The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-03-29

The DEBATE IN THE SENATE ON THE AFFAIRS
OF TRINITY CHURCH-ANOTHER STRUGGLE By
THE MONOPOLsTs.-It will be seen by the report
Of the debate in the State Senate on the bill to
amend the act Of 1914 relating to Trinity Church,
that vigorous effort is being made by the
friends of the corporation in that body to
avert hostile legislation and to retain the
worst features of this odious monopoly. The bill
introduced by Senator Brooks with this view will
not, we hope, be allowed for moment to divert
the attention of the Legislature from the real
issues involved in this contest The objection to
the corporation amongst the public at large is
not that it fails to promote the interests of the
Protestant Episcopalian sect generally, although
such is manifestly the case but that an ecclesas-
teal trust of this character should be allowed to
accumulate vast amount Of property without
acknowledging in its management any RESPONSE
bility to the State or even to the members of its
own congregation. The very existence of an ire
sponsible religious corporation like this, in coun
try where no State religion is recognised, is
an anomaly always to be deprecated, for its ten
dency is obviously to give predominance to a
particular sect In republic like ours it is still
more inconsistent and obnoxious to the public
veal, inasmuch as it may be made the lever OF
political Vaccinations, and an instrument fatal
to the efficiency and permanence of our free in
situations. We have seen how in older countries
the influence of these ecclesiastical monopolies
has been made to subserve the interests of despo
tsm and to rivet still closer the letters of the en-
,lo w eh %oIro
how we suffer to grow up amongst us a power
which has proved itself an invariable enemy to
liberty, and which, where it has ever taken firm
root, it is almost impossible to extirpate
In the law passed by the Legislature last year
to regulate the property of the Catholic Church
we had distinct recognition Of these truths.
They are in fact natural corollaries from the
language of the constitution ITSELF and
it lie impossible that any Legislature in
this country can ignore them. The Trinity
Church property stands in pretty nearly
the same position as the Catholic trusts
once did, 20 tar as responsibility is concerned
the only difference between them being that the
latter were, generally speaking, faithfully aud
conscieDtiously administered If, therefore, to
guard against prospective dangers it was deemed
necessary to apply strict legislation to the one
it cannot surely be commended that the same
measure of justice ought not to be dealt out to
the other more particularly when it is charged
that in this latter instance the purposes of the
trust have been grossly violated and the proper
ty Of the corporation diverted to objects not ORR
giDally contemplated by its founders.
In dealing with this question the Legislature
are bound to establish distinctly the principle
that no church shall be allowed to accumulate
ard hold such Q large amount Of property as
distinct ecclesiastical corporation. Such mono
poles, as we have shown, have dangerous ten
dency, and are entirely at variance with our po-
litical system. But in addition to the considera-
ton that all corporations, clerical as well as
lay, are apt to abuse their powers, and that
religion benefits but little from them,
there is another objection to the perpetuation
of this trust which should have is full weight
with the Legislature. 1t is well established
fact that all large accumulations of real estate in
the hands Of individuals, but more especially in
those of religious corporations. are injurious to
the prosperity Of large cities 1t is the more par
ticularly no in the case of New York, from the
contracted area OF it's ate and the opportunities
which II affords to the cupidity of spectators.
II should therefore be the policy of our State
government to discourage by its legislation all
accumulstons Of real estate, by lay or eccesssti-
cal bodies 80 for as the same can be done githout
trencbiDg on the rights of property. In doing
this they will only be acting in consonance with
the sprit of our Institutions which is opposed to
monopolies generally, but above all to moaopolies
having for object sectarian predominance. These
things are In fact only the remnants Of the
abuses which existed under the old colonial GO
vernments and some of which flourish In England
even at this day. Let us weed out from our
ystem these rotten relics of the bastard unity of
Church and State, and thereby remove just
subject Of reproach against our own improved
Institutions