Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1910-08-20
MADE PERSONAL TOUR
Quarrel Not With Roman
Catholics as All spaniards
Are Good Churchmen,
ATTACK STATE CHURCH
Growth of Religious Estab-
lishments Gradually I'M
poyishing the People.
BY CHARLES 7. STEWART,
tStaf Correspondent of the United


tStan Correspondent of the United
Press.)
Cerbere, France, Aug. 2O:-Just
how quickly the pending Church.
and-State situation in Spain is going
to develop real fighting is pretty
hard to guess. Hostilities may be-
gin almost any day now. Or they
may be warded off for good many
months. Each side is afraid of the
other and their fears make them
hesitate. AT the same time, things
can't stand still. There's a climax
coming and the only question is
how much time is going to intervene
between now and the moment of its
arrival?
Whoever gets the idea that the
Spanish anti-clericals quarrel is
with the Roman Catholics is mis-
taken. Out of the countrys total
population of close to 10000, 900, it
is estimated that not more than
10000 are anything but Roman
Catholics. Naturally the people are
not at outs with the church of which
they themselves are members. 1t is
the State Church they are attacking
-Spain's one great, overshadowing
NVpACu II 10 DIS ii tDOuHLRf~
land-holding, commercial aaG indus
trial organization thft me anti-cleri-
'sdie al opposing it,
The Papal administration has, as
matter of fact, taken sides with
this organization, which seems TO
put the anti-clericals in a position OF
hostility to Roman Catholicism, but
an overwhelming majority of them
are good Roman Catholics for all
that. incidentally, there is the best
authority for the statement that
more than one-half the members of
the College of Cardinals believe the
vatican Is making a mistake In sup
porting the Spanish State Church, or
that at any rate, 1t is making a mis-
take in supporting it so unqualified-
ly as it is doing. SO that IL the
Spanish anti-clericals are injurins
their standing as Roman Catholics
by opposing the Papal administra-s
ton, majority of the cardinals are
injuring theirs, too.
The whole of the present trouble
is due to the fact that the church,
as a vested interest, has been ap-
propriating to itself so large pro-
portion of the country's wealth that
the masses OF the people have been
and still are kept upon the very
verge of starvation. AS might nat
urally be expected of so enormous q
vested interest, the Church is in
tensely conservative, not to say re-
dictionary, and as it has had until
very recently the tighest kind of grip
on the government, 1t has been able
hitherto effectually to suppress every
attempt In the direction of progress,
or Improvement In the peoples con-
dition
With that portion of the great
army of churchmen which concern
itself purely with spiritual matters
that is to say, the parish priesthood
no fault Is found This class, In
deed, is practically as poor and op-
pressed as the masses of laymen II
is the so-called religious establsh-
ments" against which the anti-cleri-
cal campaign. is being waged. The
members of the various "orders'
which conduct them are estimated at
upwards Of 100000 They conduct
agricultural operations upon an
enormous scale, run factories, laun-
dries and mercantile concerns, loan
money, manage vast estates and, IN
fact, engage in every line of busi-
ness open to the lay community.
1t Is not so much that they do all
these things, however, that the anti
clericals COMPLAIN of, as that they
do them under conditions giving
them an overwhelming advantage
over private enterprise The enor-
nous capital at their command
makes them, to start with, exceed
ingly formidable. Secondly, they
are wholly independent of the regu-
lar labor market, the rank and Ale
Of the members of the orders do
ing all work required. in return
merely for the living the Church al
lows them. And finally, they pay no
taxes.
Against monster trust" so fav-
ored and 80 powerfully entrenched
the anti-clericals say it Is practically
impossible for any lay enterprise to
stand. More than this, the masses
of the people are compelled, out OF
the meagre share of the country's
resources which the Church leaves
to them, to pay the entire expense of
government.
Last summers widespread disor-
(Contlnued ON page 50