The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-03-15

but all charges upon the State, PROV
inces, localities, and those based on
contract are abolished. The Church
is forbidden to hold any landed es-
tate yielding revenue. They may
hold land and buildings necessary for
the performance of worship, for bish-
ops, for colleges, with the kitchen and
flower gardens annexed. All the
other States of the Church are to be
liquidated and converted one
third to be for the use and behalf of
the State, and the balance to be in
vested in the public funds.
This bill by its action in effect alb
rogates the first clause of the Consti-
tuition, which declares the Roman
Catholic religion to be the religion of
the State. 1t puts religious bodies,
of whatever name, just as they are in
the United States, subject wholly to
civil laws, having no special privilege.
There is every probability that it
willpass, for it is received with favor
by the people, and it is approved by
the King. The landed property of
the Roman Church is estimated to be
worth from four to six hundred mil
lion dollars, while estates are sup
posed to be,worth at least twelve hun
dred millions, which of course does
not include in the Papal dominions.
The bill deals, only with the landed
estates. The public perhaps are not
prepared to compel the Church to in
I,vest all its estates lin the public
funds, and such sweeping meas
ure is perhaps hardly called for by the
exigencies Of the State. The law pro-
vides that the property now held
by the Church shall be sold and the
proceeds reinvested in Government
securities. The Bishops are allowed
to make this conversion if they are SO
inclined, and they have already made a
proposition to pay twenty million dol
lars per annum for six years, viz: or
one hundred and twenty millions in
six years, which shall be the State S
share of the property and to convert
the whole of their estates into Gov
eminent stocks in ten years from the
present time. This will pay one hun
dred and twenty millions of the ma
tional debt. and convert two hundred
and eighty millions or more of prop
erty, which now pays no taxes, into
Government stock The Church is
to pay pensions to monks and nuns
from the income of the reinvested
property.
A Belgian banker has the matter in
hand in behalf of the Church, and he
is SO good Catholic that he demands
the consent of the POpe to the trans
action. The Pope will give it un-
doubtedly, for if he refuses the Gov
eminent will go ahead and take pos
session of all the property at once.
Such are the general features of this
remarkable measure-remarkable for
its boldness, and for the results which
are tofoflow. 1t is remarkable also.
in that Italy, the most Catholic of all
countries, should take the lead of all
others in Europe, for such an emanci-
patton. We are not to jump at the
conclusion that this is wholly owing to
the example of the United States, al
though the United States has set the
model; but it is due to the exigencies
! of Italy. She is poor. She has been
doing great work. She is in debt.
She has great work still on hand;
the education of her people, the COM
pletion of her projected railways, and
the development of her resources.
She has an exhausted treasury, with
yearly deficit this year of thirty five
millions, and constantly growing
larger. The great question before the
people is that of replenishing the
finances. In this emergency. look at
the accumulated wealth of the Church
wealth wrung from people during
the past year, and upon which the
priests have rioted in luxury. It
came from the people, and now they
are determined that the people shall
come once more into the possession
III Those were significant words which
Signor Scialeia uttered last week in
regard to the bill. He is the Minister
of Finance, and in advocating it in
the Chamber of Deputies, said Italy
will meet her obligations, and will
pay her debts" The house shook
with the thunder Of applause. The
bill will meet with opposition, for the
Roman Church is not disposed to loose
any VI us VdAGdge ground WITHOUT
stubborn struggle. ...
THE RESULTS. qanff9 ~
Having gone over the plan in this
prosaic matter-of- fact statement, let
US make the inquiry as to. the, mean,
ing of this movement, whatit promises
to the world To realize the magni-
tude. of the event, we are to keep in
mind the fact that Italy is but six
years old, that the Kingdom as yet is
hardly consolidated, that it is a Catho-
nc nation, owing allegiance to
Church which has held sway for a
thousand years over the affairs of
men-spiritual and temporal. We are
to take into consideration the fact
that this is movement of emancipa-
ton from that Church. the head az