The record-union., 1898-12-16
ISLAND CHURCH PROPERTY.
MANY EDIFICES BUILT WITH
PUBLIC FUNDS.
Suggestion That Their Disposal BE
Left to a Vote of Inhabitants
in Each Town and Parish.

WASHINGTON, Dec 15.-At a meet
ing of the National Christian Citizen
ship Convention a letter was read from
William Henry Roberts, prominent
Presbyterian and Secretary of the AL
lance of Reformed Churches, on the
subject of property in our newly-ac-
quired possessions The letter says, in
part:
I'm all these territories, acquired as a
result Of the war with Spain, there were
large properties which have been under
the control hitherto of the Roman
Catholic Church as the established
church of Spain and her colonies.
These church properties are claimed by
the Roman Catholic authorities, but, to
large extent, with no show Of right.
There doubtless are properties given by
will or by direct personal donation un-
der the control of Roman Catholic
Church authorities in Porto Rico and
the Philippines, but, in addition to such
properties there are others, especially
church edifices which We're paid for out
of the public funds and maintained at
the expense of the Spanish Government.
The latter properties are not those Of
the church, but of the people.
This is the fact in all countries where
there are established churches. Such
churches in Spain, France, England and
Germany are branches of the State, and
their edifices are erected and expenses
paid, the salaries of bishops and priests
included, out of the public taxes. II
was because of this fact that when the
A nd
pendent Of Spain the new rulers took
possession of a very considerable par'
of the church property. They took the
ground that the ownership of the prop
erty was in the State and not in the
church. The same ground was taken
in England at the time Of the Reforma-
ton.
Westminster Abbey, London, was
once Roman Catholic place of worship
and is now a Protestant Episcopal
Church, because the structure was paid
for by the moneys Of the English nation
and the ownership was and Is in the
English people.
THE ecclesiastical situation, there
fore, as 1t lies In many minds, is this:
The church property in Porto Rico and
the Philippines, being to large extent
the property of the State, is not right
fully the property of the Roman Cath
Ollie Church. The United States Gov
ernment, therefore, should take posses
sion Of all church property, some one
should carefully determine what moiety
of it actually belongs to the Roman
Catholic Church as such, and the Gov
ernment should retain the remainder
under it's own control for the benefit
of the peoples of the new territories.
Il would not advocate that the United
States Government should take posses
sion of church property inc the new
territories, selling the same at public
sale and placing the money in its own
treasury; but l do say that the people
of this new territory, in each of their
cities and towns, should have an oppor-
tunity to determine what use should be
made of these church edifices. They
were built by money forced, from the
people by the oppressive methods of the
Spanish Government and they are
morally and, I think, legally the prop
erty of the inhabitants of these terri
tories. Let there be a vote, for in
stance, in each of the towns and par
ishes of Porto Rico as to the disposal
Of the church edifices." r.