The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-07-19
Rome and the United States.
THE action of Rome in demanding
the rights guaranteed by the Paris

THE action of Rome in demanding
the rights guaranteed by the Paris
treaty to the friars in the Philip
pines has been the subject of criticism.
Regardless of the plain words of the
treaty, the secretary of state demands
the expulsion of the friars. To this the
court of Rome AYERS. on the ground
that the friars have constitutional
rights which cannot be arbitrarily set
aside. Any growing prejudice aroused
against them as church representative
| will not affect their standing and guar
anteed rights as subjects of Spain.
They are entitled to the same rights
and protection as an Englishman own
ing property in the United States and
who is unwilling to foreswear alIegi-
ance to the mother country. This pro-
lection is guaranteed by the ninth ar
ticle Of the treaty of peace. 1t is word
ed so plainly that it cannot be misin-
terpreted. 1t says that:
Spanish subjects, natives of the PEN
insula, residing in the territory over
which Spain, by the present treaty, re-
linquishes or cedes her sovereignty,
may remain in such territory or may
remove therefrom, retaining in either
event all their rights of property, in
Guiding the right to sell or dispose of
such property or of it's proceeds; and
they shall also have the right to carry
on their industry, commerce and pro-
fession, being subject in respect there
of to such laws as are applicable to
other foreigners
This gives the friare the right to re-
main, and should Rome interpose and
demand that they leave the islands and
insist on their doing SO under penalty
of communication, our government
would step in and protect their rights.
Were the friars evangelicals and sub
jects of England, any demand made by
our government that would infringe on
their constitutional rights would be re-
sisted. England, without attempting
any bluff, would simply appeal to the
constitution of the United States, which
says in it's fourth article, that "All
treaties made, or which shall be made
under the authority of the United
States, shall be the supreme law of the
land" What England would do for her
subjects, the friars have, if they deem
fit, the same right to demand Why
should Rome interfere in curtailing this
inalienable right? What it has a right
to do, and should do, is to insist on the
friars to give their adhesion to the es-
tablished government and prevent all
political opposition on the part of the
clergy, both regular and secular" This
has been done. She carries out the in
Junction of her divine founder, Pecog-
nizes the legitimate sovereignty of the
United States in the Philippines, and
demands that her spiritual agents give
to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, sin-
sisting that the rights of God, guaran-
teed by this government, should not be
interfered with. A precedent once es-
tablished that a government may vio-
late it's treaties that the constitution
does not necessarily follow the flag,
those who now take issue with the at
ttude of the Catholic church in de-
handing it's constitutional rights would
be the first to sound her praises when
insisting on their rights if they were
similarly treated. 1t makes a great
d1tferenee whose COX is goFed."