Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-29
FRIARS AND THE STATE
PRESENT ASPECTS OF THE PHIL
IPPINE PROBLEM.
American Catholics in Manila Almost
Unanimously Against the
Monks

Manila Correspondence Of the Boston Transcript
One gratifying phase OF the Catholic
Church question in the Philippines which
| has escaped the attention IL deserves at
| home. is the attitude of American Catho-
| lies who are living here toward the con
troversy. They are essentially with the
government and against the friars In their
| sympathies. They begin by saying that
| the friars have been much slandered that
| they have really done a great and heroic
work. but end by saying that their pres
ence and activities severe hindrance
to the peace and good order OF the coun-
try, their financial claims ridiculously
large and their whole tendency mediaeval
IL Is only those Catholics at home under
leaders who desire to make political capt.
tai against the republican administration
by getting up a religious issue that COM
pllcate the situation. Their co--eliHion-
lists here. aside from one troubl, making
society owing Its existence largely to po-
hucai hostility to the Taft government
recognize the Justice and fairness OF the
American plans for severin8 the bonds
which have tied church and state.
Catholics in Office.
The government seems disposed to utilize
this attitude OF the insuiar Catholics in
such way as to estop political Catholic
criticism at home. For several years
Protestant bigotry" in the public school
system here has been favorite charge of
| the fire-eating journals. Accordingly the
entire educational system of the islands
has been put under the charge OF General
James F. Smith. a devout American Catho-
lie The place on the supreme court of the
archipelago. from which he was promoted,
has been filled by Judge McDonough Of
Albany. giving the Catholics majority.
counting natives, on that tribunal The
number of American Catholics holding
prominent places here In civil and CONNER
cial life Is notably large; they will help to
settle the religious question.
The way Protestant and Catholic affllia-
tons affect the situation here is very
| curious Governor Taft belongs to a family
which has in Ohio always taken advanced
ground In favor of the most liberal attitude
toward the Catholic Church. His father
was conspicuous in this way. In his de
sire to be fair. the governor went to ex-
IRENE lengths in trying to conciliate the
friars. when the trouble here began In
spite of all this, an American Augustinian.
named OMahony. who was brought out
here, began series of public attacks
Taft of the most disgusting sort. But the
governor sat in silence. refusing to be bait
ed into a quarrel under extreme provoca-
ton Not SO with General James f. Smith,
Catholic. According to my trustworthy In
formant. also Catholic. General Smith
lighted into OMahony and gave him the
! finest scorching that man ever got
The Spanish Orders.
The Spanish orders here do not know
what to think of the American Catholic. he
is SO constantly surprising them. In one
OF the suburbs of Manila the padre, in try
ing to convince a family that II should
send its children to the parish school rather
than to the new American public school.
conceived the brilliant idea Of asking the
native family to make the officer in charge
of the American troops there the referee
The padre knew that the captain
Catholic and assumed that the battle would
be won, # the decision could be left TO him.
Relating the story, the captain said The
native woman accordingly came to ask me
where she should send her children TO
school. L told her, speaking ind-
vidual that l thought the public school
was preferable. Understand that / rather
believe In church schools at home. but out
here is seemed a contest between my gov
eminent and Spain-and l am not Span
lard The old padre appeared rather cool
toward me ever after" This is thorough
ly typical incident, and many like 1t might
be presented. The American Catholic is
American principally. and he has little
gard for the Spanish friars.
Present Complications.
The so-called friar land question is still
greatly complicated. Mgr. Guidi intends to
be fair, but he does not easily understand
the American theory of free church; he
told Governor Taft In his formal speech on
tain the governor as a civil Ter and
should expect the governor in tn n to help
sustain him as the religious head of the
archipelago He would sustain Taft against
the ladroneS and expected Taft to sustain
him against the Aglipay, or Independent
Catholic church. But this is not the Amer
lean theory.
The apostolic delegate has also been ham
pered IN his work by the difficulty in con-
trolling the orders. which never lose
sight of a desire for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
OF their several organizations. The money
for the sale of the lands the POI ; wants
used to sustain the Roman Catholic Church
IN the islands, and it would yield a hand
some income In perpetuity, which with
other holdings would make the church
comfortably. If not Independently rich. 1t
would need TO raise little from the people:
the islands we'll supplied with churches
and converts which would be free OF tax
alton. and this income would fully provide
for repairs and maintenance. But the or
ders want to control the money, and to do
this they want to go back to their old par
ishes, thus combining the pope's wish with
their own.
Native Opposition.
At present they have made little Roadway
in doing this. SO bitter is the native oppo-
sition to their presence. They think they
will soon be able to go. American Catholic
priests do not come out here in any num-
bers, and the native priesthood Is held IN
disfavor. Every returning ship carries "A
few of the friar colony of Manila back to
Spain, and. practically speaking. no new
ones are coming over. The outlook for the
friars is gloomy. and 1t is not to be wonder
ed that they bitterly dislike American rule.
The friars have sixty thousand recalci-
trant tenants on their lands, who are pay
ing practically rent This would be
good property to exchange for bonds secur-
ed by the United States. but its owners do
not purpose to make it ''marked-down
sale" They want about double what the
vii
people think ought to be paid In one in
stance the Recoleto Order offered piece
of property for sale certain set figure
in Mexican currency; in just one year, in
the preliminary estimate submitted by them
to Guidi, and by him to Taft, they raised
the price from Mex to gold, at the same
figure, an increase Of lao per cent.