The true Democrat., 1899-10-28

lipinoS ofAmerica's Honesty of Purpose
In Bringing About Peace. ''." p"
Washington. .-"I am convinced that
the president intends to deal fairly
BY the people Of the Philippines and
honestly by the Roman Catholic
church. I shall leave for Manila
during the latter part of next month
and shall do all I can to bring about
peace between, this country and the
Filipinos I pray God that peace
may soon come" -, &,
This was the statement made by
Archbishop Chapelle, Papal delegate
to the Philippines, Saturday evening
after an hours conference with Pres
ident Mckinley. Archbishop Chap
ellie has long had the confidence Of
the president. 1t was be who solved
many Of the troublesome problems
connected with the church in Porto
Rico and Cuba q : - .@rzre
The conference was one Of the
most extended yet held. a.. As a re-
suit of the Interview, Arch bish6p
Chapelle will go to Manila with
full power to deal with the local
priests and present the government
side Of the question. He will lay be-
fore the sspriests Of the Philippines in
formation that will prove to them that
loyalty to the United States does not
mean the overthrow of the Catholic
church, nor the punishment Of Fiilpi-
nos who hsye been in the war. s..
The Pspal delegate will do the
following things with the sanction Of
the United States government:
He will call conference Of the
priesthood of the islands, to be presid.
ed over by the Archbishop of Manila,
and will inform that conference that
it is not the intention of the United
States government to seize the church
property or prevent the free exercise of
the Catholic religion. He will show
them that under the republican form
OF government in the United States
here is the widest possible latitude of
religious liberty.
He will explain that the Catholic re-
ligion, under tie sovereignty Of the
United States, will have as much con-
troll over it's paIishoners as any
where in the world, and that, SO far
as the government is concerned, there
will be an absolute prohibition Of inter
ference in the affairs of the church.
Archbishop Chapelle will prove to
the Filipino priests that opposition to
the government Of the United States
is unwise if that oppositions grows
from a fear that the rights of the
church are not to be respected, and
that the government of the American
republic is opposed to the religion
which.. dominates the islands.
Armed with full authority from this
government to present the case from
the standpoint OF the church, the pres
ident believes the visit Of the Arch
bishop will be fruitful Of good results,
and that soon after he arrives there
will be a change IN the sentiments of
the mass Of hesSpeople . .'
The Archbishop, accompanied by
the best wishes of the presidentand the
blessings of the pope, is expected to re-
move much of the opposition Of the rev.
olutionists and to impress upon the
people of the Philippines the fact that
loyalty to the United States is not in
compatible with devotion to the
church, which is so highly respected
in the United States. 49,. - =
Archbishop Chapelle himself says
that he expects to show these people
that they have been mistaken in, their
conception OF the people of, thus coun-
try, and their ideas of our form Of gov
ernment. He thinks that the insurrec-
ton is largely due to the mistaken no
lions of the natives that an assault on
their religion is intended
While in Manila he Will also take
an, inventory of the church property.
He is convinced that that which right
fully belongs to the church will be re-
stored, to it. All the churches, the
uonasterles and the land adjacent
thereto necessary to support these insti-
tutions will, he believes be granted
to the church Whether the unusual
y large holdings that have hithero
been held by TIE church will be retain
ed, is a question which he cannot now,
answer. Upon he amount Of these
holdings Archbishop Chapelle wall re-
nOrt upon his. retaia