The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-07-21
Under the Benevolent Policy of
Pecksniff1an M'Kinley.
OUTRAGEOUS WAR UPON THE FRIARS
The Natives Suffering More than
UnderSpanish Tyranny.

In his letter, dated June, 1900, the
special correspondent OF the New York
Freeman's Journal at Manila writes as
follows:
"'Tis sweet to die for ones country"
sang the poet of old, and many an
American soldier in the Philippines
claims that those who have died in de-
fense Of the Stars and Stripes are much
better off than they who lived to see
the result of victory. Liberty" is pro-
claimed in every city in Luzon, her in
sigma is seen floating on every impro-
vised schoolhouse, but where, oh where,
does she dwell? Never in the worlds
history has there been baser fraud
practiced on conquered people than
upon the Malay inhabitants of the Phil
ippine Archipelago. Either Washing
ton nischose a watchword or Webster
was wrong in his definition, if the Nc
Kinley idea is true Interpretation.
"What is the American idea of relig-
ious liberty?" is question often put to
American soldiers by these "benighted"
people. The natives today would a
thousand times rather suffer the ''perse-
cutions" of the Spanish regime than live
under the blatant. bombastic autocracy
and military despotism of the Republic
an henchmen.
It is edilying for the American peo-
pie in Manila and surrounding country
to read in the American press that the
>policy of the Nero of Guam was lauded
by the present administration because
being "Catholic" he could not have
been prejudiced to the religion of the
island; it is equally gratifying to the
Masonic and Three-Link element over
here that there are sufficient "Leary
Catholics" in the army to prevent any
outburst of indignation from this end
81 am Catholic" in native jingo, is
often used by rascal to win favor from
an unsuspecting native, and the conf
dence thus gained has been the cause
of more hatred against our country and
flag than all the bullets ever fired from
Springfield or Krag. Episcopalian
Catholics have used this bait to draw
natives to services on Sunday, in which
communion in Spanish" (?) is the
principal feature; the Learyites have
used it to win admission to homes only
to outrage wives and daughters, and
thousands of Our soldiers and Ameri-
can adventurers have sunk to lower
depths of degradation than were the
natives of Luzon in the sixteenth CEN
tury. Yes, 'Liberty" Do the people
of the United States know how many
crimes are committed in thy name?
But the hardest nut to crack is the
new commission. Were there no Cath
olics in the United States capable of
place thereon? The fact of McKinley's
choice is being used by the Katipunan
Cor native Masons) to incite another in
surrection, and the English papers in
Manila are adroitly throwing the blame
on the friars-who, by the way, are just
ly disgusted with the piecrust Treaty
of Paris" Religious liberty" is a
wholesome yell for politicians; zone re-
ligion is as good as another is nice
prattle in military circles and society,
Dut as the defunct New York million
aire said of the people, so does the re-
giine of today regard the church, and
the cry of Ito hell with Catholicism" is
so visible in their every act that among
the opponents of American religious
liberty" Ingersoll would seem to have
halo of sanctity. Professionalism is
hand-in-hand with Infdelity and secret
chamber hypocrites in trying to wipe
out the traces of Christianity in the
Orient. Will they succeed?
AS an example Of the Inconsistency OF
the Potter adherents: The month of
May is time of religious carnival
among the children here-a beautiful
pageant commemorative of the early
martyrs for the faith. AS night comes
on the girls, wreathed and veiled, pro-
ceed to a given point in each barrio;
tapers are lighted and illuminated paper
figures and images of the martyrs are
borne through the street, accompanied
with string music and song; Christians
bound with paper chains are "led to