The St. Louis Republic., 1901-02-26
PRIESTS OPPOSED TO
FEDERALIsT PARTY.
Eight Hundred Said to Be Deter
mined to Refuse Sacrament
to Members.

Manila. Feb. 25.-The Reverend Father
Mckinnon. who was formerly private Sec
retary OF Mgr. Chapelle. and who II now
pastor Of the Ermita Catholic Church, IN
formed a representative of the Associated
Press to-day that there were upwards of
800 native priests in the Philippines op-
posed to the Federal party. and that these
would refuse to administer the sacrament
to Federalists. because they believed the
Federal party to be merely q cloak for
Protestant attempts to weaken the power
Of the church Of Rome.
He referred to the Federal party as rest
ing on an insecure foundation, and destined
to crumble soon." and asserted that the
Methodist and Presbyterian missionaries
were using unfair means to induce Fflipinos
to leave the Catholic faith. He assailed the
character of Senior Buencamino and other
evangelical leaders and contended that only
by securing the cooperation and good VIII
Of the padres could the Americans make
permanent progress in the Philippines
Senior Tavera, president OF the Federal
party. when the views of Father McKin-
non were brought to his attention, replied:
80 much the better, as It will bring the
matter to an ISSUE"
When asked whether the members OF the
party would not leave 1t II they learned
standing. Senior Tavera replied:
They probably would. II that were true:
but believe only small proportion Of the
priests would exclude people from their
church privileges for such reason. We
Filipinos did not make an issue of separa-
tion of church and state. This was decreed
by the United States Constitution. Nothing
else is tolerated Under American SOW
ereignty. Whether Federalists approve or
not. they cannot be loyalists and yet oppose
that doctrine.
IF the Catholic authorities are not willing
to accept II. they are not patriotic. The
Federal party may disintegrate after civil
government il generally established In the
Philippines, but the principles OF peace un-
der American sovereignty VIII not disinte-
Senor Tayora asserted that the Federal
lists who had relatives and friends among
the prominent insurgent leaders were en-
deavortng by correspondence to induce
Some employers Of native labor allege
the are tSoas By 5ns
of the principles to which they are sub
scribing. Ordinarily the natives are easily
led by their accustomed . M leader; ds put s,. the
has authority and great moment. and II is
now generally understood and approved by
Chaplain Fitzgerald administered the oath
of allegiance to 200 Ilocanos at church In
Vigan, February q, and parish priest
at Santa Catalina administered similar
oath to 100 natives February "a.
Lieutenant West, with q detachment OF
the crew OF the gunboat Laguna de Bay,
attacked 200 insurgents under Cabailes.
near Cavine. Province of Laguna. After a
hard fight of forty minutes. the insurgents
were dispersed, losing six killed and four
x detachment of the Forty-seventh Vol
unteer Infantry encountered a body of In
surgents in the Province of Albany. killing
eighteen and. subsequently,. another body,
killing nine. The Americans had no casual
ties.
A SQUAD of the Eighteenth United States
Infantry surprised a band Of Ladrones at
Mossin. Island of Panay, killing six. The
Americans captured five rifles.
The Peace Commission Is negotiating
with the Insurgents In Northern Panay.
and there Is q prospect of an early sur
render