The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-01-24
TAXING CHURCH PROPERTY.

TAXING CHURCH PROPERTY.
Church property, like aHy other,
should be taxed by the State. In 9TH
er words, no ecclesiastic organization
has the right to tax every citizen for
the support of its own gospel, whether
the citizen believe in that gospel or
not. The Protestant sssents to the
exemption of the Hebrew and Roman
ist church property because he thus Sc
cures the liberation of his own church
possessions, and thus there is part
uership between multitudes of honest,
good people to mulct the rest of the
community in order that their tower
ing steeples and modest school houses
may be exempt from public burdens.
These churches are hostile to one an
other till they enter fields of leglsla-
ton, and then their billing and cooling
is simply admirable. Now and then the
vastness of value OF the possessions OF
one compact and powerful religious
body excites the envy or terrors of a
weaker class, and it is then said
that. all should be taxed; but
selishness comes to the rescue of
holiness, and the poor refuse to tax the
rich, the poor dreadiDg the necessity
for the expenditure of pennies if the
rich be forced to pay pounds. With
questions of religion the State has moth
ing to do. 1t operates upon no mans
God or soul. Its province is not in
promotion of salvation. 1t exists to
protect alike the Mshommedan, Greek,
Christian, infdel and heather, and
has no right to tax the last to support
the first. Demagogues, of course, dare
not advert to this question. An aver
age candidate for the Legislature nei-
ther comprehends it nor would he dare
to suggest the wrong done by codes
now in force. And yet, when nc talk
10 a goodly Methodist or Baptist or
Calvinist In reference to the vast accu-
mutations of untaxed wealth created
by other denominations the danger
to republican Institutions invciived
in the policy of American governments,
as these affect the different religions
and irreligions of the age, is instantly
and earnestly confessed. No church
has the right to tax the citizen invol-
unfairly and no citizen has the right to
tax the church as such. Therefore, in
public schools, if these must be main
tanned, we have no right to introduce
any religious system or teach any
creed. The Bible is now declared to
be not proper public school book and
for the simple reason that religious pre-
cepts should be inculcated by the
church and freside alone. Plainly
enough, every church exempt from tax
alton imposes heavier burdens upon
the property of other people, and thus
they are taxed to maintain the church.
1t Is in reference to this subject that
some writer in the Boston Herald, re-
ferring probably to Beecher and his
church, says:
If this exemption was in the interest
of piety and virtue, if Its end and OBJ
ject were to encourage men and women
in Christian life, the injustice would
be less apparent and the iavoritism
would have some show of reason. But
when the exemption is in the interest
of vice and crlminality; when what the
church organization saves in taxes is
| expended in the decentralization of the
community, and in extending the
boundaries and strengthening the sta
bilIty of ''Sstan's kingdom" it be-
comes a crime again.t society, for the
suppression of which legislation should
provide either prevention or PEN
atty. ''For all such persons" says
the hides, "who cannot see any ir-
herent wrong In the noE=taxation of
church property, we now publish GER
tain amssing and dsmning facts about
Trinity Church, in New York City,
| which ought TO sweep away all church
exemptions in a whlrlwlnd of public
indignation. These facts we have
learned on private testimony so direct
aud precise, and from witness so care
ful, truthful and honorable, that we
are willing to vouch for their accuracy,
and to challenge denial from the Christ
ian press of the country" The Inder
then gives list of the vast real estate
possessions IN New York City of the
Trinity Church corporation, amount
| ing, at low valuation, to fully SO, :
600, 900, and states that the land under
buildings covering more than forty
squares, in the heart of the city, pays
no tax, though the lessees pay taxes on
the bull lings they have erected upon
it. Pursuing the inquiry, how this
colossal property earns its exemption
from taxation-how it pays to New
York city in ''good moral influence"
for the 81, $50, 900 which it compels
the rest of the city to pay as annual
taxes in its stead, 1t finds "frcm the
official records in the offices of the
chief of police aud the excise commits
sioners that the real estate of Trinity
Church supports 764 liquor saloons and
ninety-six known houses of prosti'u-
tion Iniuety-two white aud four coll
ored), with many Others suspected to
be SUCH" This is rather a bad record
tor the wealthiest church In the coun-
try, the members Of which profess to
be followers of the humble Nazsrene,
who went about doing good, and from
it the IndGr deduces the moral that
"all this infAmy is the result of the
non-tsxstion of church property and
that, if the churches raised their voices
in favor Of their own taxation, the just
measure Of redress for = grievous wrong
could be carried at once, and thereby
would DE rendered a great, noble and
conspicuous service to the public NOR
als.n
: SAM BOwLEs.