Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-16

would not his position be very much
! changed from what 1t was before?'
You have to proceed from the hypothesis
! that the great mass of the people here are
| ignorant and if friar goes back and goes
| to work on that ignorance he is possessed
| of the deXterity and cleverness to make II
| rebound to his credit and to get money,
! and you must remember that ignorance is
| all-pervading here. In pueblo there may
| be twenty men who are educated, and the
| friars working upon that ignorance would
| get up slowly but certainly feud between
| the educated and the ignorant
What would be the effect if the govern
| ment were to make a contract with the
| friars or by condemnation were to BUY
the property of the friars and sell it out to
the tenants in small divisions and use the
money for school fund.-
"A very favorable result would ensue
from that; there would be general content
ment."
The Popular Hatred.
Maxine Viola of San Miguel de Mayumo,
physician said: IF you We're to ask the
inhabitants of the Philippines, one by one,
that question Gas to whether hostility exists
against the friars) they would all say the
same-that they hated the friars-because
there is scarcely a person living here who
has not in one way or another suffered at
their hands,.
When DR. T. H. Pardo de Tavera of Ma
Mia was asked as to the real ground OF the
popular feeling against the friars he said:
1.-The friars were the sovereigns of the
country. They did everything, so that as the
country was dissatisfied with the conditions
that prevailed, with the injustice, persecu-
tons and abuses of every kind, they nated
the friars because they saw in the friar the
responsible head of affairs. At the begin
ming the friar was the protector OF the In
dams and the Indians were governed by
the frars and accepted unquestionably
every of his Gheir) acts; but afterWard,
when they began to suffer the consequences
of every kind of abuse on the part OF the
friars, they began to think where all these
hardships and grievances came from ana
they discovered that they came from the
friars, and there was regular torrent of
hatred against them
Not Safe to Return.
Pedro Surano Laktaw, teacher of Ma
Mia, was asked whether 1t would be safe
for the friars to go back to their parishes.
He answered:
Il do not believe that they can ever re-
turn safely to their parishes, and I will
say further that l fear that some uprising
against the friars will be misinterpreted by
the American government as an uprising
against 1t, which would be disastrous. The
same thing happened in the revolution
against Spain, which was directed entirely
against the friars, who, however, made the
government believe that II was against it,
and this untrue that in the treaty
of Biacana Bato all that the Filipinos ask
ed was the expulsion of the friars. They
did not ask for independence, and were
willing to remain under the sovereignty of
Spain if the friars were expelled; but, see
ing that the government did not carry out
its promises and determined to get rid of
the frars, they rose up in arms against it.
AS son of the people l have heard 1t
stated that one of the most prominent rea-
sons why the Filipinos under arms do not
desire to lay them down and why a large
number of those who not in arms are
standing aloof is that the fear, perhaps
it were said for a suspicion, that the Amer
lean government Is befriend1ng the friar,
not openly. but covertly, and l have re-
GREETED very much that this idea has be-
come so general throughout the islands
Filipinos Are Catholics.
1.-The people of the Philippine Islands are
Catholics, and their efforts now are di-
rected against the classes orders of that
religion. They have not yet determined
upon going a step further and taking the
religion of their fathers but if the friars
remain here, and are supported by the
government, l have no doubt that the
large majority of the people of the islands
will fight even their religion. The friar
can return to his parish without any fear
of being attacked or meddied with by the
thinking classes of the Fiiipinos, because
they recognize the fact tina under Ameri-
can institutions he will have to rely upon
voluntary contributions for his support, and
that before the government he will have
no more standing and no more claim for
protection than the minister of any other
religion or any other citizen; but the I'M
thinking elasses,the masses of the peoplewho
know nothing of these things, will merely
look upon the fact of his return retro
grade action, and a revival of the times
of absolutism when the friars were in the
ascendancy and, although following out his
natural bent. what is greatly to be feared
is that some day a tremendous explosion
will occur, brought on by this very return
of the friars to their parishes
Ambrosia Flores. who. prior to his en-
ployment as general in the insurgent
army, was a retired officer of the Spanish
army, was asked if the Filipino people were
all Catholics and answered.:
"All except those that live in the forests,
like the Igorrotes, are Catholics.
And very much attached to the church,"
Yes, very much attached
The Feeling Very Bitter.
Col William H. Beck of the 10th Infantry
was examined as to this question, and said
that the feeling against the friars was
| very bitter.
| do you think it would be safe for the
friars to return to their parishes which
they occupied in your province (Cagayan,
Luzon)?"
THAT would largely depend upon the at
| titude Of the United States troops there
There is no doubt that In some of the out
/ lying districts of small pueblos they might
| be in some danger but in the larger towns,
| notably Tuguegarao, the fact that the gov
| eminent of the United States permitted or
! Endorsed their return would largely tend
| to their safety. also the fact that promi-
nent citizens the presidente, the vice presi-
| dente and chiefs of barrios have taken
| the oath of allegiance"
| II suppose there Is considerable difficulty
| in making the people understand the diff
| ference between allowing friars to go
| back without indorsing their return and ac-
| tually indorsing their return?'
| 1T would be exceedingly difficult, for the
reason that for hundreds of years they
have recognized that the friars have been