The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-18
LAST NOTE TO TAFT
TEXT MADE PUBLIC BY WAR
 DEPARTMENT.
It Forms the Basis of Communica- tion Submitted to the Vatican by Governor Taft
 Wednesday.

Governor Taft relating to the negotia
 tions for the Friars lands. It forms the basis of the note which Governor Taft yesterday communicated to the Vatican, the essential points of which were cabled from Rome by the Assocated Press last evening.
 July IA, 1902.
 Taft. Hotel Quirinal. Rome:
 q am gratifed by the expression of intention upon the part of the Holy See to take the measures which are indicated by Cardinal Rampolla's memoranda of the 22nd of June and of the 10th of July
 to recall the religious orders in the
 Philippine Island to the life proper to their institutes and to an exclusive devo-
 tion to spiritual ministry. abstaining from
 any kind of interference with things ap-
 pertaining to the civil authority and to introduce az much as possible the reli-
 gious orders of nationalities other than Spanish and particularly the religious orders of American nationality and to concede to them the parochial ministry as soon as they shall be sufficiently in structed in the language of the country. "t 1t is believed that there will result a sure basis of mutual considera- tion and just treatment in the future
 relations between the church and State in
 the Philippines in regard to all specific
 questions which will have to be settled there.
 Social Results Desired.
 Regarding tho withdrawal of the
 members of the religious orders from the Philippines it should not be understood
 that the Philippines Government is ask ng to modify or in any manner affect the l conduct of religious matters on the part of the Holy See or on the part of the heads of the orders, or for any compul- sorry exclusion or proceeding whatever It | is rather that the Philippines iovern- ment desires social results which 1t deems | of great importance to the welfare Of the Filipino people and which can be accom- plished only by the withdrawal of this class of persons who have fortuitiolsly l been thrown into special and antag )lis- tic political relations with the people. That government has proposed an ar
 engagement which is supposed to be very
 advantageous to the church and worth it's own while to carry out, if the ecclesiastt- | cal authorities having the direction af the | religious orders should see fit, to volun- | barily withdraw them from the islands. | Such a voluntary withdrawal cannot | be considered a violation of any rights under the treaty of Paris or otherwise, | or any reflector either upon the nation
 or upon the orders to which the persons withdrawing happen to belong. The
 reasons making the withdrawal desirable arise from the political and social rela- tions which existed under the former gtv- ernment. and which have created personal
 antiquities menacing to the peace and l order of the community. Such a volun- | tary withdra wal would not involve any confirmation of any accusations against | the persons withdrawn or the orders to
 which they belong; and 1t is to be ob- 1 served that we have made no such accu- sations. It would simply recognize the l existence of the conditions which for | several years past have been and new | are preventing these particular agents | from serving the church in the stations
 to which they were assigned and which
 would make their unemployment injurt- | ouS to the community.
 Wishes of the Filipinos. 'In this matter, the United States rep | resentatives in the Philippines are merely | endeavoring to meet the wishes as well | as the needs of the Philippine people. l 1t is not the United States Government
 which objects to the presence of the | FTiars; it is the Catholic population of the Philippine islands. The hay Catholic | population and the parish prists of native and non-Spanish blood. are practically a unit in desiring both to eXpel the Friars and to contiscate their Hands out of hand. l This proposed confiscation without com penSation of the church land was one of | the fundamental policies of the insurgent | governn ent under Aguinaldo. Recogniz- 1 ing the intensity and practical unanimfty
 of this feeling and at the same time de- string to avoid causing loss to the church, | the United States Government represen- | tatives proposed to pay for the lands out of the public funds if the Friars would l retire from the islands and give place 1 to other religious workers of their own l faith who might be able to accomplish for
 their religion what they themselves had l so signally failed to accomplish. In | making this proposal the United States l representatives were well aware that | financially it was only of benefit to the church, for the lands are unproductive and | held in adverse possession by the natives who refuse to pay rent; while the former 1 congregations of the objectionable Friars now refuse to receive them and they ,uld only be restored to their parishes by sIch affirmative governmental action as under our constitution cannot be taken.
 Tt is the desire to accomplish the re- moval of this cause of disturbance and da@cord that has led me to approve that clause of your proposal which would in- volve the government of the Philippines | in large and undefined obligation for the purchase of lands in advance of a specific | ascertainment of their values and uf the estimated prices which we can reasonably | expect to receive from them when we in turn offer them for sale. and to the | clauses which would anticipate the au- | thority of Congress in regard to the
 ascertainment of rentals and dama ges in
 the course of occupation and the con- veyance of church lands provided for in your proposal. Rampolla's Proposition.
 'If this object is not to be assured
 then the arrangement sought should be quite different in form, and should more l closely follow the suggestions of Cardinal Rampolla in his memorandum of June
 22nd; wherein he says that an estimate l of the value of the lands, conforma ble | with the principles of justice and equity is complicated question, requiring spe-
 cial study of the facts of the case, and cannot be solved with precipitation, and declares the disposition of the Holy See
 to furnish the new apostolic delegate
 who Is to be sent to the Philippines, with necessary and opportune instructions, in order to treat amicably this affair in un- derstanding with the American Govern
 nent and the parties interested, and so to arrive at fixing a satisfactory accord whether on the value of the land or the conditions of the sale; and wherein he further says that the apostolic delegate will be instructed upon all the matters touched upon in the memorandum to come
 A al,