The Portland daily press., 1885-12-24
SOUTH AMERICA.
A Struggle Between the Church and
State In the Argentine Republic,
Which Soon Becomes the Dominant
struggle in National Politics.
Catholics Forbidden to Send Their
Children to a Protestant Teach
er's School.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23.-A series Of des-
patches received by the Secretary OF State
| from Minister Thomas Osborne at Buenos
| Ayres, the last of which is dated October
16, 1885, describes an interesting episode in
the nature of struggle between the church
and state in the Argentine republic for the
control of the normal schools-a struggle
which soon became the dominant issue in
national politics and absorbed much of the
attention of the government and people.
In the normal schools of that republic,
established and supported by the national
government, many Protestant teachers,
mostly ladies from the United States, are
employed. On the 25th of April, 1885, DR..
Chara, Catholic ecclesiastic and acting
Bishop at Cordova, issued a pastoral letter,
prohibiting among other things the sending
of Catholic children to the schools where
Protestant teachers were employed. The
government, considering it an act of diSre-
spect and INSTRUMENTATION, took the matter
up, and after an exchange of several notes
between the Minister of Education, the
Governor of Cordova and DR.. Chara, re-
ferred it to the Attorney General for his
opinion The Attorney General, in long
report, giving full review of the relations
of the state and church, gives it as his
OplllOu Llldb bIlG SON6Iuln6it WHICH COLI
firmed the church nominations could dis
cipline and dismiss. President Rocco ac-
eepted this opinion as sound doctrine, and
issued a decree dismissing DR.. Chara. DR..
Chara refused to accept the dismissal and
continued to exercise the functions of his
priestly office. He even issued second pas
toral, in which he asserted it was his duty
to obey instructions from Rome rather than
the laws Of the national government. The
people are now divided into two parties
clerical and anti-clerlcal.
Congress passed bill, which had been in
troduced at a previous session, providing
that in the schools of the national capital
there should be no sectarian test or teaching
In the discussion of the budget of the
Minister of Education and Worship hot
debate took place in the section relating to
the suppression of seminaries for the educa-
tion of priests, and Minister De Wild, who
took part in the discussion, made it known
that the President by withholding supplies
was determined to press the question to the
point of separation Of the church and state.
DR.. Maltera, apostolic delegate, anathema-
tized the normal school at Cordova, of which
Miss Clara Armstrong, an American lady
and Protestant, was directress; and hav-
ing been requested by Miss Armstrong to
remove the anathema, consented ON condi-
tian that she secure certain pledges from the
Minister of Worship.
This she attempted to do, but was sharply
reprimanded by the minister who told her
JHe SONcTlILlellb oulplOyeu ueI 10 tettcH IH6
sciences and that DR. Maltera had no au-
thority to interfere. heminister then called
upon DIR. Maltera for an explanation of his
interference with the law and authorities of
the country, and as this explanation was
not made, the minister sent the apostolic
delegate his pass ports and required him to
leave the country within six hours and the
requirement. was complied with. The secu-
lar press charged DR.. Maltera with having
been the instigator of all the trouble.
at is quite probable, writes Osborne in
his last despatch that the President sent in
a message asking Congress to approve the
call for a convention to amend the constitu-
tion in order to relieve the State from the
church"
One of the early incidents Of the struggle
was procession of more than a thousand
ladies of the first families of Buenos Ayres,
which marched to the Senate and presented
petition signed exclusively by women,
praying for the rejection of the pending bill
already passed by the lower house which
prohibited the teaching Of religious dogmas
in common schools. A vote was immediate
ly taken by smart judgment and the bill
was rejected by one vote.