, 1875-12-26
City Government beyond what may be de-
manded by the ordinary increase Of the city's
TAXING CHURCH PROPERTY.

/
wants.
TAXING CHURCH PROPERTY.
In view OF the agitation of the question 0
taxing church property, growing out of tn
recommendation of the President in his mes
saee and its widespread discussion, the Nev
York Tribune has compiled long and de
tailed statement OF the values of church prop
erty in 1870, from official figures, from which
We select Il few general items Of interest
The entire value OF church property in tht
United Stotes in the above year was 1854,
! 1853, ISL. The Methodist denomination, which
includes more members than any other Prot
estant sect in the United States, owned prop
erty valued at $69, ,854 ,121, which was $40,
900, 600 more than the property credited te
| the Roman Catholics, $1G, ,000, 900 more thar
! that Of the Presbyterians, and $28, o00, ,00{
more than that of the Baptists. OF this
! amount, the Methodist Church North held
SIC, 100000. It is estimnted, from the pres
ent rate Of increase, TINT the total value ot
Methodist Church property in 1880 will reach
500. .000, ,000.@ The value Of the church prop
erty Of the Baptists in 1870 was 81, ,608, 196,
and the rate Of increase is steadily augmenting,
the denomination now numbering l,G3S, ,939
members and o0,520 churches, which is an
increase Of 1, ,241 churches and ST, sos men,
bers since 1869. There are sixty-two CO.
clesiastical divisions Of the Roman Catholic
Church in this country, representing in 1870
property value of SEQ, ,9s1, 55G, OF an aver
age Of less than 81, ZOO, 600 for each diocese.
OF this amount, the churches in the Diocese
Of New York held S. ZOO, 900. The Congre-
gationalists in 1870 held property valued at
$25,o69 ,C9s, which is also rapidly increasing,
the Church having gained between 1864 and
1874 78f churches and 79,011 members. The
Protestant Episcopal Church has ffty-one
dioceses and missions, and its property was
valued in 1870 at $50, ,514, $40, which is set
down at under the mark. Of the wealth Of
the churches of this denomination in New
York City, the Tribune says:
There are 1873 churches and chapes in the Diocese Of
New York than seventy Of which are In New York
City alone The churches vary considerably in aize and
wollth though hs majority Of those in the city repre-
sent large amount Of property. The churches out
sda the city, 1t ~ss thought would range between $s
900 and $4,000 In this city, Trinity Church the
chief. It Is owned by corporation the income Of
which, according to the statement Of Gen. D1x, tho
Comptroller ia equal to the legal tnterest On about
$,0o,ooo. The corporation represents seven churches
Trinity, St. Paul's, st. Johns ST. Chr3sostoms st.
Augusines, st. Cornelius, and Trinity Chapel. 70
several OF the churches cemetery s attached There
Is ta1adon On the church eGi1ces the ground on
which they etand the ce1neteIea But In addition
to these churches and cerneteries tic corporation ows
largo amount Of very va1usble property, which is
leased portion Of the real estxta leased for long
terms and another portion FOR or two yea1s. The
occupants Of the lonRt leases pay taxes the cor
poration paying the ta1ea the ehort-term leases
The various branches of the Presbyteriaus
owned property in 1870 to the value of SG3,-
6o4 ,511. Tie total value of the property of
these six denominations foots up $297 1885,
633, leaving valuation Of $53, 1926, ,9t8 for
the other denominations Whether this
amount has increased during the past five
years IS rapidly as the President calculates, is
immaterial and does not affect the question
at issue. It Is certain that the value of
church property is augmenting much faster
than the increase OF membership. The |
Presidents position, that all church property
except cemeteries should be taxed, ia sound !
one. As it stands now, little church co1porn- |
lions are taxed for the benefit Of big ones,
and the whole community is paying church |
ithR for the support Of denominations, from |
the fact that the deficit in tie revenue |
caused by the non-ta1ntion Of church !
property is spread over the general tax list !
The whole system Of immunity from taxa
lion is demoralizing, and there is no good |
reason that We have yet seen advanced why a
shurch corporation holding millions of dol
ars' worth Of property in d city should not
Jay taxes upon the amount as q railroad or
bank corporation does An argument is made
INT church institutions which are not run
OF fiscal revenue should at least be ex-
'mpted, but both corporations and individuals
re heavily taxed upon property which is un-
productive and yields no revenue.
The Rev. THOMAS TANE11, Of New York,
makes these valuable points in behalf Of
hurch taxation, and there is vast deal in |
hem !:
II ali real estate, Of every kind and no matter 10
'hom belonging, had to pay tsxes and assessments,
reat good would he accom- pliahed. It would make
hurch corporations and other corporate bodies |
,ost excellent vigilance committee over tha taxation
property. There nre more shreVd. energetic
nd vtgilaut men, where their interests arc con-
erued than they are- II they had to pay taxes they
ou1d look xfter taxation and take caro- that it as not
MUST or excessive. They would be opposed to ex-
ravagant and dishonest expenditure Of public money
hey would insist honeaty and economy md II the
ubic money should be stolen the churches would
ing with denunciations, and the best nun in tie I
3mmunity would be up In arms ngninst thieves |
ow they silent Indifferent, because their poor
neghbors, who probably never entared their !