The National tribune., 1902-07-24

have taken a very active part as advisers
of the Government. The part of the Gov
ernment in which they were evident was
the part which had to do with their own
particular interests. They opposed any IN
struction to the Philippine people; opposed
the order of the Government. They en-
tered officially into the Government. and
even went so far as to make Hoycrnor-
Generals ont of some ArchbishopS. They
permitted the Gobernadorcillos to rob as
much as they liked so long as theE did not
interfere with the Church. They allowed
them to do anything that was in favor Of
the Church. The Church had q scale of
fees for their services to the people; they
did not collect the fees according to the
scale but they took two, three. four, and
even five times as much as the scale al
lowed. They charged TO marry. to baptize.
to bury; and they took advantage of 4
great many things. For instance, devout
private devotions, sermons. candles which
were used in masses, and they also charged
great prices for masses. The Church took
an eighth of what the priest collected, and
the rest belonged to him. If Il man did
not attend mass or do what the priest
wished, when the friar announced it. the
Government either deported him, shot him,
or punished him i'll some way; so the de-
mands of the friar had greater force than
direct tax would have. If I man did not
attend church. they hunted him up and had
him beaten for the first offcnse, for the
second failure to attend church they dOu-
blcd his punishment, and for the third Of
fenSe he was dcported to Paragua, Jolo,
Marianas, or to Puerta Princcsa. There
was IL case in Tayabas where Il priest
struck woman i'll the church itself be-
cause she was not dressed as he thought
she should be- The friars injured women :
abused the women of the country by max
ing them prostitutes, and many times they
caused women to marry men, not to make
them live with these men, but to make
them mistreSses of the priests. This was
quite general. Ii is very true that there
have been friars who were very good men,
but the greater number of them have been
men of bad conduct. There was another
great abuse in the fact that they did not
allow the Filipino people to become en-
lightened; and, as they wished TO become
they complained against this. p"
Said SenOr Jose Luis de Luzuriaga: The
feeling of the people towards the friars in
Negros is completely hostile. They are enc
mics of the friars. They do not wish to
see Il friar there. y great many people
have been shot in Negros through the I'M
just and calumnious denunciatOn of the
friars. In the first place, they complain of
the graSping spirit of the friarS. The
friars wished to be the civil authority. the
plcte owners of Il mans body and soul.
The friar was the personitication of au-
tocracy, and had as his object the exploita-
tion, spiritually and materially. of the
native. They have families. There are
friars who have had relations with the
women of honorable citizens. No COM
plaint could be made against Il priest aS 4
priest a great many people in the Philip
pines are displcased with the Americans,
for they say that they protect the friar,
and the friar insists himself. Their
claims of American protection are made
with a view of exciting the animosity of
the F'ilipinos against the Americans.
have read letters in Negroes from friars
here in Manila saying. Have no fear, we
will come back again and. in fact, two
friars did come back in order to prove it,
and we gave them ID days to get OUT
As the F'ilipinos giving this evidence are
themselves Catholics. and. as vast amounts
OF such evidence. DANA ging to the friars i'll
the lines cited by these witnesses and in
other directions. is obtainable. the wisdom
of Gov. Taft'S course in striving TO get rid
of them cannot be consistently questioned.