force
in Mexico, was adopted here, but modifications in harmony with the
special conditions of this Colony were urgently necessary, whilst all
the branches of government called for reorganization or reform. Under
these circumstances, the Bishop of Manila, Domingo Salazar, [25]
took the initiative in commissioning an Austin friar, Alonso Sanchez,
to repair firstly to the Viceroy of Mexico and afterwards to the King
of Spain, to expose the grievances of his party.

Alonso Sanchez left the Philippines with his appointment as
procurator-general for the Augustine Order of monks. As the execution
of the proposed reforms, which he was charged to lay before His
Majesty, would, if conceded, be entrusted to the control of the
Government of Mexico, his first care was to seek the partisanship
of the Viceroy of that Colony; and in this he succeeded. Thence he
continued his journey to Seville, where the Court happened to be,
arriving there in September, 1587. He was at once granted an audience
of the King, to present his credentials and memorials relative
to Philippine affairs in general, and ecclesiastical, judicial,
military and native matters in particular. The King promised to peruse
all the documents, but suffering from gout, and having so many and
distinct State concerns to attend to, the negotiations were greatly
delayed. Finally, Alonso Sanchez sought a minister who had easy access
to the royal apartments, and this personage obtained from the King
permission to examine the documents and hand to him a succinct _resume_
of the whole for His Majesty's consideration. A commission was then
appointed, including Sanchez, and the deliberations lasted five months.

At this period, public opinion in the Spanish Universities was
very divided with respect to Catholic missions in the Indies. Some
maintained that the propaganda of the faith ought to be purely
Apostolic, such as Jesus Christ taught to His disciples, inculcating
doctrines of humility and poverty without arms or violence; and if,
nevertheless, the heathens refused to welcome this mission of peace,
the missionaries should simply abandon them in silence without further
demonstration than that of shaking the dust off their feet.

Others held, and amongst them was Sanchez, that such a method was
useless and impracticable, and that it was justifiable to force their
religion upon primitive races at the point of the sword if necessary,
using any violence to enforce its acceptanc