The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-01-26
From the Cincinnati Catholic Telezrpb
ClTHOLIC SCHOLLS.
The auditor OF Ohlo Decides They arc
Taxable.

/ IN a circular issued by the Hon. Jas.
I H Goldman, Auditor Of State, to the
i County Auditors and Assessors, we
I find the following significant passage:
SIN using, then, in the twelfth ar
I ticle, the words public school houses,
I the trainers Ofthe Constitution meant
/ the houses in which the schools pro-
I vided for in the sixth article were, and
are to be, kept. The Legislature has
/ adopted this idea precisely and defi-
nitely, in providing 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 main
tanned by law throughout the State
Therefore, no common sehOOl-hOUses
are exempt from taxation except
those owned by the public authorities
for common school purposes, under
the school laws Of the State. All 9TH
ers, with the grounds and fixtures an
nexed thereto, must be valued, and
placed on the list of taxable proper
ty."
If this decision of the Auditor 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 ae-
cording to this extraordinary ruling Of
the Auditor, and according to his rea-
sOning, they ought to be taxed. Why
IS 1t that this Interpretation of the
Constitution did not strike the minds
Of OurlegislatOrs and judges hereto
fOre2 No one suspected that the franz
ers of the Constitution had any such
thought, until now. We attended the
discussion of the Convention when
this common school question was be
fore 1t, and we heard nothing which
could induce US to suppose that the
members wished to enact a penal law
such as disfigured the British statute
book.
The Constitution guarantees to all
liberty Of conscience. We believe that
education without religion is fatal to
Christianity, and now we are told that
we must pay a tax to the State of
Ohio before we can teach our CathO-
lie children their cateehism. There
were men in the Conventions who
formed the Constitution and they are
still living, whose great object in sup
porting the common school system
was its hostility to Christianity.
They knew that is religion was ex-
eluded from the schools, infidelity
would follow. And so it has. 1t is
only by perpetual and sensational ef-
forts and advertising on Saturdays
that theircOngregatiOns can be gather /
ed. If Catholic citizens be taxed for
having schOOl-houses,w we have no lon
ger liberty Of conscience. The school |
house, the crucifix, the Lords PRAYER, |
and the decalOgue, are all parts of our |
religious system. If we can not have
these without paying hush-mOney to |
the State, then the boast about every
man being free to worship God ae-
eOrding to the dictates of his con-
science, is a contemplate sham. The
law cOmpels US to pay tax for the sup
port Of common schools, conscience
imposes a tax on US to build and sup
port 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 this ruling 1
Of the Auditor will be enforced. He |
no doubt thinks that he is right, and .
we have no word Of reDrOach for him;
but we have an abiding faith in the |
honesty and purity of our Judges, in |
the patriotism of our Legislators, and |
IN the honesty OF public opinion. |
These will not do us the great wrong
which the ruling of the State Auditor |
threatens to infict on Roman Catho-
lie citizens.