The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-01-17
asrnIng Star and Catholic Messenger.
new oRLEAHs, SUNDAY. JANUARY IT. 1875.
Mgr. Dupanloup and the Prime Minister of Italy

Oh tnO GOVefuucnt IN couuSChtibS SnuASn
proper ty and in imprisoning His Holiness the
Pope. This letter caused q profound sen
sation throughout Europe, and drew from
the Liberal press the most unmeasured de-
nunciation, though no attempt even was
made to answer the facts and arguments OF
the Bishop. His Lordship had the hap
piness Of receiving from His Holiness, the
Pope, an autograph letter, thanking him
for his defense OF the Rights of the Church
and praising him for his courage. From
Mgr. Dupanloup's letter we extract the
following striking passages:
MADE ITALY THE RICHER.
Very well, you have robbed the Church !;
are you the richer for 1t You threw this
booty into tie sbyss of your anancas. has
this abyss been allied ups No, it has be-
come deeper. Ee has bean said, that the
goods of the Church do not bring luck mp
on those who take unlawful possession Of
them: "Woe,"' writes Bossuet. .to those
who lay their hands upon them u Spain
and other nations give testimony of this |;
for withal, they were not saved, neither
from bankruptcy, nor invasions, nor finap--
eial disasters. You have come to euch a
pass, paper money. Where have the riches
of the CHnrch in Italy gomez Who profits
by them What ! know is, that the def
cit Of your finances is increasing yearly, in
trightful proportions. Say the same of the
taxes and the public debt. Your expense
balance to-day, passes 730 millions, that is
to say, it surpasses by one half the balances
Of all the italian States, taken together, be-
fore the unidcatian. Consequently. Italian
Unity, to-day ,lcosts the Italians 730 mil
lions year. The augmentation of these
expenses from year to year, according to
the expression of the Deputy, Corbetta, is
"something enormous, something incredi-
ble." In 1868 Il take the figures from the
same source) the expense balance was 99S
millions in 1869 one milliard and one hun
dred miilions-in 1870, one milliard and
one hundred aud eleven millions and for
the current year, 1874, one milliard and
52S millions.
The taxes, very naturally, mount proper
tionately; but they do NOT suffice, and
every year the deficit increases, and the
debt becomes more enormous. In 1861 the
deficit was 80 millions in 1871, s4,232,-
76l in 1872, 233 ,O19, 1879. In 1861 the
public debt of Italy was Ill millions-[I
speak of the Interest," in 1871, it is 44O
millions, representing o principal Of ten
nilliards. On the other hand, this deficit
and this rising debt-tide should cease to,
be q matter of surprise, when, on q balance
1909 millions of entries, for the year 1872,
il is necessary to deduct at the outset, for
TiSdtS aCQuiESus 1OE Vu0 lut6L6Bb On the
debt, for guarantees and appropriations,
an intangible part ofnesrly nailliard (93l,-
l60, 059), on which it is impossible to econ
omiZe AS consequence, the debt 10
ever, ever Increasing, and with it the taxes
in like proportion. II is . fact, that before
the year 1860, the average tax paid by
every inhabitant 10 Italy was not more
than 10 francs and SO confines, comprising /
provincial and municipal taxes.
In 1873 every inhabitant paid an aver
age tax of foFty-four francs, and sixty
three centimes that 10, the taxes since
the pressure Of such q debt, and the neces-
sity Of such taxes, the exigencies Of the |
italian treasury have become something
prodigious. 1 have been told of colIege |
in Rome, which, before 1870, used to pay q |
tax of three hundred francs to the Pontia-
cal Government, now it pays thirty EIGHT |
hundred! know person, whose fortune |
does not render him more than modestly |
independent, who pays to-day in Rome |
nine thou sand francs for q house, for which |
ne formerly used to pay four hundred |
From four hundred francs to nine thousand |
is an incredible increase but have heard |
q formal attestation of it. Our Pious Es- |
ta2 lishments, as have already said, used |
to pay, under the Pontifcal Government, !
eleven Thousand FIVE hundred francs to- |
day they pay twenty eight thousand, and |
in short while they will, probably, pay
portions of the taxes. But If We examine
in detail, what would we see All Mr..
your financiers are men OF re-
sources, and your Unity costs Italy dearly. |
Has it not been demonstrated before the
tribune, by Deputy, that piece of bread,
before being eaten, has paid twenty-one
taxes What have you net said against
the Popes about the tax on -four, tax
which was moderate enough, indeed To-
lay, this tax has not only passed the great
sst proportions, but it has been extended
rom -four TO every kind of grain, to In
liam corn, to chestnuts,~ to beans, in a
word, to everything which constitutes the
punishment of the poor people. What lie
'our mode of proceeding in the matter of
louse-rent3 Perhaps you impose tax on
he real value OF the house, that which
would only be just No, but on fictitious
Ialue, determined by you. "Sce," tho
proprietor of hosse will say to you,
here ia what my house yields me here
ire the rent terms.v s'Ah,n you answer,
lit is your own fault that you don't get
nore out of it. You could rent it at such