Evening star., 1901-04-09

CONTINUED from Fourteenth Page.)
the lessee shall sign. The fact Is that the
friars stipulate In their printed leases In
the teeth of every legal provision. that
they may take the lands away from the
lessee whenever they please. even though
he complies with all legal requisites"
1.-The friars stated to me that they
charged considerably less rent than any
other landlord. How is that?'
Il do not believe that is true. and will
recount certain thing which will show
that the friars not only charge for the land
itself, but for the air over it. L will pro-
duce one of the contracts which have in
my house. For instance. certain amount
fs paid as rent for the ground. and II on
that ground there is a mango tree, the
lessee pays reals a year for that mango
tree irrespective of what he pays for the
ground. Therefore. / say that they not
only pay for the ground. but for the air. II
there happens TO be on this ground any
bamboo sticks they are also paid for. The
present price is S125 per 100 for small
ones. The large ones are worth half dol
lar piece. If through any accident. for
tuitous or otherwise, the mango tree should
die, 1t is the lessee's duty to replace it, and
the same is true as to the bamboo: but that
is not the strangest thing, for the whole
time that the mango tree fails to bear he
has to keep on paying. Moreover, every
year the lands under the lease are meas
ured. and there is a saying among the peo-
pie Of the province of Cayite that the land
grows every year. What / say can
roborate by written instruments signed by
the 1rlarS. BESIDES all TINS. the rental must
be paid in products of the soil, and 1t must
be paid when those products are cheapest
In the market To measure grains for in
stance. they have in the provinces what is
known as the cavan of the devil. which is
of a larger size than the legal measure.
A cavan holds a little more than % liters,
dry measure. but the devils cayan, which
the friars used to collect their rent. has %
liters.
Besides all of this. in every quantity of
cayans paid in the way of rent there has
to be added number of these to make up
for the losses in the storage houses
through what rats other rodents have
eaten up. That is one of the conditions of
the contract. what the rats eat up in the
granaries. So much is this so that after
they have measured out the proper number
to meet the rent. they say: There is some
more for the rats l am not quoting hear
say. l am speaking because have seen it
myself. This rice that they take is always
washed before they measure it, but in the
interest of brevity I will leave out details
and proceed. If the friars state that they
are the best landlords here-and there are
number of landIords-why is the ami
mostly all directed against the friars and
not the other landlords?'
immortality.
This witness was very straightforward in
his denunciation of the immortality of the
friars, having, as his testimony shows, ex-
ceilent means of knowing whereof he
spoke:
With respect to their morality in gen
eral. il was such common thing to see
children of friars that no one ever paid
any attention to 1t thought Of it. and
SO deprayed had the people become in this
regard that the women who were the mis-
treSses of friars really felt great pride In
II and had no cOmpunctlon In speaking of
It, So general had this thing become that
II may be said that even now the rule is
for friar to have mistress and chill
dren, and he who is not Is the rare excep-
ton, and If it is desired that give names
could cite right now 100 children of
friars.''
I'm Manila or in the proyinces?"
In Manila and in the provinces. Every
1 Where Many Of my sweethearts have
Are the friars living in the islands still
who have had those chiIdren?"
Yes and | can sive their names if
necessary, and 1 can give the names of
the children. too. Beginning with myself
my mother Is the daughter of a Franciscan
friar. L do not dishonor myself by SAYING
this. because my family begins with my
self"
Il will be much obliged for a list"
can give it to you right now: In Pan
daean. 1sidro Mendoza. son of the Bishop
PEDRO Payo. when he was the parish curate
OF the Pueblo of Samar: in linus, the wife
OF Cayetano Torazio, daughter of a Reco-
1ecto friar of Mindoro, II, Zambales. Louise
Lasaca. now in Zimbales, and several sis
ters and brothers were children of Friar
Bentte Tutor, a Recoecto friar In Bula-
can; in Quingua, l cannot remember the
last name. the first name is Manuela. a
godchild of my mother is a daughter of
an Augustinian friar named Alvaro; In ca
yite, a certain Patrocinio Berries Is
daughter of Friar Rivas a Dominican
iriar: Colonel Aguillar, who is on the
Spanish board of liquidation. is the son of
Father Ferrer. an Augustinian monk"
How do you know these things?"
IN some cases through family relations.
my father. and others l became possessed
of the facts through being attorney l
myself nave acted as godfather for three
chlidren OF frfars | am now managing
friar for his three children. family
lives with me who are all children OF
friars."
Causes of Popular Hatred.
In regard to the hostile attitude Of the
people toward the friars Mr.. CaIderon
said; They were the expression of the
most exaggerated despotism, not of the
government of Spain, but of their own
despotisrn. which they exercised, using the
name OF the kingdom of Spain. because
thelr system was to deceive both Spain
and the people That was the line they
had laid down. and, unfortunately. they
are still following it. and they used II
during the time of the Spanish regime
They would say to the people If 1t were
not FOR ME the government would annihi-
Iate you, and then they would say to the
government, If it were not for me the
people would overthrow you And even
at the present time there is not the slight
est doubt that they have said TO the Amer
lean authorities that all of the Filipino
people were lot of anarchists and insur-
gents who We're conspiring to overthrow
constituted authority, while to the people
OF the Philippines they say the American
government will place a chain around the
waist OF each of them; / do not make this
assertion as an emanation from myself
/ have seen it in writing. In the confess
sional they say to them. How can you
De In favor of the Americans when they
are absolutely the enemies of our religion p
Ana they say that constantly to the secu-
lar clergy. adding that woe betides the
Poor fIlipinos who deliver themselves over
Internationally to the American govern
ment, and / have heard this from the very
lips of Monsieur Chapelle."
is there difference in the feeling
against the different orders?
oh. yes For example. this feeling is
general as against the Augustinians the
Dominicans. the Recolletos and the Fran
ciscans. Then, on the other hand there
are the Jesuits. which are the worst. but