The evening Republican., 1902-07-12
CHARGES UNFOUNDED
Claim That Protestant Teach
ers Were Proselyting False.
GOVERNOR WRICHT'S STATEMENT.
II In Con frmed by Prominent Lead.
ers of the Catholic Churci-Sec-
retnry Root Says the Law
VIII He Observed.

WASHINGTON, July T.. Secretary
Root has addressed an Identical letter
to persons complaining that teachers
in the Philippines have been proselyt-
Ing and attempting TO conNtrL Catho-
lies TO the Protestant faith. 1t is as
follows: ,rt
II beg to advise you that on the 9th
Vt July Vice Governor Wright, the act
ing governor of the Philippines. was
requested to report by cable the facts
bearing upon the charge which has re-
. Gently been extensively circulated that
official positions i'll the public school
service in the Philippines have been
used for proselYting purposes. especial
reference being made to an article
which had just appeared in the Catho-
lie Times.
The following dispatch has now
been received from Governor Wright:
Referring to telegram from your office
of 9Th inst, charges made by Catholic
Times unfoundsd In every essential par.
tcular Untrue that nearly all American
teachers .,a are ,,l Protes,anl preaictheTs and
perntendent was preaching in the United
States short time, then became a teach
er. Possibly two or three similar instances
among teachers. Bryan, head of Normal
school was never clergyman and never
occupied pulpit here or anywhere. There
are now tive American Catholic teachers
Ina In sGhool m q Mn ssa2eD ane
teachers in city number lD. all Catholic.
Untrue that teachers of normal SCHOOLS
ttte proselyting and that school graduates
only Protestants. Exceptional that any
graduate is other than Catholic. Untrue
tlipino is taught that Professionalism
bringing; enlightenment and Catholicism
ignorance and tyranny. No reason TO sup
pose that stone, superintendent. and OIL
yer, principal, Manila schools, bsoted or
anti-''athoic Both deny it. as also the
statement that graduates of Catholic uni
yersity have been refused place in Manila
aid sent into the wilderness. Private seq
cretary of Commissioner Moses Catholic.
eri,l superintendent Of public instruction;
also three division superintenaents Have
shown your cable to Rev. William y. Nc
kinnon. Catholic priest q meniher of the
confirms the statement of Facts made by
rr above. Law to inangurate public
school system forbids religious instruction
IL schools or school buildings by teachers,
but allows same three days per week in
school buildings by priests or preachers
out of school hours upon request % Of par par
Rs concession to Catholic sentiment. fhere
are about 34oo native teachers employed
in tho islands all of whom are Catholics.
Teachers selected without reference to re-
lision and not allowed 70 preach or teach
religion in schools. No discrimination
against Catholic teachers.
"You will observe that the state
ments Of this dispatch were confirmed
by Father McEinnon. priest official
ly connected with the public school
system and having the most thorough
familiarity with the existing condi-
tions in the Philippines and who was
formerly secretary to Archbishop
chappelle the direct representative of
the holy see in the Philippines. The
statements of the dispatch appear to
lie further confirmed by remarks
which are published in the newspapers
this morning as made by Archbishop
Ireland in a speech delivered at a con-
veaion of the National Educational
association Mt Minneapolis
The secretary then quotes from the
address of Archbishop Ireland and
continues:
"None Of the prelates of the Roman
Catholic church whose duty it is to
safeguard the interests of their church
and who are familiar With the facts
have made any such charges as are re-
ferred to in the inquiry addressed to
Governor Wright and in his answer
above quoted. ] am confident that
they know better what the true facts
are than the unknown and irrrSpOnsi-
bic sources of these adverse state
ulentS.
1T is the purpose Of the Philippine
government to maintain in the arcli-
pclagO the S;me kind of free nnnsec-
TARTAN instruction which exists in the
United StatrS and which has proved
to be for the interest Of religion and
all religious. The government means,
so fur as it possibly can, TO give edlica-
tion to the people of the islands, and
It will do this without any disrrmina-
ton for or against any church or sect.
II does not mean that any officer Or
teacher Of the public school system
shall Use his position to build up or
pull down any church whatever,
whether Catholic or Protestant.
conformity to the provision of the
law already enacted in the spirit as
well as in the letter will be strictly
required. think the government of
the Philippines is entitled TO ask that
citizens of the United States shall not
assume or believe upon mere rumOr
and improved statements that the gov
rrnment is not in good faith enforcing
this law which it has made"