The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-25
Church Taxation.

1t is to be regretted that the letter of Gen.
Dix, which recently appeared in tbs columns
OF the PRESS, deals with the subject at the
head of this article in tone so unfavorable to
the candid discussion it calls for The real
merits OF the question are scarcely referred to
while the writer imputes the lowest motives
to those who advocate this measure, and
would arouse against them the strongest pre-
JUDGES found in human nature. The taxation
of chuch property is not advocated by inf
dels specially or by the skeptcal classes gener-
ally any more than by many earnest friends of
religious truth and devout attendants upon
church services. The illustrations adduced by
Gen. Dix are drawn from systems of religious
worship and forms of government differing
widely from our own; and the most cursory ex-
animation will show their inspplicsbilty to
our own political system. The religion of the
Jews was national, and formed an
integral part of their governmental
system, - indeed it was their govern
ment. Its first great temple was built by
the royal family, aided by the common contri-
buttons of the nation at large; and in later
periods of their history their synagogues were
erected by the districts in which they were
situated. So also in early Christian times, the
heather temples that afterwards became places
OF worship for better faith were the property
of the States or cities that erected them, and
when the nation changed its religion they
passed over to the dominant faith. The idea
of the union of Church and State was carried
over to the Christian Church, and the State, as
matter of course, built the places of worship
and endowed the religious estabh shme nts that
were not cared for by private charity. The
religious wants of the people were as much
the care of the government as were the courts
of justice; and hence all expenditures in
this direction were matters of public charge
and general taxation. 1t is so at the present
time wherever the Church is national,
or is under the control of the State;
and in all such cases the government may con-
sistently exempt its own property from taxa
ton, or may properly tax the whole commu-
nifty for its support. But our own government
recognizes the entire separation of the Church
from the State, and comedies to citizen perfect
freedom of thought and action in religions
matters-the only limitation of this freedom
being that no citizen in the exercise of his
freedom shall interfere with the rights of his
fellow citizens The long struggle that re-
suited in the establishment of the great prin-
ciple of religious liberty has left too many
memories of wrong, injustice and cruelty, to
permit its advocates to think lightly of any en-
croachment upon this fundamental idea of our
government. When the citizen is taxed for
the support of the public schools he has no
reason to complain. for general education is
Indispensable to the existence of our free insti-
tutions, and the theory Of our government is
that the state should provide for the education
of the people, But when citizen is taxed,
directly or indirectly, for the support of re-
ligiods system with which he has no sympathy,
he may justly demur, since it is violation of
one of the most important principles of the
government under which he lives Important
as religious cnlture is to the prosperity, and
even to the existence of a nation, our govern
ment claims no right to impose upon the people
any system of religious belief or form of wor-
ship. That is left to the conscience OF each
individual or denomination, and if the individ-
ual or public religious conscience do not re-
spond to the teaching of the Divine Word or
the call of duty by making ample provision for
such religious culture, then, the only thing
that can be done Is for the people to suffer the
penalty of such neglect. If religion is worth
| ANYTHING it is worth all that it can cost the
denominations to sustain its worship in their
own chosen way. As good citizens, church
members should contribute their just proper
| tion of taxes for governmental purposes; and
| when they ask for exemption from taxation in
respect to their church property, they ask that
others may be compelled to aid them
in supporting their form of worship. The
| denomination that fought the battle
| of religious liberty in this country may
| well be hostile to the admission of so dangerous
| principle, and can afford to advocate the
taxation of church property-even though it
bear heavily upon their resources or expose
them to the imputation of affihating with the
mercenary and profane. They have suffered
| enough IN defense of the principle to estimate
| it at its true value and in every proper and
| practicable way should protest against the CON-
| pulsory support of religious worship, whether
| exacted by levying church rates by government
| tai officers, or exempting church properly from
| taxation by State or municipal law.
CITIZEN.