Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1871-02-01
Important to Catholic Cit
iZens.

Ny Juc IIOil. jas. II. UOuUan,
Auditor of State, to the Coun.
ty Auditors and Assessors, we
find the following significant
passage :
"In using, then, in the twelfth
article, the words public school
houses, the trainers of the Con-
stitution meant the houses in
which the schools provided for
in the sixth article, were and
are to be kept. The Legisla-
ture has adopted this idea pre-
cisely and definitely, in provi-
ding that public school-houses'
shall be exempt from taxation.
The word public, as here used,
means the people of the State
of Ohio. No other meaning
can be adopted, because the
Constitution declares these
schools shall be established and
maintained by law throughout
the State. Therefore, no COM
mon schoolhouses are exempt
from taxation, except those
owned by the public authori.
ties for common school purpo
ses under the school laws of the
State. All others, with the
grounds and fixtures annexed
thereto, must be valued and
placed on the list of taxable
property"
If this decision of the Audi.
tor be correct we do not see
why. churches should not be
taxed. They are not public
churches and are not under the
control of the State, therefore,
according to this extraordinary
ruling of the Auditor, and ac-
corG,ng to his reasoning, they
ought to be taxed. Why is it
that this Interpretation of the
Constitution did not strike the
minds of our Legislators and
Judges heretofore =? No one
suspected that the trainers OF
the Constitution hud any such
thought, until now. We at
tended the discussion of the
Con vention when this common
school question was before it
and we heard nothing which
could induce US to suppose thai
the mem bers wished to enact ;
penal law such as disfgureG
the British statute book.
The Constitution guarantee;
to all liberty of conscience
We believe that education
without religion is fatal TO
Christianity, and now we are
told that we must pay tax to
the State of Ohio before we can
teach our Catholic children
their catechism. There were
men in the Convention who
formed the Constitution, and
they are still living, whose
great object in supporting the
common school system was its
hostility to Christianity. They
knew that if religion was ex-
cluded from the schools, infidel-
ity would follow. And so it
has. 1t is only by sensational
efforts and advertising on Sat
urdays that their congregations
can be gathered. If Catholic
citizens be taxed for having
school-houses, we have no lib
erty of conscience. The school.
house, the crucifix, the Lords
prayer, and decalogue, are all
parts of our religious system
If we can not have these with
out paying hush-money to the
State, then to boast about every
man being free to worship God
according to the dictates Of
his conscience is y contemplate
sham. The law compels us to
pay tax for the support of com
mon schools, conscience impo-
ses a tax on us to built and
support Catholic schools, and
now the State Auditor gives
another turn to the screw, and
tells us that we must pay tax
for having a conscience at all.
We do not believe that thi'
ruling of the Auditor will be
enforced. He no doubt thinks
that he is right, and we hav'
no word of reproach for him
but we have an abiding faitl
in the honesty and purity O
our Judges, in the patriotism
!