The Trinity journal., 1856-09-13
Mexico as it Was and Is.

friends of liberty in the United States The
hearty support he receives from the people
at home is also a subject of congratulation,
and it is easy to perceive that if this state
of things can be maintained for year or
two, Mexico will at least take her place
among the nations of the earth and, indeed,
it is high time that this most beautiful, fer
tile and rich of countries should realize a
sense of its dignity, and emancipate itself
from the fetters of ignorance, superstition
and venality, with which it been so long en-
chained.
The difficulties which have hitherto proved
so serious an obstruction to the onward
progress of that State, are to be attributed
entirely to the overwhelming power Of the
Church Never was there such an amper,un,
IN imperiO as this. The governments which
were not pleasing to the priests had no sta
bility. When there were two parties con-
tending for the supremacy, which ever the
Church inclined to succeeded.
The Archbishop, with nine bishops under
him, all having cathedrals and chapters, eX-
cept the prelate of Sonora-with 185 pre-
bendaries and canonaries, 1900 parishes,
and regular and secular clergy amounting
to 10000 persons, was no inconsiderable
parsonage. OF the regular clergy, $500
reside in the capitol and the orders of the
Domiincans, Francscians, Carmelites and
/ Mercedarians possess $50 converts. The
salary of the Archbishop is $4,000 per
anu um, that of the Bishop of Puebla was
$4,000. The remaining bishops receive
altogether about 200, more 1t has
been extremely difficult to ascertain the
real value of the general property of the
church No administration has yet been
able get at the truth. Some years since the
following was admitted by the Archbishop
to he the value =
Real estate in town and country. SIS 0OO.0 900
Churches, houses, converts, furniture,
jewels, precious vessels. ...........25O0 900
Total, Observation-Disclosures. 100000 600
But it is fully believed this sum is not
more than one quarter of the true amount
The Sgnior Lendo de Tegada, who is now
at the head of the finances, asserts with per-
feet confidence that the real property of the
clergy is of the value of from two hundred
and fifty to three hundred millions of dollars.
In the city of Mexico, containing five thou
sand houses, worth eighty millions of dol
lars, the church owns one-half, and the in
come has been estimated by the Minister at
twenty millions of dollars The estates in
mortmain alone, amount to over fifty million
Of dollars. Waddy Thompson, our former
Minister at Mexico was of the opinion
that one-quarter of the whole country be.
longed to the priests. The quantity of gold
silver and jewels in the churches is great
enough to pay the whole foreign and domes-
tic debt. A single balustradc, about three
hundred feet long, in the cathedral of the
capitol, is supposed to be worth million OF
dollars.
Is it any wonder, then, that the people Of
Mexico have been one of the most wretched
among civilized nations? What would we
think had we religious body among us
owning one-quarter of the United States
with larger revenue than that of the gov
ernment, interfering in every political move
ment, end exercising special authority in all
cases of deaths, marriages, wills, education
crimes of the clergy, and putting the canon
law before the civil on every possible occa
sion Suppose, too, the power which claim
ed all this authority was not only irrespon-
sble to the government under which it eX-
listed, but should be able to cut off, by in
terdict, any obnoxious individual by church
discipline, from any intercourse with his fcl-
lows, and that they could be made to shun
| him, have no transactions with him, and
avoid him as they would a leper-what
should we think Of country where such
things were permitted? Yet this has been,
until now, the condition of Mexico and
the struggle is not yet over between Com
onfort and the clergy. They will not part
with their ill-gotten wealth without q strug
gle When the patriotic Gomez Farias, in
1884, during his brief Presidency, proposed
the seizure of the church property, and the
measure was likely to be adopted, he was
very soon upset by q cOunter-revolution ex
cited by the clergy. Gen. Comonfort must
take warning, and lose no time in making
his policy irrevocable. The church property
should be disposed Of in moderate parcels
and at moderate prices and as many pro
prietary interests should be established as
possible, at once. In this way, the people
from motives of interest if nothing else
NOulu oU"hu ~ WV SOfOlIhiClu III ollC OIL uS
gle for entire emancipation from church op
preston Let him look at Sardinia, whicl
is going through the same difficulties. Tho
Church there has interdicted its religion,
Offices to all those who take open part will
, the government This Interference with 6
superstitious race is one Of the most dread
full of evils, and the statesmen of Turin fine
themselves greatly embarrassed by thi
t powerful spiritual interposition of the clergy
In both cases however, the experiment 0
/ liberation, if persistedn, will succeed Th
: mind, once emancipated, becomes endowed
S with more than mortal strength in its oppo
siton to priestly tyranny.
Let those who seek models in moments s.
critical, read the history of the brave Ho
landers, who resisted for so many years
. amid seas of blood, the horrible tyranny {
the bigoted Philip of Spain.
Among the plans which the governmen