Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-12-15
cnuncm PROPERTY.
rrominsnt ryssbyisriau's View. Regard.
la Diposti OF Fort. lilo Heal Isiato.

Washington. Dec. iS.-At meeting OF
the National Christian CitiEonnhip cou-
ycntion. a letter was read from WIN.
Henry Roberts. prominent prcaby-
.criun and secretary of the Alliance ~
Reformed Churches. on the subject OF
the church properly 10 our newly ne
qdlrcd r'aHessiona. The lssier says IN
I'm all there territories. acquired ns
result of the war with spain. there
are large church proper ties which hayo
been under tho control hitherto % the
Holman Catholic church az the cHtnb-
lincd church OF Spain ana her colonies.
These church properties are claimed hy
the itnmnn Catholic authorities but 20
large extent with mo- show Of right
There doubtless pre properties given
by viii Or direct personal donation un-
der the control Of iiumnn Catholic
church authorities IN Porto Rico. ana
tile Philippine. but In addition 10 such
properties there are other properties
especially church vdincra which were
paid Tor ou. of thU public funds ana
maintained at the expense u the span
lob government. The latter properties
are not the properties of the church,
but uf the people.
''rh'a " the Tact In all countries whore
ihcrr arc established churches. Such
Va
and Germany are branches ~ the state
and their cdlnCcH are erected ana rN-
penacn paid. tho salaries OF bishops
and pfisstH included out OF the public
taxes. IL was because ~ mis- fact that
when the South American Hcpubiica
became indepcndcfN u spain the new
rulers took posneHniun oi a very con-
siderable part OF the church property.
Thoy took tho ground that the owner
ship 81 tho property wan IN the state
nnd not IN the church. The namo
ground was taken lu England a. the
tlmo ~ the reformation.
"Mcnlminntrr Abbey, London, was
once a Roman Catholic place ~ Worship
aud Ia now "a Protestant Eplacopnl
church. because the structure Was paid
Tor hy the money u the English nation
and the ownership was ana 10 In she
English people.
'''rha cccloslaatlcai altuatlon. there
fore. nn Il Hes IN many minds, N this.
The church property lon Porto Rico nud
The Philippines. boing 20 "A large extent
the properly nf the state IN not rlght-
fully tho property ~ tho Roman Cath
I'D church. The United StuteH govern
mont. therefore. should take pusrcaaion
OF all church property. should carefully
determine what moioiy ~ tho property
actually bcloura 90 tho ltomnn Catholic
church no such. and retain the remulu-
der under ~ own control for the benefit
~ the peopler Of tho ngw territories.
II would ndvlCt.e thnt the United
States government should take poasca-
ainn Of church property Ia the now tor
rltnrirs. selling the same at public sale
and placing the money In 40 our treas.
ury. hut 1 do say that the people OF
this new territory in caeh ~ their rlticH
ana towns should have an opportunity
10 determine what use should be made
~ these church edlnces. They We're
hullt hy monks forced from them by
oppressive methods ~ the spanish gov
ofument and they are morally und thay
think legally the property ~ the inhnb-
ltnntn 81 these terrltoricH Let shere be-
81 vote. Tor Instance. IN each OF the
INC disposal OF the church cdlnces"