New-York tribune., 1901-01-28
FRIARS IN PHILIPPINES.
VIEWS OF JUDGE TAFT AND HIS
FELLOW COMMISSIONERS.
SPANISH GOVERNMENT IN THE ARcHIPEI-
AGO RESTED ON THE FRIARs AS
A FoUNDATIoN-PH OF
THE PROBLEM
THE PROFILE,
rBT TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUSE.I


Of perhaps the most important chapter in the
remarkable report Of the Taft Commission
which the President sent TO Congress on Friday
The exceedingly delicate questions involved in
the close relations existing between Church and
State in the archipelago at the time of the
Treaty Of Paris new to Americans and
may yet prove grave. This chapter is notable
because It was written by Judge Taft himself
and, approved 1t is by his fellow Commits
sioners. Il is apt to become a memorable docu-
rnent Of reference in the general debate on the
subject Its great length precludes its COM
plete publication in any newspaper, but a fair
idea is afforded by the following extracts from
Judge Taft's opinion:
Ordinarily. the Government of the United
States and its servants have little concern
with religious societies or corporations and their
members. With US, the Church is so completely
separated from the State that it is difficult TO
imagine cases in which the policy of a Church
IN the selection OF its ministers and the assign
rneut Of them TO duty can be regarded as Of
political moment, or as a proper subject Of COM
rnent in the report Of a public officer. In the
modification of the Philippines by our Govern
nent however. II is impossible TO ignore the
very great part which such question plays.
Excepting the AIorOs, who are Noslems, and the
wild tribes who are pagans, the Philippine peo
ME belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The
totsl number Of Catholic souls shown by the
Church registry IN 1898 was $3.50 99S To care
for these in that year, there were in the archi-
and ll6 missions. 967 in all. OF the regular
marshes all save 80 We're administered by
Spanish monks Of the Dominican, Augustinian
OF Franciscan orders. Natives were not admit
ted 10 these orders. There were two kinds of
Augustinians in these islands, the shod and the
unshod The latter are called Recolletos and
are merely an offshoot from the original order
Of ST. Augustine.
By the revolutions Of 1896 and 1895 against
Spain all the Dominicans, Augustinians, Recol-
letos and Franciscans acting as parish priests
were driven from their parishes 10 take refuge in
Manila Forty were killed and 403 were impris-
oned and were not all released until by the ad-
vance Of the American troops il became npos-
sible for the insurgents to retain them. OF the
l,124 who were in the islands in 1896, only 472
remain. The remainder were either killed or
died. returned TO Spain, or went to China or
South America, There were also in the islands
engaged in missions and missionary parishes ~
Jesuits l6 Capuchins, and six Benedictines, and
while many of these left their missions because
of disturbed conditions they Go not seem to have
been assaulted or imprisoned for any length of
time. In addition the members of the
nascic orders. there were 40 native secular
clergymen in charge OF small parishes who were
not disturbed. There were also many native
priests in the larger parishes Who assisted the
friRr curates and they have remained, and they
have been and are acting as parish priests
SHALL FRIARs RETURN TO PARISHES?
The burning political question, discussion OF
which strongly agitates the people of the Philip
pines, is whether the members Of the four great
orders Of st. Dominic, ST. Augustine. ST.
Francis and the Recolletos shall return to the
parishes from which they were driven by the
revolution. Colloquially the term ''friars" in
cludes the members Of these four orders The
Jesuits, Capuchins, Benedictines and the Paul
lists, Of whom there are a few teachers here. have
done only mission work or teaching, and have
not aroused the hostility existing against the
four large orders to which we are now about
20 refer.
Spain in these islands rested on the friars. To
use the expression Of the Provincial Of the Au-
gusunians, the friars were the pedestal, or
foundation. Of the sovereignty Of Spain in these
Islands," which being removed. the whole
structure would topple over" The number Of
Spanish troops in these islands did not exceed
five thousand until the revolution. The tenure
of Office Of the friar curate permanent
There was bat little rotation Of priests among
the parishes Once settled in parish, priest
usually continued there until superannuaton
He was, therefore. a constant political factor
for genera tion- The same was true Of the
Archbishop and the bishops. The civil and mill
tary officers Of Spain in the island here
for not longer than four years. and more often
for a less period The friars, priests and bish-
ops therefore, constituted q solid, powerful,
permanent. well organized political force in the
islands which DONNA ted policies. The stay Of
those officers who attempted to pursue course
al variance with that deemed wise Dy the ordeTs
was invariably shortened by mOnastic influence.
Of the four great orders one, the Franclscans'
is not permitted TO property, except con-
vents and schools. This is not true Of the other
three. They own some valuable business prop
erty n Manila, and have large amounts OF
orders is in agricultural land. The total
amount owned by the three orders in the Philip
pines Pr is approximately 4o3.oVo acres OF TINS
lZlOOO acres is in the Province of Cavite alone.
The whole is distributed rs follows: Cayite'
Province Of Luzon, 12l747 acres; Laguna,
Province of Luzon. 50, 112 acres; Manila, Prov
ince OF Luzon, 30 l45: Bulacan, Province Of
l1zon, 39341; MOrong. Province of Luzon,
1910; Bataan, Province of Luzon, 1000; Caga-
yan, Province OF Luzon. 1900; Island of Cebu,
l64l3: Island Of Mindoro. 5S455 Total,
AUTOCRATIC POWER OF FRIAR CURATES.
II cannot admit of contradiction that the auto
cratic power which each friar curate exercised
over the people and civil officials of his parish
gave them a most plausible ground for belief
mat nothing Of injustice, Of cruelty, Of oppres-
son, or narrowing restraint of liberty. was i'm
posed on them for which the friar was not en-
ufeiy responsible. His sacerdotal functions
were not in their eyes the important ones, ex-
cept as they enabled him to clinch and make
mere complete his civil and political control.
he revolutions against Spain's sovereignty be-
gan as movements against the friars. Such was
the tenor OF RizaIs chief work .'NoIi Ne Tan
gere." The treaty Of Biacnabato. which ended
the first revolution, is said TO have contained the
condition that the friars should be expelled.
In the second revolution. as already said at
least forty frfars were killed and over four hun
cred We're imprisoned. Having in view these
circumstances the statement Of the bishops and
nlars that the mass Of the people in these
Islands. except only few OF the leading men
OF each town and the native clergy. are friendly
70 them cannot be accepted as accurate All
the evidence derived from every source but the
trlars themselves shows clearly that the feeline,
o. hatred for the friars is well nigh universal
ana perneates all classes. In the provinces of
NaVite, Laguna and Bulacan, as well as in the
country districts Of Manila the political feeling
sgalnst the friars has in il also an element OF
sgrarianism. For generations the friars have
osen lords Of these immense manOFs upon
which, since 1880, they have paid no taxes
while every ''hombre' living on them paid his
eeoula, worked out a road tax, and. if he were
~ business Of any kind paid his industrial i'm
post II is significant that il was in Cavitk that
ne ne TWO revolutions broke out and that each in