William Howard Taft and the Separation of Church and State in the Philippines

Abstract

American annexation of the Philippines following the Spanish American War presented the United States with an unusual set of problems and challenges for which it had little experience and no preparation. Governing over seven million people almost seven thousand miles away would be difficult enough, but removing the vestiges of four centuries of Spanish colonialism would add enor mous unexpected complications. Inherent in these complications was the long tradition of administrative interrelationship and shared responsibilities between the Spanish colonial government and the Roman Catholic Church. For American authorities it was essential to end the relationship and separate church from state to assure the successful creation of a new Philippine government. The process of doing so would be delicate and detailed, requiring understanding, tact, and patience. To accomplish this formidable task President William McKinley chose as first civil governor a little known federal circuit judge from Ohio, William Howard Taft. It would be the most difficult assignment of Taft's long and distinguished career and one that caused him to reject a Supreme Court appointment— his most cherished ambition. Before he actually stepped on Philippine soil Taft had his first direct encounter with the complexities of the religious problem. Still aboard the transport that had brought him and his fellow members of the Second Philippine Commission from the United States, Taft met with Archbishop Placide L. Chapelle who pre sented him with an official statement of the position of the Catholic Church concerning the Philippine Islands. Chapelle, the archbish op of New Orleans, had been designated Apostolic Delegate to the Philippine Islands. The purpose of his embarrassingly early visit was to acquaint the commissioners with the most pressing problems confronting the church and to voice his own personal dissatisfaction