[Replying (February 8) to the governor's letter, the bishop makes
various suggestions. He considers that the responsibility for deciding
questions connected with the tribute rests upon himself and the
governor, and that it is unnecessary and undesirable to refer them
to the king in ordinary cases.] This has been done for the welfare
of these natives, or, to speak more exactly, in order that our holy
faith may be received in these realms. On account of the many and
glaring instances of lawlessness and disorder, this result is not
yet accomplished in the greater part of these islands; and even
those who have accepted the faith have received from it very little
benefit. [Salazar urges the governor to meet this responsibility,
and with him to determine the amount and methods of collection of
the tributes. He remonstrates with the latter against his intention
of collecting the whole or most of the tributes from the pagan
Indians. Salazar says:] You state that the encomenderos will not
desire the encomiendas, since they will obtain from them so little
advantage, but will abandon their holdings; that the Indians will
become unmanageable, and it will be necessary to pacify them anew,
in order to have them instructed; and (which would be still worse)
when the encomenderos can not be supported it will be necessary to
abandon the country, and the faith will be ruined. This is certainly
a very great difficulty, and would be the greatest which could befall
us. But God, who has established here the faith, will not permit it
to be so easily destroyed. Accordingly I maintain, first, that what is
assigned to the encomenderos is not too small to support adequately any
one of them whatsoever--not with the opulence and abundance that they
desire, but as the extreme poverty and wretchedness of the Indians
allows, and as the little that they have accomplished and are doing
requires. For, if the encomienda be of good size, the encomendero
can support himself very comfortably with the third part of the
tribute, if it is expended in the same encomienda, where goods are
held at lower prices; and if the encomienda be small, he may, by way
of equity--although by the letter of the law he should take no more
than does he who owns a large one--be allowed to collect the half of
the tribute, since it would seem that he could not support himself
with less. If they must have more, the encomenderos are not of so
poor standing as not to have other relations and dealings by which
they can increase their property and help to meet their expenses,
in order that all the burden may not be laid upon the Indians; since
even what they collect from the latter according to law they are not
entitled to, until they pay the Indians what is due them.
[Salazar goes on to say that there is no danger that the encomiendas
will be abandoned under this plan; and that the arrangement which he
proposes is for only such time as is necessary to provide adequate
religious instruction for the natives. Then the full amount of
tribute may be collected, and the encomenderos will enjoy all their
revenues. Most of them will shirk their obligations to the Indians,
as they have done in the past, unless they are compelled to meet them;
and Salazar thinks that they will be more ready to provide religious
instruction if they are restricted from collecting the tributes until
they shall have done so.] He who plants a vine expects to wait until it
can mature its fruit; it is only with the Indians that the encomenderos
will not wait until they are prepared to yield fruit, but are ready
at once to cut their throats to make them yield it. And since they
have thus far collected so many tributes from the Indians without
justification for exacting them, it will be right that henceforth
they should labor with them, without collecting from them the taxes
so harshly, waiting until the Indians are prepared for having to pay
the tribute; and the real preparation for this is to strive that they
shall have instruction.
... For this they deserve some reward, such as the concession made
to them in the second conclusion, which seems sufficient return
for the little value of all that will be done for the Indians until
they receive instruction. In order that your Lordship may be fully
convinced that, even if further limitations should be imposed on the
encomenderos, they need not for that abandon their holdings, your
Lordship should remember that, after coming here, you reduced the
salaries of some alcaldes-mayor, and took away those of some deputies;
and yet they did not cease on that account to discharge their duties
cheerfully, for they can with good conscience take whatever your
Lordship shall assign to them. Why, then, should we fear that the
encomenderos will leave their encomiendas, even if they are ordered
to collect no more than the third part of the tributes?... Former
governors, as well as your Lordship, have allotted encomiendas,
imposing upon them an annual charge, for a limited period, for
the benefit of the hospital or of some individual. These were most
willingly accepted, the owners knowing that when the annual pension
expired the encomiendas remained to them, which they might freely
enjoy. It is certain, too, that what the encomenderos collected
while the pension lasted was not equal to the third part. Why, then,
will not the encomenderos endure this pension for so short a time, in
order afterward to enjoy the encomiendas freely and with consciences
at ease? for they can do that now.
[The bishop declares that the conversion of the pagan Indians
will not be hindered by his plan. Not the least hindrance to the
conversion of these islands is the harshness with which the tributes
are collected from the Indians.] It is certain that when the faith
is preached to the Indians on the plan and with the gentleness which
our Lord ordained, attended with kind treatment and good examples,
in accordance with the requirements of God's law, the infidels will
never consider whether or not they have to pay tribute. For if they
once reach a real understanding of what it means to be converted to
God, and of the benefit which they receive from it, and the evils
from which they are set free, not only will they not heed whether or
not they are paying tribute, but they will, if necessary, surrender
their goods and estates, in order not to remain without baptism. We
need not vex ourselves to secure the baptism of infidels who avoid
baptism in order not to pay tribute; since it is not such whom God
chooses, or whom the church needs.
The greatest difficulty for the Sangleys who sought baptism has been
the command to cut off their hair. It is certain that on this account
many have failed to become Christians, whereat I have been exceedingly
grieved. Not that I have not always wished, and still desire, that
all of that nation might be converted, and I have exerted myself to
that end with all my strength; but when I see one of them hesitate
as to cutting off his hair, it seems to me that he has not come for
baptism in the right spirit, and for that reason I do not admit him
to baptism. Those, however, in whose hearts God has moved, and who
truly understand what they are receiving (and there are many such),
are not disturbed because their hair is cut, or because they are
forever abandoning their native land. On the contrary, these persons
have broken all ties, and submitted to every requirement, that they
might not remain without baptism. It is true that we have baptized
some of that nation without requiring them to cut off their hair,
through our reasonable consideration toward them; but we have never
consented that anyone of them should be baptized until he had made up
his mind to allow his hair to be cut: and then he did not know that we
intended to baptize him without removing his hair. From the above it
may be inferred that the payment of little, or much, or none of the
tribute is not in itself a reason for the infidels to avoid baptism;
they do so because we oppose so many obstacles to the preaching of
the gospel, and set so bad an example, and because it is so preached
that they do not understand it.
[Salazar protests against the notion entertained by the encomenderos
that "all their festivities and superfluous expenses should be at the
expense of the wretched Indians, when they themselves do not fulfil
their obligations toward the latter." Other persons can support
themselves without an encomienda; so those who possess such aid can
certainly do something outside of it to meet their expenses. The method
of collecting the tributes hitherto has been little more than slavery
for the natives; the bishop pleads in eloquent terms that the governor
will reform this abuse, and consider the subject from the standpoint
of the Indians as well as from that of the Spaniards.] In order that
they may endure their hardships cheerfully, it is well that they should
understand the change among the Spaniards which has occurred since the
coming of your Lordship; for their burdens have been lightened by the
reduction of the tributes from the former amount; and the Spaniards
have done what they did not previously--that is, to treat the natives
well, and to converse with them in a friendly manner. This, without
doubt, will greatly incline them toward our holy Christian religion;
and then the Indians cannot make this a matter of complaint against
the Spaniards, but will keep silence and yield to whatever commands
are given them. [The Spaniards have might on their side, and terrorize
the weaker natives; but the right only should be considered, and is
mainly on the side of the Indians. The conquerors have brought forward
many specious arguments to justify their oppression, which for a time
deceived even the bishop, who expresses his regret and remorse for
his own mistakes; but his long experience has opened his eyes, and he
espouses the cause of the oppressed Indians, urging the governor to
consider their needs, without allowing the Spaniards to influence him
in favor of their selfish and unjust practices. Salazar complains that
the orders of both the king and the governors have been systematically
violated or ignored; that no one has been punished for infractions
of law save the poor Indians, who often have been justified in these
actions.] But even this has not availed them to escape punishment
in their persons and property. Yet thus far there is no instance
known when an encontendero or collector has been punished for even
the grossest acts of injustice and injury which they have inflicted
upon the Indians. And this is the Christian spirit and the justice
with which we have thus far treated this unfortunate people--we, who
came hither to bestow upon them a knowledge of God! Notwithstanding
all that, we demand that they shall not dare to move, or to open
their lips in complaint. But we have a righteous God, who hears them,
and in His own time will bestow upon each man according to his deserts.
[The Audiencia had enacted laws favorable to the Indians, which the
governor should enforce. For this purpose, it is useless to depend
upon the alcaldes-mayor, since most of them care only for their own
interests and profit.] On this account the president undertook to
reduce the number of the alcaldes-mayor, and to increase the salaries
of those who were left, in order to remove from them the temptation
to plunder. He also wished to abolish entirely the office of deputy,
as he had already begun to do; this would have been no little benefit
to the country. [The country will only be injured by attempting to
increase the number of officials; they aid in the oppression of
the Indians, and care nothing for the bishop's efforts to oppose
them. If the condition of affairs in Luzon is so bad, what must it
be in Mindanao, or Xolo, or other remote districts? The Indians can
not come to the governor with their grievances, and are helpless in
the power of their oppressors.]
[Salazar briefly state the opinions given by the religious persons whom
he has consulted regarding some of the chief points at issue. Most of
them decide that the third part of the tributes will be enough for
any encomendero, no matter how small his holding may be. As for the
restitution of tributes unjustly collected, they all conclude that to
require the return of all the goods thus acquired by the Spaniards
would be too severe a penalty for the latter; but that hereafter no
encomendero should be allowed to collect tributes from Indians unless
he shall provide them with religious instruction, and if he shall
so collect, he shall be compelled to restore to them the goods thus
unjustly obtained. The governor is urgently entreated to investigate
the manner in which the encomenderos are dealing with the Indians;
to adopt and enforce the orders recommended by the clergy; and to
permit no Spaniard to make collections of tributes unless he fulfil
all obligations due from him to the natives. The same course should
be pursued in the encomiendas belonging to the royal crown. If the
governor will follow this course, the clergy will cooperate with him
by refusing absolution to all who disobey.] From our house, February
8, 1591.
_Fray Domingo_, Bishop of the Philipinas.