Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1906-12-20


warranting the gravest apprehen-
sions. The mere process of separa-
ton might have been accomplished
without serious consequences, but
there is question of property rights
which involves a certain struggle
and one which may assume revolu-
tionary dimensions. The state as
|sumes that church property is state
property.
The assumption is not new, but
one that has been uniformly main
tanned since the period when state
and church were united by the
closest ties and when the possibility
of a disruption was not dreamed off.
As far back as the thirteenth century
agreements are traceable by which
the community of property interests
was determined. In the revolution
of 1889, all church property was con
fiscated. Napoleon, in restoring the
church. did not restore its property
title, but gave the priesthood an al
lowance and permitted it to use the
church buildings and other religious
houses.
Thenceforward matters remained
in this shape, the church occupying
property holdings on sufferance, up
to the time when the government
decided upon the act of separation
carrying with it the reversion to the
state Of all the property concerned,
the value of Which exceeds 5000, ,000,-
900. The announcement of the COM
ing seizure produced an instant rup-
ture with the vatican, the Pope do
claring that the seizure was an act
of robbery, pure and simple, and
must be resented accordingly by the
church and all its followers. An of
fer from the French government to
permit Catholic worship to be ear
ried on under the common law was
rejected and at the same time those
Of the French archbishops that in
stIucted lie clergy under them to
surrender their churches and pastor
Al residences without protest were
arderae, q s'escind their Instructions \
This means that the 26, 600 churches
and .rectories, seminaries and other
occupied by the
church must be taken over by main
force, entaiiing the beginning of
warfare Of which the end cannot now
be foreseen.
The government is determined to
execute the law without cOmpro-
mise. More than this, it is deter
mined to meet resistance and rotali
alton with measures of the utmost
severity. These have been fore
by M. Clemencau, who
has pointed out that recalcitrancy
will necessitate the stripping of the
clergy of all its privileges, the inn
position of military duty upon cler-
gymen and, as last resort, their
being treated as foreign subjects.
1t is unfortunate that France
should thus be confronted with the
prospect of a protracted conflict at
tended inevitably with the she'd
ding of blood and with frightiul
harassment to the government and
to a very considerable proportion of
the French people. Such a conflict,
however, visibly had to come to
pass if the republic was ever to
shake off absolutely sectarian affilia-
tions and sectarian dependencies
and to establish the same kind of
religious freedom which its proto-
type, the American republic, en-
joys.
That the Catholic church remains
militant is not surprising. Its ira
ditions compel it to be so. But, if
the republican government of
France had builded wisely, there
would he today no excuse for the
militant attitude of the church-Sun-
bury American.
A distressing accident occurred
on Tuesday of last week on South
mountain, near Canton, which cost
Claud Coon hislife. He was en-
gagged in loading logs preparatory
to hauling them to his fathers mill
when, on account of the icy condi-
ton of the logs, one of them slid
off the load and threw him to the