The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-12-12
Properties Exempted from Taxation.

which does not pay any taxes. 1hls 10 Oh
his part, pure, unqualified impudence, and
we have only to quote his own language to
prove it:
In 1850, / believe, the Church property Of
the United States which paid no tax man'c'P4'
or State, amounted, eto.
MUNICIPAL OR STATE Does be speak
of national taxation 2 Not at all. There
is no national tax on real estste. What
has Congress then to do with the question
What interest has the President, as such,
in it 2 Why and on what pretext does he
wiring the subject into his messsgef
Iwould suggest Che says) the taxation Of all |
property equally, whether church or corpora. |
tion excepting only the last resting place OF |
the dead, and, possibly, with proper restric-
| tions, church edifces. |
Now to whom does our Solon suggest
this To State and municipal govern
ments He has no right to address them
at all, much less through Congress. Te
Con gress That body has no control over
the subject. The awkward alternative
must therefore remain that it is an eyre
gous piece either of stupidity or of impu-
dence on his part. He, as much as any one
else, is held to the ordinary rule of mind
ing his own business, and the suspicion
must arise in any mind that this is only
bid for popularity with a certain class. 1t
is o sop to bigotry-the artifce of low
grade demagogue.
If we examine his proposition on its
merits, we find it as preposterous as it's
mode of announcement was NAL a propos.
The last resting place Of tho dead meets
with Presidential clemency. Well /! Give
the D. his due. If there is one man more
especially interested than any other in an
immense number of dead people, that man
ia Gen. U. S. Grant, or history greatly be-
lies him. He is credited with butcbering
half a million, more or less, of his own SOL
diers through military incompetence, and
it is but right that he should, at least, pro-
tect their bones against taxation.
"Aud possibly church edifces." Posi-
bly, ! Possibly the houses dedicated to the
worship of God will be exempt from pay
ing tax to the State. Possibly they will
not be sold to private uses even though the
Almighty should not see that the taxes on
them are paid. The protection that God gives
9 the country and the government is not
;, enough, He :suss pay taxes. The Thanks
;, giving day proclamation is all a sham. Sup
v pose that the church ediices were sold, and
v Gods worship broken up, who would lose
o more by little or the government
70 Which can do better without the other
"Poseibly" Gen. Grant has begun to doub
4 the existence of God, in view of his recen
'e experieuces. How can he reconcile thu
le presence of an overruling Providence, will
n' the triumph of such devices, such princi
s pies, such combinations as he knows t
- have been in the ascendent of late years
49, But not "possibly" schools, orphanage
he and hospitals. Education and chart
ch must be taxed. Aud here we must nj
er limit our reflections to the President
he message One of our city papers-tt
,et TTmes-has come out openly in approval
FOL the Presidents policy.
.. IC says tissue of Thursday, 9th inst):
he The abuses that have crept into the custom
ers exempting church property from taxation a
,y> already attracting the attentive consideratit
~ cf fstatesmen and political economists, and Pret
The dent Grant, on taking the sharply -dehn q
ner titude he has, only expresses the popular se
"; timent. Nobody, assume, objects 10
" would disturb the arrangement by which cha
ow liable aud religious institutions are foster
the under the law. 1t is, and properly so, an 6
tho cepted theory in this free country that all
ligions are entitled to protection and all chs
'aSs tiles worthy of encouragement. 3nC tne fre
,art dent points out the notorious fact that tt
pob theory is being systematically abused, q
=, that the accumulation of property by religio
tho bodies has attained proportions that affect
juriously the rights and interests of citizens
Ock Here is clear Endorsement of the m'
sage. As to the Presidents alleged poir
The ing out of the abuse, it is all in the ina
rlsh nation of the Times. There is no gu
pointing out. 1t is sweeping dema
ade that the exemption be withdrawn, not Il
ems the abuses of that exemption be abated.
l1'l a "suggests the taxation of all property equ
tuo .S Iy, excepting only" as above, Il
we're cemeteries anu
ess- Does thlS eAoeP'ine CN'S 90
ven. Times says, " charlCao'e "n" leiHIo"S
lrgs stitutions fostered under the Ia"
tainly not. 1t is not the abuses that are