The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-08-25
1IJF NATIONAI ERA WASHINGTON d. c., AUGUST 20 loo3

fury. Weinsist upon Incorporating them--upon
making them openly and legally responsible to
the judicial tribunals of the country We in.
sist upon limiting the amount to be held to
the lowest farthing which the public safety re-
quires-upon regular report of the Church
property and income at short intervals; and,
in general, upon putting them within the con-
troll of the laws which govern the Protestant
denominations around them. Our anti Catho-
lie friends are alarmed at our apparent iber-
atty to the Romish hierarchy. We did at
first put the measure upon the basis of even.
handed justice, thinking that Liberty Glowing
men would like it best 50. Now we turn the
other side of the argument-the one that Ii
armed with reformatory wolfteeth, and urge
the same measure as q restraint and COM
pulsion upon these dangerous people for we
go 80 far as to say that if the Bishops any
where refuse to be converted from secret into
open trustees of the property they hold in con-
fdence, let laws be enacted, compelling all
such trusts to be reported, and the funds to
be vested, or even sequestrated, if priests and
people refuse to obey
The real evil of the whole matter is in the
concealment; and the absurdity of anti Catho-
lie opposition to the incorporation of the Bish-
ops is that it favors the mischief which is so
much feared.
Hear the Fresman's Journal the Catholic or
gan of New York, Archbishop Hughes's organ,
OF this subject and see how it supports our the
DRY, and justifes the ground we have taken on
this question:
awe may as we'll set the Register right on
another point; and perhaps we may, at the
same time somewhat astOnish those whom it
speaks for-it insinuates that the Fteemaa's
Journal was very anxious for the passage of
Mr.. Taber's bill, and wrought hard to secure
it, Now the fact is that, though we felt pleased
at finding Mr. Taber, Mr.. Cooley and few
others, laboring generously TO obtain what
they considered an instalment of justice and
equality for Catholics in respect to their eccle
siastical property, we did not consider that the
bill they advocated would be of the slightest
advantage to Catholics. Farther than this, 80
far as respects the Freeman, it has advocated
no la0 respecting Catholic property in the Le-
gslature Of New York, yet farther, we, per.
sonally speaking, would regret any change
in the tenure of Catholic property from what
exists at the present time, and such have been
our sentiments and our personal expressions
constantly, from the first meeting Of the ques-
ton. We have said 30, once or twice, in these
columns, moreover, and our reason has been
this: That for at least fifty years to come, we
consider it far safer that Church property
should rest on the personal responsibility and
in the watchful care Of our Bishops personal
ly as citizens, than it would be to trust any
Legislature we are likely to have within that
time, either to frame laws for its protection, or
watch over the manner in which those laws
would be kept.
|" II is perfectly easy to conceive, at the same
time, that our Bishops find this responsibility
exceedingly onerous to them, and that they de-
sire to be relieved from the very delicate ma
ture of their consequent obligations. They
wish to divest themselves of a portion, at least,
of this unshared and unlimited power. A
strange blindness among Professionals has STEP
ped in to prevent them laying aside this un
qualified control of Catholic Church property !;
and, while we cannot admire the motive of the
opposition to them, we cannot conceal that we
are heartily satisfied with its practical result
We speak, of course, for the Freemanis Journal
alone. We suppose that most Catholics have
contented themselves with wishing that just
such arrangements should be made for Church
property as their Bishops, in whom their con-
fidence is boundless, may think most advisable.
But for ourselves, the Register may congratu
late itself that its labors have been directed
unwittingly-to the furtherance of our indi-
vidual views.o
Read this extract carefully and We think
you will agree with us, that it is full time to
hurry up the incorporation laws, and contrive
some way of making them operative upon the
Bishops without waiting for the legislation of
fifty years hence. +.