The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-25

the matter without listening to argu-
mepts from any persons present, but
his suggestion did not meet with the
approval Of the committee.
Archbishop Riordan was introduced,
and addressed the committee. He said
the churches combined claimed the
privilege of presenting the proposed
amendment to the Constitution, and to
ask, under its provisions, that places
used for holding religious services be
exempt from taxation. He had, he
said, no intention of asking that re-
munerative property held and owned
by churches be exempt, and he was
perfectly willing that the word chap
els" should be stricken out, provided
the committee so desired.
One of his reasons, Archbishop Rior-
dan said, why churches should be ex-
eWpt from taxation was that they
were not private property, but were
built by and for the benefit of the
public, and the money put into them
was never returned to those who gave
it. Even if the property was sold the
money received for it was always put
into other and probably finer edifices.
The churches, the Archbishop said,
give expression to the great moral
truths which lie at the base of civiliz-
alton, and do more to teach moral re-
straint of the passions of mankind
than any other institutions in the
world. 1t is the cornerstone of civil
ization. California, he said, is the only
State which imposes tax on places
of religious worship. Even the sister
States which were only recently adj
mitted into the Union had adopted
constitutional provisions exempting
such property. He said that since the
earliest days of civilization no State
had ever placed a tax on religious edi-
fees except California alone. Ancient
Greece and Rome, he said, as well as
pagan India and Africa Of to-day, i'm
pose no tax on religious edifices, that
property being held sacred. He insisted
that the system ought to be set aside
by this commonwealth, which, after all,
was said, does not contain as many
inhabitants as one of the large cities
in the East.
Cutters substitute, Archbishop Rior-
dan said, meant less than nothing. It
was merely throwing out a little SOD.
Experience had taught him that it was
easier to build than. to maintain a
church, and when he. built the Cathe-
dral at San Francisco he used brick
instead of stone, for fear he could not
meet the taxes; and since it's compile
ton he had nearly been sorry that he
had not used wood. He held that a
tax upon churches meant a check upon
benevolence and humanity He said
that ever since California had been a
State temporary church structures had
been erected, and from statistics he
found that all church property in the
State was valued at only $11, 900 900,
or less than one-half of 1 per cent of
the whole
In conclusion Archbishop Riordan
said he did not ask the Legislature to
stand sponsor to the change, but only
to submit the proposition to the people.
He mentioned the dreadful union of
the Church and State" and said he
was as heartily opposed to such a con-
dition of affairs as any of his hearers:
his church had suffered too much on
that account. Politically, he said,
Church and State ought to be sepa-
rate, but on questions of loyalty to flag
and nation there should be real unity
OF purpose and action.