Arizona republican., 1902-08-17

! But there is no doubt that the Fili- pinos were treated harshly by the fri ars. The trouble had it's beginning when the religious orders began to de- l velop the commercial side of their cor porations. Gradually they got posses sion of an immense amount of property, | including the very best lands in the islands. These were handled on a bust ness basis for the revenue they would produce.
 The Filipino tenants were charged high rents and made to work for a small pittance. The greed for amassing property seemed to grow among the friars. and there developed a competi- ton among the orders. not as to which | could do the most for the church, but which could become the richer, and so every effort wasI directed toward filling | the friars' treasuries in order that the priests might live in better style and the orders have more influence with the l government.
 | ''The desire for property was carr ed to startling degree. When Filipino was found with a piece of land which the friars coveted, some false charge was trumped up against the native, he was thrown into prison and his prop ertN was cOnISCateU. NltN the Ifldf opposed to him it was impossible for the Filipino to secure justice, for even the courts were, for their own wei fare. subservient to the religious or | ders.
 | The orders became more and more powerful. Line fences on property were removed frequently, yet the pro- test of the Filipino encroached upon of 1erI, a law that when person died he could not will all his property to the church, the friars often arranged matters so that they claimed all the land of the deceased as theirs. And thus has arisen the trouble over the friarS lands.'
 Any American who has been on the islands knows that the natives hate and fear the friars, but as to the priests of other nationalities and of their known nationality, they reverence, and obey the mandates of the priests, for they do not confine themselves to extortion. but take what the natives give volun- tarily toward the support of the church.
 Of all the religious or1ers on the islands the Dominicans are perhaps the wealthiest, and there is not a pu- eblo or barrie of any importance but that the most choice acres are owned by the Dominicans. The brand of the , Dominican order can be found on countless numbers of horses and cattle and nowhere can a traveller go on the largest islands of the archipelago but , what he comes across evidence of church possession.
 In regard to the lands of the Domini- cans a dispatch recently sent broad l ba Dominicans had transferred eight of l their estates on the island of Luzon to the Philippine Sugar Estates Develop
 ment Company. in January, 1900. The I vatican disapproVed the sale of the lands, if they were sold, but that is dis I credited and if the lands were disposed of at all, it was simply that they be held in trust, for the Domnicans are r. not going to unburden themselves of their island possessions without a e struggle. The vatican's disapproval was for the reason that the lands were n considered church property. inaliena- | ble without the consent of Rome, and f from all accounts Rome did not sane O tion the sale of the property.
 In respect to the popularity of the : friars it will be of interest to quote O from an interview held by a represent
 ative of the Associated Press witt = Father Rodriguez. supreme head of the
 order of Augustinians. The father
 says:
 ''The truth is that the friars are no
 hated by the majority of the Filipinos
 but only by that faction that wanted
 to get rid of them in order to be lef
 without curb or law
 He further states that he verified tn 1 .iec ion r, hot tI
 were friendly to the Augustinians. q.
 visited the island from end to end il
 1S96,' he says. and l have had con
 ffrmation of this statement from f1iar
 that have returned to parishes out
 side of Manila which they left afte
 the revolution of '9S. This was due [,
 the excellent work done by the friar
 in the cholera scourge at present rag
 ing. The result is that the Augustin
 lans are again occupying ten place
 outside of Manila. They would easil,
 be able to return to all the abandone,
 interior districts where they formerl
 administered religion to 2.50Oo Fiji pinos if the civil government of tn f. islands showed more energy in repress K ing the rebellious elements, which ar H. n against the Americans no less tha n. against the friars.
 1C The good father denies his own state tn noent in q measure tIe cove tbo+ Il, h. ,.,. ''i h. Fflipinos are not against the friars he but concludes his talk by admittin is +bo+ 4ba1, orc oo,ine+ +t ,a;,, lal 'i"t ,ie' @ s"iii9I tiie -Ailiei lcS Il l Lte as well as the 1rlarS- In regard to hi be assertion that the FiIipiuoS do not ha f te- ,h ,,,,,,... i,,i.,,,.. 1, i. H. .. . dy 'iS -A'e ''F iiC i' Pdi l'H 'oli be in so far as those friars of the orde to who arc not uf Spanish origin are con ha ccrned.
 he The following history of the variou CT, orders of friarS in the Philippines Ibs quoted from MT. Gannett
 "In 1565 the first missionaries Of tn