Omaha daily bee., 1911-06-10

| Ten years will have passed on the first
| OF July since the Waldeck- Rousseau act
separating church and state, became the
law Of France. A year ago a partial &C
/ counting Of the liquidation Of church prop
erty taken over by the state prematurely
appeared, presenting a picture OF public
graft surprising any similar chapter in
modern history. The showing made as the
decade closes, supplements and enlarges
the national scandal and constitutes an
astounding record Of public robbery. The
Paris correspondent Of the Philadelphia
Ledger states that two-thirds Of the $780,
| 900 the state expected TO derive from
the confiscated property has been absorbed
| In litigation, administration and plain
graft. In nearly every case OF appropria-
| ton Of the property OF churches converts
\ or other religious organizations, action has
| been brought against the liquidators, or
state receivers, sometimes TO the number
| Of thirty, by members OF the congregation
or persons asserting their interest contest
| ing the legality of the seizure. After fight
ing their actions out in the highest courts
and losing the day. they always disap-
peared or declared themselves insolvent,
leaving the liquidators to pay the costs
Of both sides In this manner nearly all the
I
OF lawyers and advocates. instead OF go
ing to found secular state schools and the
old age pension fund, as intended,
A correspondent Of London paper, writ
ing from Toxic regarding the development
OF anarchy in the empire, outlines the
measures taken by the authorities 10 check
the dangerous tendency. Recently" says
the writer, Baron Oura, minister for home
affairs summoned a conference in Toxic
of all the provincial governors of the en-
pire, during which he took occasion to
warn these officials against the dangers
of allowing pernicious ideas from abroad to
corrupt Japanese ideals Of patriotism. Most
remarkable Of all is the fact that the au-
thorities seen to have come to the conclu-
sion that the defect deplored is somehow
due to mistaken notions of religion or to
lack of religion. Here, again, 1t must be
remarked that in Japan not only is loyalty
pretty much the same thing as morality,
but II is religion as well. Both the minister
for home affairs and the minister of educa-
tlon have instructed all officials under
them to urge greater reverence for the
temples and shrines, and to do what they
can toward strengthening faith. not only in
the native religions, but in all religions
obtaining by these and other official au-
thorities that religion is a great aid to
moral education. The movement made by
the government some two years ago for
the suppression of numerous shrines oc-
cupying valuable land in various parts
of the country is to be abandoned, and
worship of the old gods. as we'll as the
new is to be encouraged.
The imposing scheme Of insurance against
sickness and unemployment proposed by
Mr.. Lloyd George supplants the veto bill
in current interest in Great Britain. Owing
to the comprehensiveness Of the scheme
and the great number of people likely to be
affected, discussion awaits closer study of
the complex provisions, and criticism is
confined to the huge drafts which the
scheme would make on the national treas
ury. In view of the fact that the national
budget has almost trebled In ten years
taxpayers do not view with signs of pleas
ure additional drafts even though bearing
philanthropic label. Mr. Loyd-George
puts the contribution from taxation at
about f5,5Oo,Oo0, or $2750o,oOo. When the old
age pensions law was passed he placed the
cost at SS0.00O000 a year; II has already
reached $50 900. and is going higher per-
haps much higher. II the cost Of insurance
doubles in three years, like that Of old
age pensions, the taxpayers will have to
contribute to the two some H5oo0.O00,
equivalent TO about one-sixth of the total
revenue, and about equal to the cost Of the
army.