, 1875-12-12
TIE TAXATION OF CHURCH PROPERTY

TIE TAXATION OF CHURCH PROPERTY.
The President in his message has spoken
out plainly upon the subject of the e1emp-
ton of church property from taxation, and
recommends the taxation of all property
equally, whether church or corporation, ex-
emptiug only the last resting-place OF the
dead, and, with proper restrictions, church edi-
fees" It is possible, and perhaps altogether
probable, that this recommendation will ex-
cite opposition among some OF the members
Of churches; but this does not dispose of
the fact that the Presidents position is well
taken. According to his figures, the church
property of the United States in 1850 which
paid no taxes amounted to, at very
low valuation, $ss, 600, 900. In 1860, it had
more than doubled. This year it is
estimated at 81, 600, ,ooo, 600, and, if 1t
keeps on increasing without. check, he
estimates that by the year 1900 it
will reach sum exceeding $4,000, ,oo0, ,0o0
We have not the data by which to judge of
the correctness of the Presidents figures, but
the value Of unta1ed ecclesiastical property
is simply enormous. It is at least safe to
say-and no one will deny the statement
that the amount Of church property in the
United States is increasing immensely every
year, and that all this vast property pays no
tax for its protection The immensely of this
property may be realized by remembering
what millions it has cost to rebuild the church
property in this city destroyed by the fire Of
1871. There are thousands Of churches all
over this country valued all tho way
from $1,000 to $1,ooo,ooo. A $780,
600 church almost invariably stands
upon 100000 lot, and the same
proportion holds with the smaller churches.
Every church in this city was rebuilt after
the fire larger, handsomer, and more osten-
tatious than before. It is the tendency of all
churches, as they grow larger and more pow
erful, to develop the moneyed side, to accumu-
late property, md to make display of wealth,
and fashion, and ornament. Some churches
own only the ground upon which they stand,
others an entire block, and many, like Trinity
Church, Of New York, hold heavy amounts Of
real and personal estate, and are, in reality,
large, rich, and powerful corporations, re-
ceiving the protection and all the benefits of
Government which other corporations have,
without bearing their proportion of the ex-
pense Of that protection. This, Of itself, is
aagrant injustice to Taxpayers, but this is not
all. The removal Of church property from
the tsx-list to the free list increases the bur-
deus Of taxpayers tens of millions Of dollars,
and the general revenues Of the country
would be deficient to that amount were it not
for the fact that this amount which the
church corporations do not pay is levied upon
the general community in a proportionate
increase of taxes. In other words, the
churches are dead-heading" upon the tax
paying public, and the church establishments
Of the country are supported by taxation Of
the whole people in a manner exactly equiva-
lent to church 1.-THE. Under such condi-
ton Of things as this, it is for the interest Of
church corporations to accumulate property
beyond their requirements, and to enter into
a rivalry Of show and display with each
other, the effect Of which is always demox-
alizing. There is no rsason either IN law OF
IN common ssnaa why Tie psnple As whole