Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-22
TAFT MAKES PROGRESS.
His Visit to Rome Has Been Satisfac.
tory to the Governments.

TORY TO In0 governments
Washington, July 22.-Administration
officials say Governor Taft's mission to
Rome has been successful. He has not
settled the question of the removal OF
The friars from the Philippines. but he
has reached q basis of settlement with
the holy see. That is all he expected to
do when he went there. Secretary Root
said yesterday the negotiations We're in
vastly better shape now than they We're
before Governor Taft went to Rome.
The American government and the vat
1can authorities thoroughly understand
one another now. They have carried
on their negotiations without the
slightest i'll feeling, and no matter what
else may result there is no danger
whatever of animosity or acerbity.
Moreover. it Is the belief of Secretary
Foot and others here that the whole
matter will be amicably settled in the
course of a few months.
Up to the close of business hours yes
terday Secretary Root had not received
a cablegram from Governor Taft. AT
Coon yesterday the governor mad a
farewell audience with the pope, mere
formal visit. Nothing more is to be
done at Rome. Governor Taft will leave
that city today or tomorrow for the
Philippine islands.
The attitude of the vatican, as it is
understood here, is this: 1t will not
agree to withdraw the friars, but it may
withdraw them voluntarily. There is a
great difference between an agreement
tc recall clerical workers and doing it
cf ones own free will and motion. The
former implies censure on the men in
Holved, while the latter is matter of
church administration.
The vatican has given no promise
that 1t will withdraw the 500 friars who
are the subject of dispute. 1t is free to
do as 1t likes. But the natural outcome
of the affair, the expected outcome, is
such withdrawal and the replacement
of the friars In the Philippines with
priests sent largely from America AS
has heretofore been published. the ne
gotiations are to be transferred to Ma
nila. The holy see will send delegate
thither. Meanwhile schedules of all the
lands owned by the various orders will
be prepared by the church authorities
and in the course of some months a
definite arrangement for the purchase
of these lands, or great part of them,
will doubtless be made. OF course, the
United States will not buy these lands
unless the Spanish friars are taken out
of the Philippines, and 1T is the busi-
ness of the vatican to see that the cler-
les are removed in good time. That is
wholly the affair of the church. and
with it the United States does not eX-
pect to have anything more to do. In
asmuch as the Spanish friars have out
lived their usefulness in the Philip
pines, and inasmuch as the United
States government will be glad to facil
itate in every way the labors of the
American priests who may be sent TO
take their places, this solution of the
problem is expected in the end to be
most beneficial to the interests of the
church in the archipelago.
1t is worthy of note that all the eff
forts which have been made to take this
question into American politics have
resulted in failure. If one cared to do
1T a rather interesting chapter of at
tempted political conspiracy. involving
no dignitary of the church, but center
ing about a certain aspirant for the
presidency, could be written. This is
enough to say that a plan to stir up
church animosities in the United States
and array the adherents of one faith
apainst another has fallen fiat.