The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-23


John ireland in an interview with the
representative Of the Associated Press to-
day reviewed at some length the progress
of the negotiations conducting between
Judge Taft and the vatican and took to
task certain Catholic organizations that
has assumed to question the fairness OF
the administration toward their co-reii-
gionsts. The archbishop said:
Yes, the news from Rome Is quite sat
isfactory and, l am sure. quite correct.
Private advices coming to me from the
most reliable source confirm in all res
poets the dispatches given by the Assoc
ciated Press. The sovereign pontiff and
other Roman authorities are delighted
with Governor Taft personally and with
the negotiations in course of progress be-
tween him and the vatican. Reports
sent out by the correspondents of certain
London papers to the effect that the
pontih was displeased with the manner
of acting Of the commission Of the car
dinals appointed treat with Governor Taft
were absolutely unfounded. As stated In
this mornings Roman dispatches. the
pontihf assured Governor Taft that he was
most satisfied and happy at the results
80 far obtained and that he was confident
the negotiations begun in Rome would
be the starting point of q complete and
satisfactory solution of the question under
discussion. This statement resumes in
the most exact manner the situation as
the Vatican views 1t and as 1t really IL.
Time Of Prime Necessity.
THAT the negotiations have not yet
reached final conclusions and are to be
transferred from Rome to Manila, IL what
might have been expected from the be-
ginning. Time in the work Is Of prime
necessity. With little time certain mat
ters now seeming TO offer great Difficult
ties. will be made. by quiet. skillful
touches OF pontificial diplomacy. I'd work
themselves out without friction or ex-
element. and so, when. In Manila, final
conclusions are to be reached, things will
have been ripe, and will turn out all right
Mr.. Taft understands the matter and
leaves Rome thoroughly satisfied and
hopeful There can be no doubt but that
the active cooperation Of the Vatican
Is now secured to the American Govern
ment in It's task OF pacihcation In the
Philippines and that In the results to come
the administration at Washington viii
have ample reason to feitcttate Itself for
having sent Governor Taft TO Rome. And
now 1t is hoped there will be among GER
tain classes OF Catholics in America a
cessation Of movements and declarations
such as we have had recent occasion to
hear of regarding religious matters in the
Philippines.
The Pope teaches those Catholics to
trust the American Government as they
seemingly have been heretofore unwilling
to do. In his conversation with Governor
Taft he expressed the highest esteem Of
he n un0fhnn Of treating church
matters and remarked that he had more
than once pointed toward United States
as setting an example well worth copy
ing His word ought to signify some
thing to those who profess to take him
as their leader and guide. The question
Of religion IN the Philippines is now
formally and officially his own; and II
should be considered as such. few
there may remain who will still believe
that they have a better understanding OF
it than he has, and will insist on telling
him how to handle It; but such as those
are few and at least 1t will be clear that
they hold no brief whatever from the
Catholic body at large.
Agitation Not on Hand.
1.-THE agitation, such as 1t was, in GER
tain Catholic quarters. did no honor to
those who participated in it. AS is now
proved, they spoke and acted without
due knowledge and certainly without
proper regard for the Government of
their country. They should first have
been absolutely certain that inJustices
had been done to their co-religionists,
and, next, If injustices had been done,
they should have sought a remedy to
them by an appeal to the proper officials
before raising in public irritating clamors.
That in the vast alterations made In the
Philippines by the transfer of the islands
from Spain to American sovereignty. Sc
rious complications were sure to arise In
religious matters, as they did in social
and civil matters. was naturally to be
expected; as 1t was also to be expected
that time would be required to regulate
things properly. and, that, meanwhile
suffering in one form or another was to
come to interests most secret and vital.
Patience, then, should have been had, no
haste should there have been to lay
blame UPON the government which was
doing its best to bring order out of chaos,
nd. above all, no charges, should have
been made against the intentions of the
Government.
1T was rank and the rashest injustice
to intimate that the Government intended
to proselytlze in the Philippines or to do
aught to detach the inhabitants from
the Catholic faith. To know in the slight
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 in the White House man
more fair-minded and impartial in re-
ligious matters, more resolute to give all
classes of citizens the religious rights
granted them by the constitution and to
protect them in those rights than Theo-
dore Roosevelt. During administration
it is unqualifiedly absurd to imagine that
acts could be such as to
deny or impair the religious rights Of
any people or tribe over whom floats the
American flag.
AS to Governor TATE.
LAS to Mr.. Taft, 1 quote from a letter
which 1 received but yesterday from a
Catholic priest living in the arch-eplsco-
pal palace in Manila, Rev w. d. Nc
Kinnon: 1 can assure you, nothing could
be more unjust than the criticisms of
Governor Taft appearing in some Catho-
lie papers. Governor Taft has no par
ticle of bigotry 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 connected In one way
or another with the government of the
islands did not say or do things unfair
to Catholics what I wish to emphasize is
that such individuals, so far as men of
the kind may have been found, did not
in what they were saying or doing repre-