| OCR Text |
Show HITTER AGAINST FEIARS. Filipinos Protesting Against Their Power In th.e Islands. Manila, Jan. 17. The presence here of Archbishop Chapclle, the apostolic delegate to the Philippines, is greatly stirring the Catholics of all nationalities. national-ities. The Filipinos have gained the impression im-pression that Mgr. Chapelle is the joint agent of President McKinley and the pope to restore the friars. One of the causes of the excitement is a statement which the Dominicans furnished to the Spanish press, that Mgr. Chapelle, in visiting the heads of the order, told them he favored the retention of the brotherhoods and that President McKinley shared his views, which were, that "if the friars returned to their parishes they would be con- i sidered elements of good order and I therefore American agents." Mgr. Chapelle denies the accuracy of these statements, and Catholic of all sections are petitioning Mgr. Chapelle and Major General Otis against the friars returning to their parishes, repeating re-peating the charges of oppression, cruelty cru-elty and immorality. The Catholics request re-quest that they be given priests not connected with the brotherhoods. Delegations from many of the towns are visiting the provincial governors for the purpose of making the same request, and prominent Manila Catholics Cath-olics are cabling the pope on the subject. sub-ject. The people say the friars will be driven out if they return to their parishes par-ishes and there will be continual trou- Vf if tho oflmlniitroHnn ottomvta protect them. To ruiell the excitement. Major General Gen-eral Otis consented to the publication in the local newspapers of a statement which he had made to a delegation of Filipinos, as follows: "If the church authorities assign friars to curacies who are obnoxious to the people, they will not be compelled com-pelled to accept them. The individual liberty guaranteed by the American constitution will not be denied the Filipinos Fil-ipinos and the government will not force on them any ecclesiastical denomination de-nomination contrary to their wishes." |
