The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09
THE CONSTITUTION.
A. II. HEIsT's FOURTH PAPER ON
THE IMPORTANT SUBJECT.
The Power to Levy Unjust Taxes
The California Provision-Church
Property-Separatfo of Church
and State.

There is no power of government
more dangerous to it's Inhabitants
than the power to levy unjust taxes.
therefore believe that the following
provision from the constitution of Cal
ifornia should be adopted in Utah:
Taxation shall be equal and uniform
throughout the state All property in
this state shall be taxed in proportion
to its value, to be ascertained as dir
ected by law" 1t seems to me almost
incredible that in an enlightened age
and among free people that such a
provision as the one above needs any
defense. And yet such is the case, be-
cause our selfish desires often prompt
us to demand unreasonable exceptions
to just laws. Tv
l approach with some nlisgivings
this demand for, just taxation lest
some of my friends should inadver-
ltently disclose some intolerance when
they shall come to defend the injustice
| OF eXempting church property from
taxation.
Rivers of human blood have, been shed
IN defence of that strange conceit on
the part of ignorant men that their
Irenglous opinions were infallbIe.
For thousands of years misguided
1
state used the sword and the faggot in
the name of religion to destroy the
natural rights OF their fellowman and
upon the ruins of his liberty they have
built the temples of their gods. Pol
itical conventions in Utah and states
men all over the union have declared
IN favor of an absolute separation of
church and state and yet no govern
ment exists in which that separation is
I ahCnl11fQ dc of DE- &c
| dollars are annually appropriated by
I the United States to church organ
ization and used by them to aid in
prosyliting. Other considerable sums
are appropriated for the making of
public prayers. In some states even
now infidels are not permitted to tell
the truth in courts of justice (often so
called as matter Of courtesy)
Some states teach doubtful religious
doctrines in the public schools. Other
states make it crime to express GER
tain opinions upon religious subjects
Nearly all states make infidels pay for
the protection Of property dedicated
to the use of a god of whom he knows
naught and cares less. Let us con-
tfnue in the line of progress made in
the last few centuries and make Utah
a model state; Utah an absolute sep
aration from all churches.
ought 10 DS unnecessary 10
show that the state should support
from the public monies all those, and
only those, institutions which are ex-
clusively controlled by the state as a
part OF its necessary machinery for The
accomplishment of the primary OBJ
jects of government as defined in nv
first letter.
L believe with the supreme court of
Ohio that, government is an organi-
cation for a particular purpose 1t is
not almighty and we are not to look to
human affairs and human interests
are left by free government to in
dividual enterprise and individual ac-
ltion Religion is eminently one of these
Interests lying outside the true and
legitimate province of government.
Legal christianity is solecism and a
contradiction of terms. When chris
tianity asks the aid of government
beyond impartial protection, it disoWns
itself. United with government, re-
ligion never rises above superstition.
UNITED with religion, government never
rises above the merest despotism; and
ali history shows us that the more
widely and completely they are sep
arated the better it is for both"
Every church is a private organi-
cation, organized for private ends, and
/
to religion is that it has no province at
! ALL" There will not be single man in
the constitutional convention who will
| dare advocate giving aid to any church,
by direct appropriation; and yet
! fear few will have strong enough sense
of justice to oppose the indirect meth
cd of accomplishing the same thing by
exempting church property from tax
alton
| A
Iempt the property of any church or
ganiZation, TO that extent you impose a
tax upon the whole people," Thous-
ands protest against being thus taxed.
Let US examine into the two principal
reasons given to justify this special
1 privilege. The first is that church
property is reproductive; non-pro-
ductiveness is not considered a suffici-
ent reason for exempting from tax
alton the belongings of the poor, and
should not be sufficient to exempt the
gilded Sunday clubhouse of the
wealthy churchgoer. But church prop
erty is not wholly unproductive. In
many churches pews are rented at
such extravagant rates that the poor
are barred out. Almost all church
property is used for money making
purposes Concerts, lectures, lotteries,
fairs, suppers, and like business ven
y
sitive man feels that he should pay
for his Sunday morning entertainment
when the platter is poked at him. Ev-
cry sincere churchman invests in
church property as a matter of duty
toward his God, and he believes the
performance of this duty will be re-
awarded by mansion in the skies. =
Are mansions in the skies"
worth nothing to religionists or is
church property productive? Which
/ That many a hypocrite invests in a
church membership as matter of BUS
liness, social or political enterprise, be-
cause he recognizes the church as
productive factor, cannot be denied.
The stained glass window contributed
lby Mr.. Moneybag (and which prob
ably Las his name worked into the
beautiful design is the cheapest bus
mess advertisement he ever had.
There are few indeed who do not
find their church membership matter
of profit to them, and all sincere re-
ligionists expect in addition to be re-
warded in heaven. Church property
then, is productive to its real owner,
the Individual church member.
The second argument used to justify
Especial privileges to church corpora
lions is that they exert a good moral
influence. and therefore should not pay
for the protection of their property.
Wonderful logici Because Smith claims
to exert good moral influence on
Brown and his neighbors, therefore
Brown ought to pay Smiths debts. To
my mind there is something danger
Gus in the influence of an institution
which is capable of so bunting the
moral sense of its adherents as to make