The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-06 00:00:00

ITALY.

TURIN, MARCH 31.
In its late sitting the Chamber of Deputies has
been occupied in discussing a bill for the re-con-
struction of the Jewish congregations, which com-
prises some thousands of persons in 1.0 or 12 towns
of Piedmont.

Previous to 1818 the Jews were excluded from all
civil or political rights, and subjected to the most
arbitrary treatment. They were only permitted to
inhabit a certain quarter of the town (the Ghetto),

and were even obliged to carry a piece of yellow
riband on their coat as a distinguishing mark. In
1847, when the reform movement commenced, the
emancipation of the Jews was one of the first
things thought of. All parties were agreed in
these liberal tendencies, and the civil and politi-

cal emancipation of the Jews was one of the first
of the wise and liberal acts of Charles Albert.
The Israelites then obtained the common rights
of citizenship, but, as regarded the public
exercise of their religion and its relation with
the State, they still remained subject to the
old laws and regulations. Their congregations or
universities were constituted corporate bodies so
long ago-as 1806 by an ordinance of the Emperor
Napoleon. These laws and regulations had, how-
ever, become superannuated. On the one hand,
they deranged the Jews in the exercise of their

relfgion and their rights, and on the other they did
not put them in possession of power for meeting
the general wants of their worship and religious
instruction. A great many complaints on this sub-
ject have from time to time been forwarded to
government from different towns, and recently all

the congregations sent deputies to Vercelli, where
a general assembly was held, which drew up a
petition to Government setting forth the demands
of the Jewish- population regarding the recon-
struction of their congregations ; and, in com-
pliance with the wishes of this assembly, the
Government has now framed a bill on the most
liberal basis for regulating the exercise of their
religion and determining their relations with the
State.

According to this Bill, all Jewish congrega-
tions composed of persons residing in the same
commune will form separate corporate bodies,
They will, therefore, he invested with certain
privileges, and have the right of holding property.
They will be governed by Councils of Adminis-
tration elected by the whole of the ratepayers.
The Councils will be charged with arranging the
general expenses of religion and adminis-
tration. The expenses will be divided among
the members of the congregation, according
to their position, their profession, and
their means. The poor—those who do not pay any
direct tax to the State—will be exempt from all
charge. The Rabbis are to be elected by the vote
of the ratepayers.

The bill encountered some opposition from those
who would have liked to have seen full and entire
liberty granted in all matters of religion. It must
be remembered, however, that there is dominant
religion here, that the Jews themselves asked to be
legislated for, and that if the old laws had been
repealed without making near ones the Jews would
have been left, as regards the relation of their reli-
gion with.the State, in a state of anarchy. The law,
moreover, rests on the most liberal basis, that of
election, and any one who does not wish to contri-
bute to the public worship on account of his little
faith need only declare that he does not belong to the
Jewish congregation, so that liberty of conscience
is perfectly respected by it. The House therefore
finally expressed its approbation of the Ministerial
measure by a majority of 29 in favour of it, i e. 7 6
to 47. At the conclusion of this debate an incident
occurred which deserves mention.
You are aware that civil marriage has not yet
been made legal in this country—that the registers
of the civil states are still in the hands of the
priests, the Protestant Ministers and the Rabbis.
Well, this being the case, M. Valelio asked the ,
Minister of the Interior how he intended to )
.provide for the civil state of Jews who might 1