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Volume Y1I.
OMAHA. NEBRASKA, Fill DAY, Jl'LV l.r,, 1 SI'S.
NUMRKK 29.
the jesu:ts
WANTED WAR
So That They Could Secure
Large Amounts for
Carrying
Troops to Cuba and the I'hll ipplues AI
so Accused of Bringing About tlie
Rebellion so as to lie Able to Miir
dcr and Rob Rich Citizens.
The oft repeated assert loo in the
leading papers of Europe an assertion
which Is carefully excluded from Amer
lean dailies that the Jesuits are at
the bottom of all this trouble with
Spain that they pushed that unfor
tunate nation into war with the sole
purpose of making gain for themselves,
finds verification In recent evidence
carefully set forth. We taite from the
Christian Observer of June 22, the fol
lowing able and cosvincing article
from the pen of Rev. John M. Mecklin,
of Marburg, Germany:
In spite of the fact that the Jesuits
have been twice banished from Spain,
once In 1767, and again after the re
establishment of the order by Pius VII.
in 1814, tbey have always played a
most prominent part in Spanish affairs.
This fact has been revealed in a most
interesting manner In connection with
Spain's contest with her colonies, ard
the resulting war with the United
States.
In the FrankfurterJeitung, for the
9th of March, 1893, a correspondent
from Barcelona, Spain, in describing
the shameful condition of the sick sol
diers brought back from Cuba and the
Philippines, took occasion to censure
the Jesuits, the reputed owners of the
Transatlantic Ship Compf n; , .wbJi.'b
does the transporting, for tb! " y it
of duty. He stated that the Jeiiip
owners seemed much more concert"
auvuk ujBKiHK ujuuey UUb UI OptllU D
misfortunes than in taking cars of her
l.A..4 -.1.1 L t O t t
wounded soldiers.
This accusation raised a great outcry
among the German Catholic paper?,
It was characterized as "high slander'
and "veritable madness," and the call
came for "procf." In an article of
April 16, 1898, entitled "Es lebe der
Kriegl " the reply came, furnishing the
demanded proofs, and some oti.ers per
haps not desired. The article is of
great interest as throwing light upon
the present conditions and the future
of Spain. For the authority for the
majority of the statements made in
this article, I refer the reader to the
above.
In regard to the alleged neglect of
duty towards the sick soldiers, the
author finds abundant proof in the
Spanish papers. The Publicidad,
Castelar's organ, and a friend to church
and monks,-said on September 20, last,
that fifty-five soldiers were shipped out
of Porto Rico "because they lay at the
point of death." In another case, 846
sick soldiers on a vessel coming home
had only one physician. Often soldiers
died, no one knowing their names, and
In such cases they were unceremonl
ously thrown into the sea, and were
never entered upon the list of those
lost in the war.
The Noticiero, another clerical pap
er, thus describes the condition of the
soldiers brought back from the Philip
pines on board the Ignacio de Loyola:
"During the whole time of the pas
sage they were left alone; not even a
cup of broth was given them, and no
physician visited them. The members
of the Red Cross Society who went to
bring the wounded from the ships, tes
tify that the stench between decks
was unbearable, and the filth on the
beds of the soldiers was indescribable."
But the question at once arises, how
can the Jesuits be held responsible for
this, since by their monastic vow of
poverty they are forbidden to possess
property, and, furthermore, by the en
actment of 1 808, they cannot legally
possess property in Spain? Our auth
or tells us that neither Spaniards nor
Jesuits trouble themse.ves ab.iut ti-is
law. They do, in fact, posse s proper
ty, in spite of the pathetic way in
which the German Catholic paper
speaks of "the poor Spanish monk."
In Barcelona they own the "Slglo," a
magnificent business house similar to
the Louvre in Paris, tbe gigantic ma
chine works and shipyards, "Maritima
y Tenestre," besides the Transatlantic
Company.
Naturally enough these great con
cerns are not entered upon the books as
owned by the Society of Jesus, but are
represented by men who are really pup
pets, moving and acting as the real
owners puJled the strings. At the
head of the Transatlantic Company
stands the name of tbe Marquis of
Comilla, a man recognized by all the
Spanish papers as a tool of the Jesuits.
He Is called the "Sacrlsiy Banker,"
the "holy," "blessed," 'charitable"
marquis. All those appointed to a
place in the crews of the ships wear
the scapulary of the heart of Jesus,
and must hear the mass every day.
The Jesuits are the preachers and con
fessors. They go in and out and show
that they are the real owners. Onjof
the best ships of the Company is called
Ignacio de Loyola. Recently when a
new ship was launched at Cadiz, no
secular authorities were present, but
only sixteen Jesuit fathers and 160
pupils. Our correspondent says that
should you ask a street Arab in Barce
lona to whom belongs tbe Transatlan
tic, he would reply: "To whom else
but the Jesuits? "
The Diluvio, the chief paper of Bar
celona, stated, Jan. 1, that Joaquin
Jover, a ship owner, offered to trans
port the sick and wounded back to tbe
fatherland free of charge, but so pow
erful was the Influence of the Jesuits
that the government gave the Trans
atlantic Company the preferences, in
pite of the fact that the same receives
"60 ($112.00) pesetas for every sick sol
dier brought home.
To day in Barcelona should one
speak of "the pcor Spanlh monks,"
he would probably be laughed to scorn.
The fact Is, the monks are not poor;
they are immensely wealthy. Before
the out-break of war with the United
States the Transatlantic Company re
ceived for tbe transportation of soldiers
during a definite time, 8,ti8,770 pesitaB
or over.
737,00. When we recall that
within three years 200,000 soldiers
have been transported to Cuba, 40 000
to the Philippines, together with nfC-
essa-y supplies, that for every sick sol
dier brought back the company like
wise receives pay, we can get some idea
of the extent of its profits. In fact, tbe
Diluvio, the Progress, and other Span
ish papers, have not hesitated to ac
cuse the Jesuits of working fjr the
prolongation of the war that they
might thereby fill their coffers.
.But a gaver cbarge than this is
brought to bear against the Jesuits.
It is no more nor less than that they
are responsible for the insurrection in
the Philippines. This Is charged not
only by Spanish papers, but unani
mously the Insurrectionists say they
fight against the monks who are op
pressing the people. Liberal societies,
and especially the Freemasons, have
declared that the monks are responsi
ble for the misery of the Islands. Of
tbe greatest significance for us is the
petition sent to the queen regent by
good patriots of the Philippines not in
sympathy with the insurrectionists.
This petition, after enumerating a long
series of acts of violence, cruel perse
cutions, robberies and Inquisitorial
measures, says:
"We demand the expulsion of the
monks, not because of their religious
Intolerance or sectarian fanaticism, but
because the country abhors them, be
cause they are the cauee of the rebellion,
the dragging shoe In every step forward.
THEY ARE THIS NOT SIMPLY
BECAUSE THEY ARE MONKS,
BUT BECAUSE THEY HOLD IT AS
NECESSARY THAT THIS LAND
SHALL REMAIN FOREVER IN
THE DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE,
THAT THEREBY THEY MAY BEldltioQ of Philippines from the eyes
ALWAYS ITS M ASTERS, AND UN-1 of the world, but tbat he shuddered at
HINDERED MAY SPOIL ITS PEO
FLE. We dinrand the expulsion of
the monks, because we do not wish the
rebellion to break out anew, for the in
surrection will break out again when
the land sees that instead of fulfilling
its righteous and moderata requests
Spain remains in the same category
with the tyrants and hangmen of tbe
Philippines."
The monks wore shrewd enough to
s e the stu'-m coming, and ti kco it
was directed against them. They b3-
' took themselves to the governor with
( the report that the natives were going
ti revolt, and decisive action muet be
taken to prevent an insurrection. The
governor asked for proofs. After a
short time communications came that
in such and such bouses arms would be
found concealed. The arms were found
as stated, and with them a list of the
"conspirators." These were at once
arrested. If they denied, they were
tortured, and when, under torture,
often a confession was wrenched frm
them, tbey were promptly put to death.
Thus several thousand natives per
ished, their goods being confiscated to
the cloisters of the monks. This fact
was calculated to arouse suspicion,
which was only confirmed when upon
the list of the so-called "conspirators"
the names were discovered to be almost
without exception those of rich people.
In the face of repeated accusations the
monks observed a dogged silence. Says
the Pais for Maroh 10, 1898:
"It is to us a cause of amazement
that the monks and their henchmen
are so long silent, although for a long
time they have been accused by the
papers of all parties of being the true
originators of the Philippine rebellion
The accusations which, with
irrefutable proofs, are with one accord
cast Into their faces, tbey atrswer with
silence. Suddenly they remember that
they are the disciples of the Crucified
and must keep silence."
This could be curried farther and
reference made to Gen. Blanco's testi
mony, for years governor-general of
the Philippines, and who once said
that long ago he would have drawn
aside the veil that hides the true con-
the consequences. It is enough to
quote one sentence of his country's
future: "The ascendency of this ele
ment the monks is alone sufficient to
explain the decline of Spain.''
Enough has been said to f how how
absolutely Spain is at the mercy of the
clergy. As the Progress has said
(Jan. 29, 1889): She is the spoil of the
Jesuits. Thev prescribe the laws of
her industrial life, and monopolize
charity and rellgljus feeling for tbe
advantage of the Sons of Loyola. Be
sides the concerns mentioned, they
con:rol the "Philippine Tobacco Co.,"
the "Spanish Colonial Bank" and the
"North' rn Railway," denying the
workmen of the latter a right to a de
finite wage, and carrying thousands of
monks and nuns at half price.
Their influence is everywhere folt in
tbe suppression of freedom of thought,
in driving liberal professor out of tbe
universities and replacing them by
those who pander to Rome, and in
fighting every movement that louks
to freedom and enlightenment. Tnisis
the true cause tf Spain's unrest and
the frequent mutterings of revolution.
It may be she is just on tbe eve of a
revolution similar to tbat In France at
the close of the last century, and in
Germany in 1812, when the vastestates
of clergy and church were secularized.
It may be then that a brighter day will
dawn for Spain. But not until that
time comes, and Spain has the courage
to shake herself frco from the octopus
that is sapping the sources of her in
dustrial and spiritual life, will her
course be any other than that it has
been for the last three hundred years
a retrogression.
That she will not see the light of
this new day, except through a revolu
tlon, the most radical, we may be sure,
for "the merciless priest will never re
lease the beast of sacrifice even now,
at the very alter, until it has breathed
out Its life to the glo.-y of Rome and of
Saint Ignatius of Loyola."
Defends the .Masons.
Madison, Wis., July 10. Rev. W. D.
Simmonds, pastor of the Unitarian
church, took for his subject at this
morning'9 service the attack upon the
Free Masons as being responsible fir
the decline of Spain, made by Henry
Austin Adams before the Catholic sum
mer school Friday. Mr. Simmonds
said he did not propose to attack the
Catholic church nor the Catholic sum
mer school. He paid a high tribute to
the summer school and Its intellectual
standiug.
"Mr. Adams admits that Spain U in
decrepitude,'' said Mr. Simmonds.
'Adams made the statement that the
declln i of Sualn was due to the Free
Musi jns. an order respected throughout
tbe world and emb-a;lng multitudes of
men apparently just and upright. So
serious a charge should have been sup
ported ry proof or by lome example,
but no example was giver, no scintilla
of proof ad ranced.
"Mr. Adams closed his course with a
lecture on the political duties of Cath
olics. He urged all Catholics to enter
politics AS CATHOLICS. Heextolled
the action of the German Catholics in
forming a Catholic party and acting
together in the German parliament.
This is what Mr. Adams has been
teaching In our summer school, and it
is harmful.
"The trcuble With Spain is Jesuiti
cal absolutism. Priests have put both
hands and both feet on politics, as Mr.
Adams says American Catholics should
and they have sapped the vitals of the
Spanish nation. Priests have held the
balance of power in the Spanish poli
tics, as Mr. Adams wishes them to in
America, and tbe present condition of
Spain is the result.
"Mr. Adams does not like our free
public school system. The man who
attacks it is a public enemy. I hope '
that some representative Madison
Catholic will come forward and say
that these are not the Ideals of the
Catholics of the country."
Court and Church Circles Curious.
Madrid, June 30. There Is the great
est anxiety in court and church circles
to know on what conditions Spanish
rule may be re-established in Oceanica.
The queen and her conservative and
military following, under clerical In
fluence, fear that America may insist
that the Philippines shall at least have
home rule and be free from the tyranny
of the friars and Jesuits. This is re
garded as the main issue in the settle
ment of the Philippine question."
Pope Want I'. S. to Annex Cuba.
Rome, July 12. The pope dissuades
Spain from insisting on the independ
ence of Cuba. Judging that Cuba ls
not capable of self-government he
thinks annexation to the United States
m0ii opportune.