The Meeker herald., 1902-05-03
TAFT TELLS ABOUT
THE PHILIPPINE SITUATION.


erai 10 Humane and considsrats-
It VIII Take Time to untansls the
the Affairs Of Church and state.
New Haven, Conn. April 3O.-Gover-
nor William II. Taft, of the Philippine
Islands, was well received last night
when he addressed about 1000 stu
dents, professors and others In College
Hall mt Yale. He was introduced by
President Hadley.
Governor Taft reviewed the same
ground as that covered by his evil
dence before the Senate and House
Committee. With respect 30 the evil
dence as to the water cure and other
cruelties, Governor Taft said that 1t
must be remembered that the army OF
10000 to 10000 men, by reason Of the
guerilla warfare carried on by the in.
s1rgents, had to be divided into 800
posts, many of which were command
ed by first and second lieutenants or
captains, and sometimes by sergeants,
and that the detachments In the field
far exceeded the number of posts:
that this explained how 1t was possi-
bic. with many engagements daily,
exceptional instances of such abuses
might occur without typifying the con-
duct of the army, which, on the whole,
was humane and considerate toward
the natives.
1t WIS not to be expected that in an
army of 10000 men there should not
he brutes or weak men who would
yield to the temptation of arbitrary
power and the prOvocation hardly to
be understood Of the ambush and the
treachery, savagery and danger Of the
Filipino guerilla warfare as It was
practlced.
With respect to the order Of General
Smith In Samar, the speaker said that
as the matter was sub judice and had
happened since he had left the islands,
he did not feel justified in making n
public statement. The inadequacy Of
short cable dispatches In giving true
picture of a situation required delay
until the whole record could be for
wardcd, and the findings reviewed by
the President.
In speaking Of relations between the
church and the government In the
Philippines, the speaker said that I'M
der the Spanish rule the church md
the state had had their interests no in
extricnbly associated and fused that 1t
was a work of the incest and most diff
uCult cIuTuCtcE " Juetiy taC
interests Of the one from the other.
and yet those interests must be separ-
ated In order that the church and
state in the Philippines should be
brought to the condition required by
our traditions and system Of govern
ment.
1t was an Indispensable condition
precedent to bringing about the neces-
sary separation that there should be
some conference between the church
authorities and the representatives of
This government, with view to an
amicable settlement. Whether this
conference should be held between q
representative of the United States
government and a representative of
the Catholic Church, or should be =
conference between a representative Of
this government anu the head Of the
church, was mere matter Of facility
Of complete settlement.
1t could not, of course. involve the
establishment of diplomatic relations
with the Vatican, but. IL held, would
be u conference made necessary by the
unusual conditions of transfer Of SOW
ereignty from country closely associ-
ated with the church to one which
must have the interests of the church
and state separated.