Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
DEFENDS
FRENCH CHURCH
SEEKS AMERICAN SYMPATHY IN
FIGHT AGAINST GOVERN
MENT ACTION
Bishop Says Possession Of Property
Not Religion, is the Cause Of the
contest-one Hundred Million Dol
lars at Stake in Movement.

New York, Dec. 17.-Areshsssis
John M. Farley Of N-lsalaspp ss,p eavas Y
sasd saa stass sss s.lsos ls'1le'ss1 france, in
which he Us a strong plea for the
sympathy of Americans, claiming that
the new law Of separation is simply
an attempt by the government to
seize the PROPERTY Of 10000 churches
in France, valued at $100,000,0OO,
which has been accumulated by
means Of endowments and legacies
during the last hundred years.
He declares there is no question of
the differences between the various
church denominations, and that the
church and the pope are fighting,l like
Chalmers and other founders of the
| free kirk fought. for the church's prop
erty rights. Bishop Farley's state.
ment follows:
Here in America, where there is
no attempt made by the state to inter-
fere with the various religious denom-
nations, the people at large are ma
turally disposed to condemn clergy
men who, by declining to comply with
the behests Of the government, expose
x
against the authorities Of the land.
But in order to understand the refusal
of the Roman Catholic clergy Of
France to fulfill the requirements Of
the new law Of separation, it must be
explained that the provisions Of the
statute in question demand the consent
Of the church and Of it's ministers to
the alienation Of all the property that
has been bequeathed and donated
them to be held in trust for religious
and philantrropic purposes. 1t is
property which they do not derive from
the government but from the munif-
cence of the pious, and of which they
are merely the trustees.
Puts Property in Foes Hands.
"The situation created by the new
law Of separation, which is the cause
of the present crisis in France, is as if,
for instance, the legislature Of New
York were to enact laws compelling
the trustees of the Trinity church cor
poration, under the penalty of confis-
alienation of all it's vast property to
other uses than those for which 1t was
4 intended and to transfer its admins
tration and central to people who
might either belong to rival denomi-
nations or even prefers atheism.
"It is as if the legislature of New
York were to enact statute requiring
the Catholic church. under the penal
ty Of the confscation of its property
of one kind or another, to consent to
the transfer Of the management and
control of the sacred edifices, semin-
aries, rectories, hospitals, protector.
i les and other educational and charita.
4 BILE institutions to associations in
which not merely avowed foes of
4 Catholicism among the Protestant de.
nominations but also agnostics and
scheming politicians Indifferent to any
kind Of religious belief, were in the
majority"
Were such laws to be enacted by
the state of New York the clergy and
trustees administering the great prop
erty of the Trinity church corporation
and the clergy and trustees invested
with the direction of the property of
the Catholic church would be prompted
to refuse obedience not only on relig-
lious grounds, but also by reason of
their conviction that compliance would
ihtoiSS AcSi auS uloICSdIu Ol LuSlT
moral and material obligations as trus.
i tees. They would look upon the law
in question as iniquitous, as llnconsti.
4 tutional, and would therefore consid-
Ier themselves justified in doing moth.
ing to express their submission there.
4 to.
j $1oo,ooo,ooo at Stake.
1 "It is inconceivable to the American
lpeople that the legislature of New
i York, or, indeed, of any other state OF
i this great and free republic, should
enact any such laws Of virtual spoila.
ton. Yet that is precisely what the
Il French government has done.
J In word, the new law requires OF
the church the alienation of all its
property to boards of laynen, in the
selection Of which it virtually has nc
voice; this board to have full and per
feet control not only over the funds
but ever over the religious edifices and
over the exercise of divine worship it
self, independent of pope, bishops and
canon law.
]. "The property at stake consists o1
about 10000 churches (of which less
than 300 have been built with the aid
,, of state or municipality, and the prop
erty accumulated by means of endow
ments and legacies during the last hun
dred years, since the last confiscatior
of church property at the time of the
great revolution, and amounting to con