The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-06-16
Catholic Schools.
MEssRs EDiToRs :

MEssRs EDITORS:
A petition is before
the City Council, presented by John
Krocl1le, as Priest to the Catholic
Church, asking that lots SO and SO,
on which is located the Catholic Con.
vent and School, be exempt from tax
alton, and that the taxes heretofore
paid be now refunded by the city.
Father Kreckle appears before the
Council by his Attorney, employed to
engineer the thing through. They
tried tlast year, but the Council then
refused to grant the petition.
The law exempts from taxation
property used solely tor benevolent
or religious purposes, and institutions
oflearning incorporated under the laps
Of the State.
The Catholic Church property is
not taxed and never has been. It is
not claimed that this school is incor.
poratod under the laws of the State.
The claim set up is that the Female
boarding School, adjoining the
church property, is necessarily Incl.
dent thereto, and is conducted by
the Sisters of the Visitation solely
for benevolent, religious and educa-
tional purposes; that they have no
interest in, or title to, the property,
nor do they pay any rent or compen.
sation, whatever, for the use of the
same; that tho property belongs to
the church; that tho pupils pay tut
ton fee, and that the surplus money
remaining after expenses are paid
goes to the church.
The claim that said school proper.
ty is necessarily incident to the
church, is SO flimsy protext that
nothing need be said on that score.
1t belongs to the church and is made
use of chiefly because of the i'm
menseproselyting advantagesit gives
them. Many protestant parent has
through their agency, mourned q
daughter moro etfectually lost to
them than had they laid her in her
grave. They wish to proselyte, and
at the same time make 1t pay! They
do SO in this way: The teachers re-
celve no compensation for their ser.
vices except food and clothing
Their clothing is not as expensive as
Flora McFlimsey's, as they never Wis.
1T their friends, or receive company.
They are the property Of the church =
as much 80 as any negress or mulat-
to woman was ever the property of
her Southern owner, and escape from
her master, even when desired, is
more difficult than q few years ago
was the escape of the South Carolina
slave. Not only is there no expense
TOR teachers, but no expense for cooks
Or chambermaids. In the south they
had their intelligent house servants
and dumb field-hands. Here they
own their educated teachers and their
house servants.
With no salaries to pay teachers,
no wages to servants, no rent, there
ought to DO sufficient s'surplus mon
ev after paying tho annual expenses
OF the Academy" to pay city taxes.
With such advantages they surely
should not be exempt from their Just
share of the burdens incident to a
city government.
The Catholic church uses her prop.
crty Goth real and personaD in the
ABOVE manner for peeuniary profit,
Just as though they owned and rent
cd store rooms on Front street.
1t does not come within the pro-
visions of the law exempting prop.
cEty from taxation. Has the CITY
Council the right to exempt it? If
10, is it just that they should? What
ny you, citizens of Ottumwa FIX
pHess your opinion to your represen-
tatives in Council.
The Catholic church in the United
'tates desires, and is working for,
II . destruction of our public school
FFstem. Their action in Now York
~ d Ohio show it plainly.