Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1908-10-29
IMPROVEMENT NEEDED IN THIS
COUNTRY, ALSO.

A candidate for the presidency is
reported as declaring that the Roman
Catholic Church must always be the
greatest force for uplifting the Filipi-
no neoples. 1t was Roman Catholi-
cism that produced the hapless social
conditions that prevailed in the Philip
pine Islands before the American oc-
cupatlon. During the eight to ten
wears that have elapsed since the Pro-
testant missions have invested more
than a half a million dollars in schools
and churches and these pretty correct
lv gauge the social and religious up
liff that has come to the islands since
the end of Spanish rule. Statesman
Democrat, Jasper.
A pretty bold statement this. We
suppose the candidate mentioned Is
Taft. who from actual observation Is
in a position to know great deal
more about the matter than the Demo-
Gratis editor The truth of the matter
is this: The Spaniards took possession
of the islands in 1865 and found them
inhabited principally by the Malays, a
race of people on a par with the In
dian for savagery. In the nearly two
centuries and half since then, civil
ization has progressed until of the pop
ulation. which, according to the U. S.
Census of 1903 in the Philippines, was
1885, 426, almost seven millions are
more or less civilized. The wild tribes
form about 0 per cent. Of the popula-
ton. The civilized tribes are practi-
cally all adherents of the Catholic
faith. The total number of nOn-chris-
tian people is 647, TAO, composed of
Moros and other wild tribes, Moham-
medans in belief.
If the Spanish rule has been SO bad,
charging the Catholic Church with
the blame, why has not American rule
done as well for the Indian. On the
one hand we find a people happy and
prosperous, pauperism being almost
unknown in the islands, innocent in
their ways and not cursed with Excess
sive modernity, and on the other hand,
we find a race almost obliterated from
a land on which the heel of the white
man was an invader. If American
rule is non Catholic, why are not the
Indians living today in the land of
their forefathers in cities and towns,
civilized for the most part, with only
per cent. classed as uncivilized2
The population of the United States
is rs, 3O3, 1877; the total number OF
members of churches is 80, 293, 659, OF
over one-half of the people do not be-
long to any church at all. If this
great American republic is the work
of non-Catholic rule entirely, why
con t the editor of the Democrat get on
his ear about this appalling condition
of affairs2 With more than one-hali
of the people set free with no church
influence to restrain, how can he cast
a slur on church that has 81 per cent
of a people under its care, giving
them some sort of religious belief
anyway, while in this country ovel
half have no religious belief in parti
cular. Is there any reason why there
should not be so many murders, ra
pines, suicides, and nameless crime
continually being committed in thi
country? Talk about ''hapless socia
conditions We have them here il
our own country, and we would wage
anything that Catholics don't commi
very great portion of them, either
People who live in glass house
shouldn't throw stones.
To prove our point regarding tn
'hapless social condition" of tn
great EDITORS suppositious mont Cath
Ollie" America, we print the following
from the Chattanooga News, whic
shows up "hapless social condition
not only in our country, but in th
very borders of our state. We do nc
believe any of those fishermen, VIII
take this method of revenge for bein
deprived of natural rights, are Cath
olics, nor that any of the men who ar
engaged in the business of defraudin
these fishermen are Catholics, either
Therefore, who causes these ''haples
social conditions in Americal Inves
tigate what controls the moral
Of these men, either the poor fisher
men or the proud inanciers, and thei
agents, who rob them, and then tn
Democrats editor cannot say this
Roman Catholicism produced "haI
less social condition" in the Phillip
pines. The article from the New
reads as follows:
Those Reelfoot fishermen, VIII
have been brought into the public ey
by the brutal murder of Capt. Ran
kin. are a type of men about which tn
common run Of people know absolutel
nothing They come as near bein
cliff jewellers as any men now ON q
American continent, unless a memb'
Of the old stock are 10 be found. The
live in crevices, or assures, in ii
banks Of the lake. They have no otl
sr homes on God Almighty's earti
and want no other. They have the
women and children with them; SON
Of them keep a COW and horse. an
whip their wives Just like their stool