Evening journal., 1902-07-23
TAKEN TO TASK
BY ARCHBISHOP
He RCbukeS Catholic So
CietiOS for Interference
HIS VIEWS ON FRIiR QUESTION
Says Direction Of Such Affairs
Belongs TO The Pope and Not
TO Them
HIS VIEWS on FRIlR QUESTION

ST. Paul. July 23 Archbishop John
Ireland, in an interview yesterday. re-
viewed at some length the progress of
the negotiations conducted between
Judgs Taft and the Vatican. and took
to task certain Catholic organizations
that had assumed to question ths fair
ness of the administration toward their
co-religionists. The archbishop said:
Yes, the news from Rome IS quite
satisfactory and IL Is, l am sure. quite
correct. The sovereign pontln and 9th
er Roman authorities are delighted
with Governor Taft personally and
with the negotiations in course OF
progress between him and the Vatican.
1t is to be hoped there will be among
certain classes of Catholics in America
a cessation of movements and declara-
tions such as we have had recent occa-
sion to hear Of regarding religious mat
ters in the Philippines. The Pope
teaches those Catholics to trust the
American government, as they SEEM
ingly have been heretofore unwilling
TO do. In his conversation with Gov
ernor Taft he expressed the highest es-
TEEN for American methods of treat
ing church matters. and remarked that
he had more than once pointed towards
the United States as setting an exam
pie we'll worth copying.
His words ought to signify some
thing to those who profess to take him
as their leader and guide At any rate,
the direction of Catholic affairs is his
business. not that of irresponsible
church societies or newspaper editors;
and when he informs Catholics that
any one matter is in his hands, they
ought promptly to step aside and allow
him to have charge of it, The question
of religion in the Philippines is now
formally and officially his own, and il
should be considered as such A few
there may remain who believe that
they have a better understanding of il
than he has. and will insist on telling
him how to handle It: but such as
those are few, and at least il will be
clear that they hold no brief what
ever from the Catholic body at large
"The agitation. such as 1t was, in
certain Catholic quarters, did no honor
to those who participated in it. They
should first have been absolutely Ger.
tain that injustices had been done To
their co-religionists, and next. if in
justices had been done. they should
have sought a remedy for them by ap-
peal to the proper officials before rush
ing into public clamors.
1T was rankest rashness and rank
est injustice to intimate that the Unit
ed States intended to proselytize in the
Philippines. or to do aught to detach
the inhabitants from the Catholic
faith. To know in the slightest degree
Mr.. Roosevelt Mr.. Root or Mr.. Taft is
to be certain that nothing of the kind
could have been thought Of or could
have been tolerated. Never did there
reside in the White House a man more
fair-minded and impartial in religious
matters. more resolute to give all
classes Of citizens the religious rights
granted them by the constitution and
to protect them in those rights, than
Theodore Roosevelt During the adj
ministratiOn il is unqualifedly absurd
to imagine that governmental acts
could be such as to deny or impair the
religious rights Of any people or tribe
over whom floats the American flag"