New-York tribune., 1894-04-29

the most fiery of the Welsh disesta ablshers think
the Church gets too good terms. The censure OF
extremists on both sides is form Of eulogy,
II was once supposed that a Welsh bill would
follow the main lines of the Irish Church bill.
1t does not. 1t is far more sweeping measure; 1t
proceeds on principles which in 1869 could never
have been applied and creates precedents in
which the Church Of England may discern its
coming doom. The Church in Wales is TO cease
to exist on January !, 1896. establishment.
All rights of patronage. all ecclesiastical cor
poratons sole or aggregate. will be extin-
guished. The Church becomes a voluntary asso-
ciation with It's doctrines and discipline no
longer of legal obligation, but to be binding
benceforth by assent and mutual agreement Its
members may organize representative body.
which may be Incorporated.
For all that the disestablishers care little ex-
cept that 1t removes a mark of ascendancy
against which they have long chafed, What
they want is to get at the Church FUNDS. Ihere
Is a comic element in their surprise and 0sap-
pointment when Mr.. Asquith announced that
the whole yearly revenues of the Church IN
Wales do not exceed million and a half dollars.
All Of It, and all other ecclesiastical property
with specified exceptions, is 10 vest in COM
mission Existing encumbrances and the money
interests
upon the property. The cathedrals are to be re-
garded as national monuments and preserved for
worship and perhaps. 1t is not clear for yearly
Eistedfods. The churches and parsonages vest
in the commission. The salaries Of incumbents
are TO be paid in fun while they discharge their
duties This is what the extremists most resent
That postpones they insist disesabishment for
a generation. Private benefactions to the Church
since l7OS remain the property of the Church.'or
Of the new representative body. Burial grounds
and glebes vest in parish or district councils
Tithe, which is the most valuable asset or the
Church, vests ultimately In the county counclls;
for the present the new commission collects II
and pays over the net proceeds 10 the incnm-
bents, unless they like to take annuities at
lower rate Subject TO these claims, the rever-
sion Of all this property goes, in Mr.. Asquiths
phrase. to the Welsh people. That is a finer
phrase for the local governing bodies who really
get IL and who may use II for hospitals. con-
yalescent homes, trained nurses, institutes OF
learning building cottages for laborers. libraries.
technical schools. higher education. or apparent
ly for any public purpose deemed of general
utility 1t makes one wonder what the Conser-
vatives who created the present local govern
ment system would have done If they had fore
seen that the existence of the councils was to
furnish a means of appropriating church en-
dowments for non-ecclesiastcal purposes.
Sir Michael Hicks Beach and Sir Richard Web
ster retorted at once upon Mr. AsQUth that the
State did not give these endowments. and had
no right to confiscate them. They are now 10 be
used for purposes all of which might be carried
out by taxation No doubt; and it is the relief
Of taxation, or the attainment OF coveted public
objects without taxation. which makes disendow
ment the more popular and the more democratic
In the English view. This 1t is, together with
the hatred of the masses and of the lower middle
classes for all social superiorites which SO long
since fired the Welsh imagination. There is not
I suppose in the whole number OF the enemies
of the Establishment who would lift finger
for disestablishment If he could not have disen-
dowment Also
The debate on the Budget continues inside and
o.N SIDE the House of Commons. Its PROSPECTS
do not improve. People VINO favor conhscation
in some shape or in some degree Sir William
Harcourts most enthusiastic supporters Its OPP
ponents quote Mr. Gladstone against the new.
proposals relating to death duties The Radical
,-etorts with contempt. ut is not by Quotations
from. Mr. Gladstone that a democratic movement
can be STAYED or demOcra tic finance hampered."s
Perhaps not; but the case has been put of an es-
tate which. under Sir Wam's new scale Of du-
ties, passes rapidly by successive deaths from
one younger son to another. II would presently
be wiped out. The pretence of putting person. !
atty and realty on the same footing is seen to
be a pretence only. The succession duties on
realty increased. and its extra burden Of tax
alton is not lghtened The income tax anoma- |
lies excite indignation among those who must
suffer by them. They bring the day measurably |
nearer when Mr. Ben Tillett's programme Is |
to be adopted, when the poor shall levy the taxes
and the rich pay them. rhe rich include the |
moderately well off. Nor has Sir Williams offer
to limit the spirit duties TO a single year |
appeased the hostility OF the distlers Of Scotland |
and Ireland. The Chancellor Of the Ex- |
chequer has thus far carried his resolu- |
tions in the House and held his own !
handsomely in debate, But he hardly takes |
account of the widespread enmity he has reused |