The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-20
GREED Or CHURCH
IS ROOT 0E EVIL
---
Whole Trouble in Spain Due
to Grinding Methods
of Priest
POWERFUL TRUST
RECEIVES SANCTION
Bitter War May Result Crisis
Now Being Greatly Fear
ed--Pretender jaime is
Active.
BY CHARLES p. STEWART.

A1StAfGs
BIZ CHARLES r. STEWART.
tStaff Correspondent of the United
a PreesD
cERBERE. FRANCE, Aug. 2o.--Just
how quickly the pending Church and
State situation In Spain 10 going to
develop real fighting IL pretty hard to
guess. Hostilitfes may begin almost
any day. or they may be waTded OF
for good many months. Each side 10
afraid Of the other, and their fears
make them hesitate. IA the same time.
things can't stand STILL There's q ch-
max coming. and the only question fs.
how much time Is going to Intervene
between now and the moment OF It's
arrival
Whoever gets the Idea that tho span
tsh anti cicrtcais' quarrel Ii with the
Roman Catholics 10 mistaken. Out Of
the couhtry's total population of close
To x0.eo0,9eo il Is estimated mat not
more than 10000 are anything but Ro-
man Catholics. Naturally the people
are not at outs with the church Of
which they themselves are members.
II In the State Church they are attack
ing-Spsin's one great. overshAdowtng
vested interest. 1t is as O monster
nd-hoiding. commercial and indus-
trial organization that the anti cieri-
Gals are opposing il.
The p1pal administration has, as
a matter OF fact. taken sides with this
organization, which seems to put the
anti-cierieais In a position of hostility
TO Roman Catholicism, bur an over
whslmins majority OF them are good
Roman Catholics for all that. Incl
dentaiiy, Gefe is the best authority
for the statement that more than one
half the members OF the college OF
cardinals believe the Vatican 10 max
ing mistake In supporting the Span
ssh State church. or that. at any rate,
IL Ii making a mistake In supporting
II 30 unquaiifiedly as II is doing, So
that IL the Spanish anti-cierIcals are
injuring their standing as. Roman
Catholics hy opposing the papal ad-
ministration. majority of the eardi-
mails are inturIng theirs too.
Due to Greed.
The whole OF the present trouble
IL due To the fact that the church. rs
a vested interest, has been appropri
asing TO itself so large a proportion
of the conrtrs's wealth that the masses
OF the people have been and stili are
kept upon the very verge of starvation.
As might naturally be expected of so
enormous vested interest. the church
10 intensely conservative. not 10 say
Fsacfionary. and as 1t has had until
very recently the ffghfest kind ef grip
on the government. II has been able
hitherto effentualiy 20 suppress every
attempt in the directton Of progress or
Improvement In the peoples condi-
ton.
b With that portion of the xraas army
OF churchmsn which concern itself
purely with spiritual nsafters---that 10
to cay, the parish priegthooa--no fault
10 found, This ciass, indeed, 10 praeti-
eaiiy ss poor and oppressed an the
masses Of lsymen. 1t 10 the so-csli-
cd religious establishments" againsr
which the anti clerical campaign IL be-
ing waged. The members OF the vars-
ons ''ordersr which conduct them are
estimated at upwards OF ie6, coo. They
conduct agricultural operations upon
an enormous scale. run factories iaun-
dries and mercantile cencsrt,s. lean
money, manage vast estates. and. in
fact, engage in every line Of business
oper to the lay community.
IL Is not SO much that they do all
these things, however. that the anti
clericais complain Of, as that they do
then under conditions giving shem an
overwhelming advantage eyerpsivats
enterprise. The enormous capital Mt
their command makeal ih4m--tn- xfarf
with, exceedingly formidable. Second
~. they ara wholly Independent 1T
the regular labor market. the frank
and ftie OF the members Of ths
"ordeFs' doing all work required In
return mareiy for the living the
church allow them. And finally, they
pay no taxes
Church Trust.
Against . monster 'truatr 20 favor
Cd and 30 powerfully sntrenched the
anr-clericais say II 10 practically Inn
possible for any lay enterprise to
stand. More than this, the masses Of
the people are compeiied. out OF the
sources which the church leaves to
them. to pay the sntirs expense Of
government.
Last summers widespread disorders
were 4 revolt against this condition.
The drafting Of troops from the ccun-
try for service In Africa was, indeed,
the immediate cause Of the outbreak.
but the intnierabis burden Of the
church was really the Fundamental
reason for II. The church, through
the government. which Il . solutely
put the rebellion down
with savage violence. But the snu-
GieTlN6N HcIQSe0 10 AlAN b08l4H.
Premier Maura VAS forced out OF Of
Ace and Premier Morst triad to con.
tinue the same old system. No, toe,
failed and was succeeded by Premier
Canalejas.
Senior Aanaiejas made up his mind
some months ago that another revolt
was coming and felt certainty Of the |
ability to crush Il a.
Ssnsr Maura succeeded. with much |
difIlculty. In doing last year He
represented TO King Alfonso that the |
time had come when there must be
Z courtailmenf Of tina church's power !
and Tightening of the burden II was
forcinG tbs country 70 bear or the |
government was going TO b over |
thrown, Aifons0 acanfescsd
Probably neither Premier CanAls- |
Jas nor King Alfonso 10 entitled 10 |
much credit for this decision. The |
Premier II . so-calisd Liberal, but I |
Spanish Liberal Ii really . conserva- |
tive. while conservative 10 q bitter |
This premier decided AL
he did to save the throne. Alfonso !
has always been eompletely under The |
control. He woulA un40u0t- |
sdly have vetoed tbs Dysanisf's pSc- |
posalS Il the latter had not con- |
WINGED him that II would cost him his |
crown Il ~ did. i
Kings Approval. /,
lmier accoSdingiy took preliminary !
steps In the cartes towards reAue- |
hcn n the Aunbsr a religious 60