The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-02-18

proper but 10 u great extent OF We
creole descendants Of Npanlards, Vast
religious establishments '-- churches,
chapels, monaslio houses, converts,
olo,--were erected through the sweat
and Toll Of the natives The church,
az n close corporation, enjoyed extra
ordinary privileges, They possessed
"nerosn or exclusive privileges Of
lnxnlion 10 such an extent ~, added TO
the eXactions of the Spanish govern
ment, through its yioeroys aud royal
Nudlencies, over and above The steal
lngs, q IL oarpetbnggers, 10 make the
great tOlllng multitude The most nlscr-
able serlR on earth, The few natives
allowed TO enter the prleslly office were
assigned 10 Che poorest Villages on more
piltNnees, while The imported coolest
astlcs, with here and there glorious
exception, rovolled In latnoss. RIhc
cccloslnstlcal establishment came 10
own about 0no-thrd Of the real estate
OF the whole country, and ono-hNlf Of
that Ia tue city Of Mexico, IL receipts
from rents, special taxes and plous leg
ocIcs Of doubtful morality, up to within
u few years back, were 40 great That "
could ut any time Coment revolution or
revive the waning fortunes Of any anl-
bilious chief willing TO pcrpetuaIo It's
privileges Nt the expense of liberty,
SO II camo TO pass chat the first pa
trlot TO raise the standard Of liberty In
1910, was native Mexican priest, the
immortal Hidalgo, curate Of Dolores
The most distinguished generals Of the
ten years revolution, Morelos and
Matamoras, We're native priests, All
three We're captured aud put TO death
by the Spanish royallsts. The native
priesthood have largely been in SYM
pathy with the people and liberty all
these drcaly years.
The domestic struggle between liO-
crty and despotlsm, assuming form In
1888, continued till the triumph Of free
dom in 1901. Then came the inter
vcntion, with five years foreign assis-
lance to the party in favor of an impe-
rial government, its failure and ut last,
In 1867 and for the first time in 1886
years, the natives OF the country came
into fun and absolute possession of
their own governments, under II free
constitution, guaranteeing civil and
religious liberty and equal rights to
all. So stands the ease to-day,
But for nearly forty years past the
Liberal party have held tothe doctrine
that the ecclesiastical establishments,
having been built by the money and
toll of the people, were the peoples
property, and as their vast wealth and
influence had been persistcntly used to
perpetuate the slavery of the people,
and as thousands Of these establish
ments and so-called church estates were
lying idle and falling TO ruin, the pco-
pies government, as trustee of the
nation, should seculari2c the property
not used for religious purposes, and sell
il to help pay the revolutionary debt,
and, ut the same time, open the way TO
homesteads for the toling multitude
No church used for worship was to be
touched, nor any college or seminary.
This process was largely carried out in
1858, 1859, 1860 and 1861, Even Maxi
milan, the imported head of the i'm
perialists, deemed this course not only
wise, but u national necessity, and nc
tually set apart many leagues of this
abandonment land--once the seat of
vast wealth In mansion houses and
sugar estates for sale to American and
European colouists.
The ecclesiastical establishments in
the city Of MeXico--one of them cover
ing eleven acres, of massive stone
buildings in the heart of the city
We're divided up into streets and blocks
and sold years ago by the peoples gov
ernment to Mexican citizens. One
large house, once conventual church,
was bought by Chiarini, an Italian,
and converted for years into conf
bined theater and circus. 1t was pur-
chased from Chiarini by other parties
and fitted upas a sanctuary for reli-
giolls worship by that class of the peo-
pie who have organized n national
Mexican church independent of the
old regime. SO, we take it, in
some such manner Bishop Keener
has purchased from third parties
some building of this kind, prob
ably abandoned thirty years ago, and
sold by the government thirteen or
fourteen years ago. The Catholic
church, as aworld-wide body, has no
interest in this matter. The Mexican
church was long under the ban of the
holy father at Rome, and never has
purified its garments. None knew this
better than our lamented friend, the
late beloved Bishop of Texas, the dis
Father John NJ. Odin, and
We presume his succ essoE Bishop Du-
bois, would be 10th to assume that the
former eccesiasticism of Mexico was
fair type of Catholicism. We happen
to know that he is now engaged in a
effort to reform its
abuses-7a good work commenced by
Bishop Odln then vicar generaD at
San Antonio in 1910.
Our friend ofthe Age will see, there
fore, that Bishop Keener is not buying
Il Olnn nrOnnrtv