New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-27
Taxing Church Property.

ta1lDg cnurcD property VIII ultimately pre-
vail. 1t ia only question Of time. A, The
outset It has formidable obstacles to en-
counter, but these will disappear before the
progress of calm investigation. At first
the proposal to tax church property meets
| strong and weli-nigh universal Or. iudice
growing out of usage in the past. 1t strikes
| the common mind as an assault on religion
or. at least. as withdrawing from it a pro-
per token of respect. Hitherto, the State
has manifested its reverence for religion bv
exempting its institutions frola the BURDEN
Of taxation This has been SO long a Gus.
tom that departure from it shocks those
who do not rise above usage, and consult
principle. The parallel custom, only lust
laid aside, OF allowing rulers TO frank their
letters was regarded as we'll nigh right
until the discussion OF cheap postage led
men to SEQ that every one. high or low,
| should bear his part in the expense of the
| postal department.; and now in England
| even the Queen, and in the United States
| even the President. must put the same
| stamp on letter that ls required of q
sh0p-glrt or OF an apprentice boy. When
once We get at tho underlying principle of
any subject. it proves to be remOrseless
leveler, and old distinctions in Church and
State find no quarter.
The custom OF exempting church prom.
erty comes down from the days when
Church and Stats were united. and when.
on many subjects, the Church gave law 60
the State, and, in the name OF God. had its
own way in all that Injured TO its own adj
vantage. Then the State supposed itself
bound TO provide revenues for the Church.
and arranged system of taxation tor that
purpose. So long as this was done il was
folly TO tax church property. To do go
would De 40 IT man were to take out Of
one pocket to put into the other. But now
hat hnrvA Z, =
principle OF separating Church and State
We ought to accept all that is logically i'm.
piled. When Christ said. Render unto
Cesar the things which are Crsar's." he
took high and advanced ground, and his
Church. snca the primitive age. has been
slow 70 occupy it. Before the time of Con
stantino it never thought of soliciting ne.
cuniary favors of the State. 1t won #.
worldwide victories with its own resources,
glad ii the State would bnt let it alone ana
tOrbear to prosecute. But from the dav
that it consented to be established nv the
civil power. it has always leaned, 20 some
extent. upon the secular arm, and il is
10th. even in this land totally to dissolve
the connection. After being cut off from
direct aid. it clings to the indirect. After
losing its invitation to eat at the State
table. it humbly desires TO be allowed to
pick the crumbs from the floor.
But light is breaking in. and clear. siph.ed
and thoughtful Christiane are advocating
the taxation Of church property precisely as |
any other. The leading religious news.
papers are doing much to correct public
sentiment. The 4dpanec in thi. CITY. the !
independent and tn. Christian Union. New |
York. and the Congregationalist. at Boston. |
have ably sustained the view which we
present. They are the more to be com.
mended in SO doing when il is remembered
that thew 81 QhQol 1ft ba; |
and are slowly educating them out of an.
tlquated notions. Often it is costly pro.
Feeding to run counter to q religious preiu.
lice, which GOOD men mistake for q funda. |
mental truth b be conscientiousIy held
But the course of reform il on ward. and one
'fter another men OF mind will sspouse the
light, will demand and secure q hearing.
'nd Will initiate wide discussion, which
Will carry the popular vote. A few States
i the Union have already begun to tax
hurch property. and the example will be
Ontagious. As conventions shall be held |
OF revising State constitutions, the 0ues.
ION will be regularly raised. the facts will
e brought forward. the principle will be
ebated, and sentimen: will inevitably
orm favorable 10 the proposed change.
or let it be considered how plain the
ase Is viewed from the side of the State.
he political economist feels himself pressed Z
18th the problem Of taxation. He wishes .
make that burden b.ar as equally as ,
ossib!e upon all tangible property. He :
nds tina: opinion is unanimous in favor of :
king real estate. by reason of its value. !
permanence, its accessibility and its :
lsy control by the civil officers. He nat. .
rally lays down the principle that all the 4
"a! estate OF locality must be subjected y
emit. Before the law maker. STUDYING the
xable resources Of the community, it is ,
no consequence to what use that real :.
tate is put. He legislates to tax it on n
e ground OF its pecuniary value as pro. 8,
cted by the government, and not be. h
use 1t is wisely or unwisely. profit. |
ny or unprotitably used by the T
Vner. or because it is employed A
commercially. educationally a,
religiously. He has no right, in a par. q,
uiar case. to see anything else than q a,
OF cted piece of property which ough. to ce
ar Its tar proportion OF the expense of sr
government which protects it. But to hi
anazement he learns. on consulting the %
nsus tables, that an immense amount of "
Al estate is exempt from taxation, on the NJ
'und that it is church propert, and prop =
y devoted to purposes of education by =
lgloHs scots and corporations. Of such VI
nrch property alone the census tables of .
report value OF 1854, 1888 5Sl. of which III u,
ire is set down to Illinois So, 664 2S3. GU
DOUBT 1t ls low estimate. And this ia ="
KIND OF property rapidly increasing a.
value, for 1t is usually we'll located. pe
additions to it are also great every ~
II. as congregations increase in means, nn
real estate nowhere pays less than one W,
cent on it's assessed value. it would "
'ear that illinois loses, every year. more ao
n quarter of . million Of dollars of ~
es by this exemption Of church property. gu
'bably the city of Chicago loses from an
,ooO 10 foU,OOO IN the same way: while | "a
entire Union il thus annually out of Wv
ket to the amount of three and a half .n "a,
lions OF dollars: But. as the expenses of az a..
States must be paid. what ia lost here o.
st be made up elsewhere; and so other .o'
estate Is taxed eorrespondingly higher. -, Wy
private real estate owners pay their nc:
innate taxes. and. in addition, those Of III III
churches! This is plain injustice in all lie
%. put especially in the case of those
do not belong to the religious bodies cor
ca own the exempted property. and it
virtual continuance Of the connection my
,hurch and State. being a con ;yibution am
he State to the churches of the amount
Oh otherwise. and equitably, these would | wa
to pay as tax upon their property.
.ois thus contributes. every year.
',o'S t9nfhe supprt of the churches. TO
ne Usual reply to this is that the du'
rches. IN return. are of immense value can
he State in promoting goods morals and ..
,ious principle. This is true; but we sha
not mix in that way questions of taxa ye-
and of incidental benefit. OF every. mel
g would escape the tax gatherer Every knc
man aids the State by his probiry and sha
stry: shall good men. therefore. be ex Ma
from taxation. on the ground of che ! to s
ic benefit accruing from right charac. San
Hardly. Every mandatory. store. vii
and well cultivated farm aids the thin
, essentially 10 many incidental ways, ."
oes every teacher Of learning Of any I"
e. and every one who promotes the Sow
IL or the fine arts. But no such plea il all