Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-03-30

OlNtub, anu oI1NS~N@ -
welfare Of society, as i fyors the peruicious and
fatal errors Of Socialism and Communism"
Raising bis voice with apostolic freedom" he pro-
caeds thus "We reject and condemn, not only |
ali and each of the DEGREES Of that Government
hurtful TO the rights and authority of religion, OF
the Church. and Of the Holy See, but likewise the
law lately proposed and we declare all these acts
10 be completely null and invalid" In fine, the
Pope warns all the authors and fayorers Of these
measures to consider in their heart the penalties
and censures contained in the apostolic constitu-
TONS the canons OF the holy councils and especial
ly in the canons Of the Holy Council of Trent,
against the volators of the liberty of the Church
and Holy See, and the usurpers of their rights"
Y Is worth while TO inquire what punishment
the "Canons Of Holy Councils" have provided LOT
the suppressors of monasteriesnot for the sake VI
Piedmont only--for we are in the same condemna-
ton with Piedmont. Successive Councs OF Latc-
ran decreed that even exact taxes OF the clergy,
or TO Law any contributions upon the Church hnus,
was crime 80 great a. TO be punished win hotng
less than accommodation. The Council OF Trent
confirmed, In substance, whatever former councils
and Popes had done In this matter: 30 careiui
were they TO enclose with a sacred fence every
inch of ccclesiastic SOIL planting hedge OF anath-
emas all round It, 10 preserve the whole game upon
IL entire for the Popes shooting. But II the King
or Parliament who shall but tax the Church's lands,
deserves to be punished seyenfold, surely he who
shall confscate them, eventy-and-seven-fold
This, by the way, shows us the dangerous and
intolerable character ofsuch acquisitions. II needs
no reasoning to show that they are utterly incom-
patible with the peace, the loyalty, the industry
of country. If the estates OF an arstocracy,
though subject to thejurisdiction OF the country,
and bearing their own share of the public burdens,
may come to be oppressive, what shall we Say OF
the overgrown estates of the clergy OF Home
These lsnds own no jurisdiction but that oil tne
Vatican they pay no taxes, and contribute noueh.
TO the public revenue every acre added TO them
"a SO much Of the country In which they are stu
ated annhlated. Nay, better were Il that they
were annihilated than that they should remain TO
clothe, to feed, and 10 lodge body OF men VINO
hold of foreign head, are entirely independent
of all civil authority and law, and Keep no con
nexion with the State, further than TO iomeht
treason and rebellion now and then, ana 10 prey
upon it always. And yet 1t is amazing, and but
for tho testimony of our standard historians would
be incredible. to what extent these possessions
have grown The Church has possessed han oi
some kingdoms, and still greater portion OF oth-
ers. The author of Free Thoughts on the Tole-
ration Of Popery," says
"a certain author informs us, upon the author
ty of memoirs written by one who had been long
intendent Of Lsle in Flanders, that upon the banks
Of the river Scarp, within the extent OF eighteen
Ia lpues the Church rents amounted to lo1Uo,ooo
lives; and in the province Of Cambresis the pos
sessions of the ecclesiastcs were TO those OF the
whole laity in the proportion of fourteen to three
Able dc Verot informs US, that the clergy OF Swe-
dsn were alone possessed Of more than the King
and even than all the other estates OF the Kingdom
together If we run through France says one,
we will find at every step monasteries, and mag
nifcent abbeys. more rich still than they appear.
When travelling have often had the curiosity 10
ask to whom belong these lands, these farms, these
woodss And have been almost always answered.
q such an abbey, to such community to such .
chapter. If to these immoSaoe possessiono -
saapd IN. snnuities. the tthes, and other contri
hu,;ons we will be forced to conclude, that the
Ilf ~ the nroperty Of the Kingdom at least 10 II
the banda Of priests, monks, or rellgeuse. w a'
eay ef France lie more sensibly true oil Spain
italy, Flanders and Germany. III the Pope was
master of all these estates, and could appropriate
the use of them TO himself would be not be the
richest Sovereign in the universer To find any
10 equal him, it would be absolutely necessary TO
raise again the ancient kings of Mexico and Peru,
the Montezaaas and Atabdhpas
According to Bleau, about the end of the last
century the ecclesiastical state of France stood
thus: ls archblshoprics, ZOE bishoprcs, 10 heads
of religious orders, 257 communicates OF Malta,
$50 sbbeys Of nuns, 1885 abbeys of monks, 100
converts of cordeiers ,240 priories, 1920 chap
Ella about SO, 44l parishes, and l4,0T7 converts 0
ali orders the number of monks were computes
at Ia 600, the nuns $4,000; the total OF both
2046 the ecclesiastical revenues amounting II
whole to 81 600 900 livres, which i about $3.50,
600 600. The author of The Age of st. Loni
XIV indeed brings the computation much lower
reckoning the number Of ecclesiastcal persons a
100000, and the religious 10000, and the eccle
sisstica revenues $4,000, 600"
To dc,soiish single one Of these houses, e
ALLEVIATE an acre Of these lands, to touch penn,
Of these enormous treasures, is, in the opinion o
the Pope, violation of "al natural, divine, ant
social rights" It is Socialism and Comntnisnl
Dnesin is In the same category with Piedmont
inconsistencies and alienated tho Church lands. arr
held at Rome to be completely null ana f''Vu''u'
and when the anticipated day Of -oekoning comes
we must, whether we like it or no, pay back every
penny. and restore every acre. which we took from
the Church. aHEa..