Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-30

The Star has contended that 1t was as
much In the interest of the Roman Catholic
Church as In that Of the United states anu
of the Fillpinos that the friars should not
be returned to their Philippine parishes
The Filipino Christians are almost exciu-
sively Catholics. and their revolt has beeh
against the irreIigious domination OF greedy
and lustful members OF the monastc or
d-rs and not against the church. II the
Pope had declared distinctly an Intention
to substitute for the friars, whom "a a
body the Filipinos hated and feared. I'M
Objectionable representatives of the church
In the archipelago he would nave pouh"
the Filiplnos to Catholicism with unbresk-
able ties But. acting through Archbishop
ChapeIle. he has seemed TO have deter
mined IN make the cause OF the friars that
cf the Catholic Church and to stand or fali
with them.
A. a natural result of this alleged deci-
sion comes a dispatch from Manila to the
effect that many prominent Filipinos, in
Guiding Buencamino, who was conspicuous
I'm the Agunaldo government. have declared
their intention to renounce the Catholic re-
ugion because of the determination OF the
church a. they understand 1t. to replace the
rrtars I'm the Philippines. Counter to the an
nouncement of these natives is statement
by the legal adviser of Archbishop Cila-
peIle that the church does not intend to
force the frfars into the districts where the
people object to them. This statement Is
significant as far as 1t goes or a policy on
the part OF the church authorities To re-
spect the prejudices of the natives But
the fact is that the distrust OF the frtars
and the popular opposition to them ana 10
the system of oppressive government Whlch
they represented extend to practically all
the districts in the archipelago where they
were formerly established If the church
proposes to avoid friction with the people
on this score the result necessarily must be
the complete exclusion of the frfars from
the islands. 1t would be far more salts
factory IL the church authorities would
forthwith declare their intentions in spe-
cinc terms The reported Protestant prose-
lyting movement may induce some such
declaration by the Roman Church. which
will materially aid the government in quiet
ing the restlessness of the people. The
statements and recommendations OF the
Taft commission concerning the friars sur
fciently reveal the attitude of the people
10 Indicate how essential it is that the ma
tives be guaranteed future immunity from
q mingling OF state and religious authority
In the same perSonageS- Ine shortest ana
surest path to entire peace in the islands Is
the absolute exclusion of the friars, who
stand in the popular mind for oppression,
greed and duplicity.
The Manila dispatch says that the arch
bishops representative declares that his
principal has received great number Of
requests from Filipinos for the return OF
the friars. This may be true. But Ii does
not follow that the people body desire
their return. or that il would be safe to
offend those millions who are unalterably
opposed to the frtars by pleasing the COM
paratively small number who are partsans
OF the orders now under the ban Of dis
favor. 1t is useless to combat at this stage
Of the development OF the native mind with
the deep-seated prejudice which exists there
against the monastic orders.
The revoits against Spain were based
upon the identity of Spanish authority with
the friars. and the strongest ground Of op-
position to our government today Is the be-
lief that we have taken Spain's place as the
hacker of the friars. determined to restore
them to power. 1t is to the interest o. the
Roman church, the Filipinos in general and
the United States government that this
problem be solved by recognizing a deep
seated and reasonable popular prejudice
and by removing every veStige of the cause