, 1875-12-19

now stands, the State of Illinois gives by tax
exemption quarter of n million of dollars
every year to the churches; aud this Is e1-
torted from the taxpayers, whether they be
worshipers or non-attendants at church,
Christians, Jews, or inddels And yet men
talk of no connection between Church and
State, and affirm that in this land no man
is compelled to pay anything towards the
support Of religious ideas and forms in which
he does not believe! What party would dare
even to introduce bill into the Legs a uro
which should appropriate from the I1ea uEy
s225,ooo, to be distributed among oil the
religious denominations according to their
membership, or their property invested IN
real estate? No matter what arguments
might be urged Us to the usefulness OF
churches to the community in moral respects,
the proposal would be unanimously rejected
as inconsistent with thorough separation OF
Church and State. But the principle is not
at all changed when the same sum IN taxes
is remitted to the churches. To give it to
them before it reaches the Treasury is to
change the form but not the reality OF the
appropriation.
The churches should not be willing to
stand in this position, and to give occasion
for the taunt Of the unbelever. The sentl~
mental idea that Christianity has KIND OF
homage paid to it by this exemption OF
church property is q de}usion. For the
exemption applies equally to heresy as to
orthodoxy, to Romnnism as to Protestant
ism, to Deism or Spiritualism es to Chris
tianity. Certainly no special honor is put
upon the truth as such, while from the point
Of view Of any particular relgionist the
State does great deal to aid in the pzopaga-
ton Of erro7. The United States census
of 1870 gives the church property OF
the leading denominations thus: Roman
Catholics, $4,000, 900; Methodists, $7o,-
100000; Presbyterians, SIS, 600, 900; Bap-
fists, $39, ,000, 600; Episcopalians, $50, ,ooo,-
600; Congregationalists, $4,000, 900; the
Llberd sects. $12,ooo,oo We omit the
fractions. Now why should Protestant phi
vate property be compelled to help pay the
annual tar Of 800, 900 TINT Romish church
property ought to bear? Or why should
Romish taxpayers assume part OF the
s., 800, 900 which leading Protestant denomi~
nations ought to be paying into the State
Treasu1ies2 Or why should evangelical and
non-evangelcal sects be compelled to bear
one another's public burdens? But If all
church property paid its own tax, this CT :fu-
sion and injustice would end, and each class
Of religionists would drcw simply upon its
own resources.
And then so far as this should bring Pc
cuniary pressure upon the churches, as such,
the fact would be attended with several COM
peusatory consequences. It would be =
motive for the members to pay more careful
attention to politics: that the taxes might not
be made heavy by wastefulness and cor
ruption- The spur Of sef-interest might
thus do what right principle has been slow
to accomplish. Then, again, in small COM
munities it would operate to produce reig-
ious union, 4nd to prevent the needless erec-
ton Of churches not demanded by the popu-
lation, but built in the heat Of quarrel or
under the prompting of sectarian ambition.
And, further, o healthfully repressive
influence would be exerted on the
erection Of unduly expensive and luxurious
churches. Why should single Episcopal
OF Presbyterian church, in taz-burdened New
York City, like Trinity or DR.. HA11's cost q
million Of dollars, and Rouaish cathedral on
Fifth avenue three or five millions, and yet
be exempt from all taxes? Certainly it is
vain to plead the poverty Of the builders, and
it is unjust to throw their proper burden
upon others It is dishonorab1e to religion
in general thus to treat it as child that
cannot support itself without State aid, and
it is temptation to Romanists to acquire fr
their Church, here as in the Old World, vast
lsnded estates, to be held free Of TAXATION
The true spirit of Christianity unites with
that of our Republican institutions in secur-
ing total separation Of Church and State,
financially as we'll as otherwise. Let the
Church no longer play the pauper!