themselves til
a government, which sends such a ne
aracter in any capacity, even semi W
cial,' is not to be pitied? is
this attempted confsca- pc
n of church property. the Catholic icj
ople may rest assured that it will hi
| of contamination.
Chappelle, the Apostolic W.
legate, is not man who Will toler- po
the trifiings of such men, as Harri- o.