Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-23

| Roosevelt. Mr.. Root or Mr.. Taft is to be
certain that nothing of the kind could
have been thought OF or could have
been tolerated Never did there reside
III the white house IA man more fair
minded and impartial in religious mat
| ters, more resollltc TO give all classes OF
c items the religious rights granted
| them by the constitution and TO pro-
| tect them in those rights than Theodore
| Roosevelt. Dutns his administration il
| is nnqualitodly absurd To imagine that
governmental acts could be such as To
deny or impair the religious rights OF
amy people or tribe over whom floats
the American flag. As To Mn Taft. j
quote from Il letter which received but
eysterday from a Catholic priest. living
in the arch episcopal palace in Manila,
Rev. w. II. Mcllinnon: L can assure
YOU that nothing can be more unjust
| than the criticisms of Governor Taft
appearing in some Catholic papers.
Governor Taft has not q particle of big
o;ry in his makeup. In all his acts
here defy any one TO say he has shown
himself prejudiced in the least
All this does not mean that here and
there individuals concerned i'll one way
or another with the government of the
islands did not say or do things unfair
TO Catholics; what | wish To emphasize,
is. that such individuals. so far as men
of the kind may have been found, did
not, in what they We're saving or do
ing represent the government. and if
their Mrongdoing had been duly report
to ha 4
been summariiy reproved.
What stronger proof of fair minded
ness in the settlement of the religious
question of the Philippines could the
administration given than to respond
graciously TO the wishes of the vatican
that Il messenger from the American
government should so to Rome to dis
matters directly with the pope and
his advisers? American Catholics
should be forever most fraternal TO Mr..
Roosevelt for his noble action in this re-
gard, and should see in it the assur-
;tnce that whatever may be done in the
the Philippines a spirit of high mind
edness and justice is sure to be the
dominant inspiration Other govern
ments would have gone to work in
their own way without a word being
being said to the head of the church or
counsel asked from him.
IF the American government sim
cerely believed that the four landlord
religious orders of the Philippines
(those that had been for centuries in
timately linked in with the Spanish
regime), their agents and representa-
tives We're an obstacle to the pacitica
81, ~, ia, hi
opposition to the whole church: as if
these four orders We're specifically the
church and the native priests the Je-
suits. Capuchins and Lazarists (whom
the government does not disturbl did
not also represent it: and as if others
as Well as the government officials,
We're not of the opinion that the peace
of the islands would be much enhanced
by the absence of the landlord orders.
And as to school teachers in the Philip
pines, Why not state that out of a total
of 5000 teachers, $500 are Filipino
Catholic? Why not state that Father
is a member of the school
board of Manila? And why allow the
false impression to go abroad that
many teachers We're ministers and ac-
tive proselytizers? And why not re-
that by the law of the island
who are ministers in any
place of organized congregations may
three times a week teach religion in the
of the place, the condition that
they be ministersrof organized congre-
cations Virtually combining the privilege
to the Catholic priesthood? Perhaps
ideally something more might be de-
sired; but the conditions within which |
the government is confined must be
and, at least when disad- |
to religion are quoted. the adj
that are allowed should also
be set forth.
but. 1 repeat, the agitation am
only comes from the few
American Catholics as body trust the
in the present issues
trust the wholly see and hold their
souls in peace