Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-21
Friar Casanova's Letter.
he friar's letter follows

The friars letter follows:
Although. according to people Of intelii-
sence, the charges which you made in Va
lencia against the religious corporations re-
siding in the Philippines were satisfactorily
answered. / want to amplify some observa-
tons which | made there so that even the
blind may see the unreasonableness of hold
| ing the frars more or less responsible for
the sad events which have occurred in the
Philippine archipelago
Senior Salmeron. who wandcrs about over
Gods earth propogating his ideas and eX-
hibiting with delight the overwhelming
strength of his untiring lungs. has permit
ted himself to insinuate what you nave
permitted yourself to say, in a bad hour, in
the beautiful city of Turia, and one would
have the blood of a perch not to protest
against it and not to continue CRYING out
what every Spantard should know by heart
to prevent himself being seduced
On this account the necessity of throwing
light upon the facts, and of showing the
faiseness of certain statements, grows
greater every day. But a scruple fortunes
me on again taking up my pen to deal with
this matter, and it is lest my quality as
member Of a religious order gives to my
words a certain tone of partlality when
heard by those persons who belltue every
thing, and can only judge scientific, liter
airy or political questions from the appear
ance which the person who speaks or
writes presents.
Hence, If l could rae from my soul the
upon it. and throw a hundred leagues from
my body the Franciscan habit which covers
1t. | would willingly do 1t while | write
these lines, in order that my Judgment
upon the friars in the Philippines would
appear to all in the coors of the most
severe 1mpart!ality But | am consoled by
the thought that you, Don Sigismundo, are
gentleman and man of elevated mlnd,
one OF the type which can read the writings
of men without concerning himself about
the personal qualities of the writer, and as
II is TO you, and not to the ignorant VulSa1,
TO whom direct my letter, | do not care
straw what any else thinks of the con-
tents or my epiStle. On this account | am
not friendly to the ANONYMITY of Journalism,
ana want this hastily written letter to end
with my signature. Having said this, let us
come to the question with the nobility of
soul and the lofty point of view which be-
fits gentlemen
Since wrote You my last letter, affairs
IN the remote Philippine Islands have con-
tlnued to improve visibly. thanks to the
ACTIVITY the well-aimed blows and the
energy Of General Poaviejo, the principal
itauerS OF the insurrection are paying with
thelr heads for the treasons committed by
them against the fatherland the spirit of
me people rises from its prostration, the
dawn or the end of that sanguinary war
u,otiithehceS to smile upon us, and little by
niue a light is being brought to bear upon
us causes, SINCE approaching death causes
the agltators to tell the truth.
RlzaFs Reported Reclamation.
Rial, the author of ''Noli me Tangere,'
DOCK In which, partly openly and partly
by hslnuation, he lays everything at the
ieet OF the friars as sponsors, has now
peen shot in the back, as everybody knows,
put before his execution he made valuable
disclosures, not about the friars, but about
the we!l-known Spaniards who seduced
MIN IN Madrid. and told him that reforms
were asked for with bullets, and not on
Bonded knees
Ihose are the words which the CORE
spondent of Ell impartial put into the
mouth mouth Of the unfortunately celebrated
writer of "El Filibusterismo." If it had
peeh the methods of the friars and the
Jesults, which, by their bad results, pro-
duced the war and placed the integrity of
the country in danger. Rial would have
SAID So when. sincerely repentant he pre-
pared to present himself before the tribu-
nal OF God. Do you not think, Senior Moret.
mat II ne had. anything to say against the
lrlars he would have said so frankly? Why
qua ne not do so? Ah,s Don Sigismundo, the
answer is very easy; because any one who
knows that country of overgrown children
looks at things without bias, and with
desire to know the whole TRUTH will see
tldt IN the Philippines the only policy. is
tle pollcy or the cross. the only pOlicy