The Progress., 1894-04-28
CHURCH AND STATE.
REASONS WHY THERE SHOULD BE
A SEPARATION OF THE TWO.

A SEPARATION OF THE TWO.
Church Property Should BE Taxed-The
State Has No Right to Tax One Man to
Propagate Another's Religion.
The census Of 1890 has reported the
alleged value of church edifces, the lots
on which they stand and their furnish
ings as $3.50, 6S7, 106. This does not in
clude the value Of parsonages, lots,
monasterie5, converts, schools, colleges,
Orphanages. lands, etc, Of which the
various churches hold probably $780,
600, 900 more. General Grant, in his
famous message to congress in 1875,
was probably not far from right when
he said, In 1900, without a check, it
is safe to say this property will reach a
sum exceeding 80, 0D0, 600, O00."
The census of 1890 shows that the
Catholic estimate of the value Of their
church edifces alone is $11S, SAP, 366.
This does not include schools, converts,
real estate and mercantile property, SO
called church property. A very careful
student of the Catholic church in this
country says she has now $3.50, 900, 900
worth of property.
There are other rich religious corpo-
rations in this city deriving large rev.
enues from property that ought to be
taxed. Instead of the nation paying
tribute to the church, the church ought,
like her founder, to pay tribute to the
nation. Tax all church property, and
we will find out whether all of the
churches are loyal or not. In order that
we may not be compelled to repeat here
the history of other nations, let rs tax
church property and thus effectually
check ecclesiasticism. Without taxa
ton confscation will be inevitable.
Let Americans take warning by the
fact that corporated religious wealth
became at one time so great in England
and in France, Italy, Spain and south
Germany that it crippled their re-
sources, paralyzed industries and pro-
duced ambitions which were only allie
waited by wholesale confscation. Mex
leo and many of the South American re-
publics had to seize the property of the
church. Four-fifths of the Protestant
clergy and the Protestant people are in
favor of the taxation of all church prop
erty, and the other fifth will be as soon
as it gets any information on the matter.
Benjamin Franklin said: when a
religion is good, l will conceive that it
will support itself, and when it cannot
support itself and God does not take
care to support it, so its professors are
obliged to call for help from the civil
power, l apprehend of its being bad
one" President Garfield said: 1.-The
divorce between church and state ought
to be absolute. If you exempt property
of any church organization, you impose
a tax on the whole community"
Tax churches, and only those able to
pay taxes would dare to be extravagant.
With so much poverty and want in the
community our magnificent church
edifces and massive buildings for al
legged charitable purposes on our most
valuable sites are burlesque on both
religion and charity. Tax churches,
and modest buildings will be erected
where they are most needed instead of
building one great structure in a fash
ionable quarter. Exemption from taxa
ton is virtually state support, and that
is contrary to our constitution.
Churches are said to be public prop
erty, but in many churches the pew
rents are so high and the people so ex-
elusive that the public feel they are not
wanted. I know it is an unpopular
thing to say, but it is the truth, that
many of our churches are only social
clubs with a religious bias. So because
the churches are not the property of the
public they should not be exempt from
taxation.
You are religious, but You do not give
that as an excuse for not being taxed.
would tax all charitable Institutions
hospitals, orphanages and the like.
Their work is not wholly philanthropy
ic. They receive revenue. My mother
was left widow, with three little Or
phans to care for. Her little country
home was taxed. If any orphanage
should be exempt from taxation, such a
one as that was ought to be.
Tax all church property, SO we may
get a total separation of church and state
and no church may derive support by
the taxation of the people AT large The
state has no right to tax one man for the
purpose of propagating another man
religion. There is no reason why an,
property which does not belong to the
state should not pay the state for its
protection.
Directors.
A man, upon making application for