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Show WHO AND WHAT HARRIMAN IS. The Intermountain Catholic made reference last week to the Rev. Mr. Harriman, and an article from his pen, which appeared in the Independent. Our readers will recall that this gentleman gen-tleman alleged that he visited Manila in a "semi-official capacity" and had a' "quasi connection with the army." It has been our good fortune since our last issue to have had a visit with our old friend Father McKinnon, the distinguished army chaplain, who has had superior opportunities to understand under-stand the real situation in Luzon. From him we have learned what we strongly suspected, that this Mr. Harriman Avas, in. no sense, authorized by the government gov-ernment to visit Manila, that his visit there was of his own choice, that in'no way was he connected with the army, "quasi" or otherwise. Mr. Harriman's presence in the Philippines, we have also learned on the highest army authority, au-thority, war, objectionable In a marked degree, not only to the natives, but to the officers and men of the United States army and navy. Indeed, so re- pellant and impertinent was Mr. Harriman's Har-riman's attitude, that the sailors of one of our battleships oh which -he 'was a gue6t, requested the officers of the ship to compel Mr. Harriman to leave. It is said on the' same' authority that wherever Mr. Harriman went, he caused trouble and annoyance to the officers and men of the army. We submit these, facts to the Inde- j pendent and suggest that.it verify j them, which can be -easily done. It 13 a great pity that a high class, journal like the Independent should ' open its columns to a writer who is beyond doubt a religious fanatic. The only value that can, in any possible circumstance, circum-stance, attach to Mr.' Harriman's opinions, opin-ions, comes through the medium of their publication.' .. From -Father McKinnon- we receive much valuable information on the status sta-tus of affairs in, the island of Luzon. The readers of the Intermountain Cath olic recall that we ere very loath to believe the allegations of Church desecration des-ecration to which so many of our contemporaries con-temporaries seem to have given credence. cre-dence. Father McKinnon assures us that whatever church desecration has taken place should be attributed to the insurgents and the Chinese, and in only one instance in his judgment to American troops. In every case, where a church was to be occupied, Father McKinnon himself was given a detail of soldiers to protect the same. The insurgents always failed. to respect re-spect churches, and were utterly lacking lack-ing in veneration towards sacred vessels ves-sels and vestments. For priests and bishops they had neither respect nor mercy. Among the first. acts of their so-called congress was the passage of a law declaring all church property, of whatsoever nature, confiscated to their alleged state. More than this, it was decreed that priests should all be made vassals and slaves. And in conformity with this decree nearly 400 priests are today held captive and made to minister min-ister as menials to the most degraded of the insurgents. - One venerable bish op, whose life, for many years, was one of charity and kindliness, spent in the service of the Tagalos, was taken by them into the public square, stripped af his garments and. made the sport and mockery of a jeering crowd of savages, sav-ages, for who but a savage could thus treat a benefactor? But to the point of church desecration. desecra-tion. It is true that vestments and articles of church service have found their way to the United States. This, however, proves nothing. We ourselves have seen vestments brought from the Philippines in the possession of Father Doyle, the well known Paulist, which that reverend gentleman purchased in San Francisco. In all probability these vestments were stolen by Chinese from churches in the Philippines, who, Father McKinnon asserts, were the chief and practically the only "looters" of churches. a e inins tne Catholic press can safely safe-ly refrain from further reference to the allegation of church looting by our troops. It can engage its attention far more profitably, in the consideration of the attempts of Mr. Harriman and others of his kind to rob, plunder, desecrate dese-crate and confiscate all church property in the Philippine islands. |