Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-08

The corporation is wholly property
mGttrr and entirely distinct from the
ecclesiastical matter.
Mr.. Snow said that before lSS. the
property was simply Il fee and tie
bishop was obliged to convey the prop
erty by will and it was deemed best
to organize the corporation sole The
cornora ton sole was no new thing
when il NaS organized in lS&7 The
Protestant clergymen i'll the early
Maine parishes before Maine was So,
off from Massachusetts bccamp cor
poration soic. The act of 1851 made the
title secure and did away with the
trouble over the transfer of the prop
erty. The act was solely designed TO
conserve the property for the use of
the Catholic church. He denied that
church property in one parish was
mort gagged for tho building of a church
in another parish. as had been alleged,
and explained that it was the credit of
the corporation sole which provided
the money upon which the entire
church property Is kept un and now
churches built
He declared that an act which took
a%aT the property Of the corporation
sole and gave il to any other corpor-
alton or corporations was lIncnstitu-
tlonaN. The rights guaranteed To every
othcf corporation Of three years To
dispose OK its property is violated IN
this act ~lica gives any five men in
seven days the right to take it.
Mr.. Snow further pointed out that
the corporation sole is largely indebted,
Ia LankS and other institutions and
If the proposed act was passed the
maker Of tn" notes would be Wipnd .lut
and there would be no one to take his
place. This act makes no provisions
for securing these notes end again tais
act was unconstitutional because it i'm
paired the obligation Of these con-
tracts. suppose only q part Of these
parishes form corporations. where is
the property of the corporation sole =
It's all in the air." exclaimed Mr
Snow
He also declared the measure ancon-
Stitutlonal because il was class leg
lslation and affected only one Cenom-
nation.
The act provides for the taxation
Of tn" members of tho parish by those
Nno become incOrroratorS under the
provisions Of this act II Wond"r If tie
people who cheered my brother So
laa@lv a few minutes ago understood
just what they wcrc cheering about29"
lucricd Mr Snow.
itt Rev Mgr. MacDonough was tRh
first witness called by tho rcmon
strants ana lie described briefly the
handling Of church properly previous
l" the paSSagr of the act creating the
pftf ~ f, \
Healcv WAS anxious for the safe sue
ceSSl"n OF tli' property and consulted
with Judge Putnam in regard to tife
drafting "t Il legislative act. This act
WhS I" provide for the safe transfer
ana the better borrowing capacitv up
on the propcrtY of the church and for |
tire advancement Of the church IN com
muni;ies Wncre there Were no hold
irSS
If anybody should come before the |
LEGISLATURE tc question the integrity |
OF the representatives OF the churcn | |
know that You. gentlemen of tGis
committee. would say that he had come |
10 the wrong place" said Mgr. Mac
l'on"nGh, amid applause even louder
thar that which had groetcd Mr.. D,,nra
a few moments before.
honsignor MacDonough remarked |
tlat the Catholic church existed nrz- |
Nioaa te lNS'. that thu priest cnlirct- |
as the agent Of the dioccsc, that the !
priest so collecting vas obliged - |
account to his pariShioners and to the
hlSh0p for every cent, that the hooks !
7t the parishes are always open to |
any competent person. He stated that |
any person who doubted the honesty
ll Il priest had remedy in the courts. |
Peter Charles keegan of Van Burcr
was next called. He said that he was
president of the Van Buren Trust CO..
and that he believed the strength a.
the credit Of the corporation sole to
he inccmparably gr,atcr than could |
he the credit OF n number OF small! |
corporations. He didn't know of more
than ore or TWO persons in Aroostook
who wcr" in favor Of the bill but on |
il developed that
there WAS one petition for it from
Caribou, which CARRIE $50 names IL.
thought that the men who would seek
I" get positions on these boards would |
be men who had something To sell |
to the church.
Arden w Coombs, n Portland banker
stated that he made large loans u |
the church and had nothing but a |
note tc show for it. II was his opin |
ion that the dissolving OF the corpora |
ton sole would result disastrously.
He didn't think the obligation could !
DC handed on to someone else. judge |
roster attempted to cross examine |
hin but Mr.. Coombs hurried forward |
and shaking his finger in Judge Fos- |
ter's face demanded to know whether |
that gentleman had eyer read the |
Constitution of Maine The uproar
was such that the most Of the ensuing |
alteration was lost, but the nantomno
which resulted, was, TO say the lcas.
amusing.
Attorney Snow at this point put in
a large number of remonstrances
which were letters from priests and
others, protesting against the bin.
Bishop Louis S. Walsh addressed the
committee, saying that when he took
charge of the diocese he found the
corporation sole in existence and
studied it. He had previously had cx-
r.t ~