The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-02-06
s;rulles about entering the very ediaees
they are taxed to support

:. s;rul'las about entering the very edi6ce
they are taxed to support
1t is not right nor just that the DOC
D Roman Catholic woman owning only
! few square feet of ground aud miserabI
sEanty upon it be taxed to suppol
and maintain the costly spires and tul
, rets Of the Protestant edi6ce. and it
equally hard and unjust that the laborin
|. man of the Protestant faith pay taxes O
, the maintainence Of the gorgeous Catholi
Cathedral
The true way TO mete out equal an
exact justice to all; to place the dut
and the burden where il rightfully belong
Is to let each and every church corpora
ton OF whatsoever denomination, paw
tax upon the just valua ton of the prop
erty it owns In this way they vii
render unto Caesar the things which ar
Caesar s, they will give Il Just return TO
that which they receive. They will dis
charge tho whole duty which they ow,
70 The State
2d- It's not eonsonant with the geniu
Of our Institutions 10 have any conpec
ton, direct or indirect, between ehurcf
and State
The Democratic theory of government
IS thas the State shall secure equal right.
to all and that in return all bear equally
the burden of taxation which necessarily
| arises from SO doing.
Ii equality of civil rights is guaranteed
70 all, why should some hundred millions
OF church property contribute nothing to
support the state? Is there any essen.
tiai difference between making a direct
donation of public money to support re.
liglon, and remitting the taxes on the
large amounts or church pro oersy which
are being rapidly accumulated? For our
selves we confess we can see none. 1t is
SAID that In the city Of Milwaukee the
amount of,property exempted from tax
alton held by ecclesiastical corporations
amounts to nearly one eighth of the whole
property of the city Here in defiance
of our theory of Democracy is one eighth
OF the burden taken from the property
where 1t justly belongs and placed or the
property of lose to whom it does not
| belong. This is legal, but is it right?
Again, the exemption of churches
from taxation is only bonus in favor Of
particular form of expenditure which
many do not consider the best means OF
promoting religious interests A. believes
IN building costly churches as means OF
promoting religion. B. thinks differently
and invests money in interest bearing
securities, the proceeds to be employed
III sending ministers TO preach In out-of
| the-way poverty-strlcken localities and
to AID IL supporting them while SO en-
gagged. A. receives an annual subsidy
| from the State government to aid his
bequnsi, while BIS money, both principa
and interest is taxed to pay the bonus.
One of the dangers of this indirect
connection of church and state. is thai
which we have already realized in some
degree from the existence of our huge
ballroad corporations, that of an attenp
to control our legislative action by I'm
proper means 1t is certain that the
people of Wisconsin through their rep
resentatlves in the legislature have fol
several years paid large amounts of mon
ey In aid o. private charitable insti
tutlons. These demands are inc reasins
with each year, and it is alleged that til,
wealthy denomination to which th, IS,
charities belong make their political! IN
Huenca teHupon those within their ponrer
Here then are large amounts of th,
people money given away to priv. t.
irresponsible persons over whom tn,
government has no control, and VIII,
are not accountable TO the people for gh
manner of It's expenditure. One thin.
is true that if we permit valuable land
In the centers of our large cities TO &,
exempt from taxation and allow ecclesi
astlcai bodies to hold unlimited acres il
SUBURBS OF growing cities OH the pretex
that they are held as grounds for alleg
ed charitable institutions, we shall nav
delivered the people over to the frs
ecclesiastical body of coed business ca
paclty that clay choose to take the re ms
We are glad to see the people wax 10
| ~ ba 20 oTt IL
OF the present laws exempting property
1t will do no hurt to agitatc the question
and 1t may be productive of good Y
aid so far as may be in leading our peo
pie to think of this matter IS the objec
of the writer. No doubt many will dis
agree as to the matter advanced. an,
some few may coincide The article ha
been written in no spirit of aggression O
enmity to the churches, but from sin
cere conviction that the present law
exempting church property, worked in
jury to large masses Of citize ms and to tn
state as 4 whole.
But We must confess we see but littl
indication of relief in the ten per of ou
present legislature. Although bill ha
been introduced in the house of repre-
sentatiyeS, to abolish certain exemption
of property from taxation law hs
already passed the senate adding largel
10 the amouct of exempt property b
PLACING or the free list all property he'll
by Masonic bodies, Odd Fellows, Sor
of Herman and other kindred societies
But We do see signs of promise in th
fact that the churches themselves al
asking the abolition of tho exemptio
laws, and that the religious press is lea,
D ing the secular newspapers in this matte
j. S. A.
Railroad Tariffs Illustrated.
: From the Janssvills Gazette.