The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-01-12
M. ]. O'BRIEN FLAYS FRANCE
Continued from Page I

deny that it Is unchanged today. but declare that
the decisive conflict of the twentieth century is TO-
be between the dominance of their economic doc
triues and the survival of the Catholic Church os
the arahtgpq Of conservatism aud fudfrtduatfar.
The socialists gained practical control Of tn.
French government a century after the signing Of
the concordat WaldecF- Rousseau forced the pass
age of the law of associations This placed th.
various religious orders under the control of thu
French parliament and permitted their suppression
and expulsion from France It also provided 5har
the decision III each case must be judicial ono
based upon inquiry into the merits Of each appjca-
ton for the governments permission to exist
1t was harsh law. but most of the congrega
tions prepared to obey it. Combes who succeeded
aldeck-Rousseau received applications for au-
thorization for 1880 establishments
These included teaching organizations. eight OF
which has no less than 22S.523 pupils surprising
the number in the state schools, placed therein vol
UNFAIRLY by the parents of France Asylum@ for
orphans and waits schools for the blind and the
mutes, homes where 100000 aged and nfm per
sons were supported, were among the applicants.
All of these founded. furnished and main
tanned by Catholics onlg and without any contribu-
ton from the state.
These splendid educational and elementary IN
sIitutions were the products OF subsidies from
government. but arose from the voluntary Offering
of millions of the faithful who through LONG
series of years made great sacrifices that these
might live.
What ths people thought of the congregations
Is proved by the responses of 1871 municipal couu-
ellis whose opinions were asked.
OF these l,14I were IN favor OF the cOngrega-
tions 545 against them. and 179 made no an
swer.
Submission to the law was not wanted by tn.
socialists. Against the protests of Wadeck- Rous-
seau, the author of the law its provisions for sep
arate Investigations were abandoned; evidence wa,
neither taken heard all orders were grouped
into three categories votes forced upon thcsr
groups collectively and the congregations were OK
| PEELED.
But throughout this action the Justification Of
! his course by Combes based upon the assertion
that the monastc orders were not protected by the
! provisions of the concOrdat This was a mere sub
terfuge for as late 1901 this treaty was appealed
to by the chief assaant of the Church as the sole
lawful basis for the actions of the government to-
ward the Church.
The deeds of 1905 / shall summarize briefly
The French government declares that the con
cordat shall longer exist. 1t undertakes to break
a treaty without consultation with the other part
to it. 1t undertakes to annul a contract
That cannot be done without a reason. No lack
of consideration is alleged No denial is made that
the bargain equitable to the French govern
ment. No accusation made that any clause of
that contract has not been rigidly observed by the
! Church
But this is only the beginning. The govern
ment does not say: Il cancel this mortgage and
return the principal because refuse to pay inter-
est longer" 1t retains the principal and assert-
that the title to all the ante-revolutionary church
property vested absolutely in the state by the pro
visions of the cOncordat without regard to the liza
| blty which the condition of that investiture
Since 1901 10000 churches have been built. Of
which less than 800 were erected as the result Of
state aid. Endowments and legacies from foreign
as well French sources have caused an accumu-
lation of property entirely distinct from that con
fscated during the revolution. This property
amounts to more than S100.000O0
The French government says:
'Ths. too, is mine"
The reason.
Because I say it is mine"
To say to the pope that the Catholics of France
may continue to occupy and use their own prop
erty if they submit to the commands of the separa-
ton law is not the offer of a fair alternative. 1t is
confseating property by a subterfuge
Under these conditions consent would eventual
! ly and logically sanction the regulation of wor-
ship by the police and the control of churches and
charities by atheists and socialists not in sympa-
thy with the Catholic masses.
| ask the American Protestant. Hebrew and ag
nostic alike, whether this is religious freedom
Does separation Of church and state mean that
a government can seize and control all churches
and regulate public Worship
Is this recognition of the principle of either
civil or religious liberty.
Casting aside bias and bitterness; removing
from our minds all thought of spiritual things
in right and wrong common to all classes of AmerA
lean citizens. | ask if this is not fair condensa
ton of the question at issue in France today:
l take possession of your property during u
period of public disorder aud sell it. Later I sign
contract agreeing to pay you fixed annual sum.
provided that you do not contest my title to your
property. After some years | say to YOU: II can
eel that contract You have kept your agreement,
but ann tired of paving. l shall retain the prom
erty | took originally and confscate all you have
since acquired, and in addition | shall take every
penny that you have earned every legacy willed to
you every gift that you have received since We
entered into our original agreement
Stripped of the fine phrases. of Clemenceau and
his associates; stripped of diplomatic and theoog
zeal complexities; stripped to the bare basic ques-
ton of honesty. L have endeavored to formulate
briefly the question which is agitating France to