Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-12-01
THE SCHOOL QUESTION
Reasons Why PsIechill Institutions
 Should Receive State Suppelt.

SA1S NAAAOAASoA VI ldbC cVouiuG
 there is an interesting editorial on Catholic education upon which would like to make few comments,
 If you will kindly permit the use of
 your columns for this purpose Let me premise by saying that my pur-
 pose, If not irenic, Is not intended to
 De polemic. It is merely to put the Catholic view before your readers.
 l agree with the Transcript that the
 present outlook for a share in the
 public taxes for parish schools Is not very rosy. The chief obstacle, as the
 editor views 1t. is that these funds will not go around If each denomina- ton asked its pro rata share. The dimculty is easily obviated by mak-
 ing them so around as is done in
 England, in Germany and in the
 Dominion of Canada, where denom- nations demand their separate schools. If it is feasible in these countries it could be readily made so in the United States. The difiiculty seems to be in the multiplicity of the sects. lp reality there would be but
 little difiiuclty on that score, for Lutherans and possibly Episcopalians excepted. but few, If any, of the other denominations would incur the ex- pense of school building as we Catholics do now.
 Notwithstanding the fact that sources whence taxes are derived are multiple and diverse, we find no spe- cial difficulty in collecting them. Neither do the various city and state boards find any insuperable difficulty in apportioning taxes to hospitals, asylums, good roads and various other objects as diverse as would the denominations that would apply for share in the taxes for denomina- tional schools. The dificulty is moro of the imagination than of fact.
 The position ol the Catholic church is this: She knows from past ex- perience that there has been a great leakage in the church because of the insufficient religious education of her children and that, too, when the par ents, like those of Irish birth, were strong in their faith. Bishops and priests have realized very forcibly that such leakage cannot be stopped save by the daily medication of re- ligious principles.
 We md supported by public ex- pense system of education against which, 30 far as its professed object Is concerned, we have no objection, but system in which no religion is taughth and which we know by ex- perience deleterious in its results upon our Catholic children. It is therefore matter of conscience with us and we feel that we have a lawful and undeniable right to share in those taxes which we must con- tribute. The constitution of the United States says that mo private property ought to be taken or ap- piled to public use without just com pensation." Now my money is my private property and if the public takes it, 1t ought to give me just com pensation. Is that just compensation which l cannot conscientiOusly re- ceive only under compulsiOn? The schools, you will perhaps say, must be supported by public taxes and you Catholics must pay your share. We are willing to. but we object to pay ing 1t twice as no one else Is required to. But other denominations don't have separate schools. Very we'll, We have no quarrel with them, but we do insist that we ought to have the right to give secular education to our children without imperiling their religion. We do not and never have asked one cent for religious ed ucation. We ask only that we be compensated for doing the work of the state in as effective manner as it is done elsewhere and at the same time in a way which our conscience can receive. Is not the injustice of double taxation fragrant? Secretary Taft Cat the time Judge Taft) thought so. Here are his words: These Catholics are constrained every year, on conscientious grounds, to yield to others their right to one third of the school money, sum averaging, at the present time, about $200.000 every year. That is to say, these people are punished every year, for beieving as they do, to the extent of $200,000: and to that ex- tent those of us who send our chill dren to these excellent common schools become beneficiaries of the Catholic money. What a shame for Protestants to have their children educated from money robbed from Catholics. Mercantile life is sup posed to cultivate in some a relish for hard bargains. But if 1t were a business matter, and not a matter of religious concern. could business men be found willing to exact such a pe- cuniary advantage as this? I think it would shock the secular con- science" We are speaking of Ohio.
 This is precisely the main objec- ton of the Catholic to the present condition of affairs. For believing as we do we are punished. in the words of Judge Taft. We must build our separate schools. pay teachers. save that much money for the state. and still receive none of the taxes that the state gets for the equal well fare of all its citizens. Here in Wa terbury. for example. some 1000 children are being educated In parish schools For each of them the board of education receives from the taxes contributed by all alike e2.25 per capita. In the case of these 1000 children what does the state do to earn that moneyf It does not buy a book or a pencil nor lift hand for any one of those 900 children. The