Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-21
CORPORATION SOLE.
Continued from PAGE one


| # #;
chairman of the board of directors and
| the president of the corporation.
The only privilege that the Cath
olics have" said Mr. Willard. lis TO
contribute. All that they want is to
| take part in the secular business Of
the church and they want to have
something to say about the spending
of the money.
THE act continued Mr.. Willard.
will leave the property in the hands
of the bishop of the diocese until the
parishes are Incorporated
Godfrey S. Dupre.
Mr. Willard then called on Godfrey
S. Dupre of Biddeford. Mr.. Dupre
spoke at some length and frequently
his remarks were received from GER
tain sections of the hall with applause.
we come here" said Mr.. Dupre.
ION the economic side of the question.
We want to impress on the members
of the committee that we are not deal
ing with the religious side of the ques
ton. We do not deny any of the doc
trines of the Catholic church. Before
the year 1887 when this act creating
the corporation sole was passed the
bishop in practically all cases held the
church property as trustee The Leg
islature, saw fit to pass the bill which
was a public act. The act does not
authorize this corporation to dispose
of any property which does not belong
to it.
In 1891 all the property which the
bishop had Was conveyed to the cor
poration sole. (Applause)
If this corporation has any finan
cialz standing it has received it on the
property which il now owns" eontin-
ued MIR. Dupre. The bill provides
that all parishes shall pay the debts
contracted by it. The bill is not coer-
Give. 1t provides that whenever prop
erty devoted to pious purposes sha3
become vacant that court in equity
shall determine where it shall go. The
corporation sole is relic of the dark
ages. The King of England is a cor
poratiop sole. We don't believe in the
corporation sole in this country. y
treasurer of a corporation is compelled
to give a bond for the faithful per-
Torrance of his duty but there is ne
SUN Id w DIS EtIdltS 10 the
sole. The Catholic church in this eoun-
ty receives priests from all parts of
the world. We do not know them and
why should we trust them with our
money? Some have asked me why
this matter should not be settled
among ourselves. We cannot do that.
This is not greedy question of
money" continued Mr.. Dupre. This
is question of principle. The events
of the Boston Tea Party was not the
question Of the duty on tea. That was
n principle, the same as this bill to
dissolve the corporation sole.
We cannot longer submit to the in
dignities which have been heaped upon
100, 900 Catholics in the State of Maine,
as good citizens as there are in this
country. We have been agitating this
question for four. or five years. The
vatican or the bishop cannot make the
laws of the State, the laws relating
to property. We have built and paid
for schoolhouses but we have not a
word to say about their conduct or
mana cement. We know what is good
for our children (Applause).
In your cities and towns You have
sehoolhouses. We want the school
boards made up to laymen. 1t has
been hard work for me to get enough
witnesses here, this Afternoon, to prop
eriy present my case because there
are SO few who are accustomed to5the
English language. | am sincere in this
matter | want the members of the
committee to understand. If school
board is made up of laymen there will
| be no book trust. We would have
public schools. We want something
| modern"
History of Movement.
| Mr.. Dupre rehearsed the history of
| the movement against the present sys-
| tenn of management of parishes UNI
| der control of the Roman Catholic
bishop and that 100000 French Cath
olics were in earnest and two years
ago the attempt to dissolve the cor
| poration sole at the Legislature failed,
but last June appeared 900 delegates
| at the convention at Biddeford, who
| told us to go on despite threats OF
accommodation and the reports were
| spread that we who took prominent
|
but despite this the numbers who
want this. dissolution grows and their
money is open for the cause. They
regarded the present system as trust
and want laymen to act as chairmen
of the parishes and the money ac-
counted for as parishes and not be
compelled to send certain amount as
called for by the bishop as collections
Judge Smith of the committee in
CURED what indignities had been re-
ferred to as suffered within his knowl-
edge and Mr.. Dupre replied: Il con-
slider it an indignity to come to ones
parish and take money in the name OF
the bishop, and also when we could
not hold meetings in our own churches
to discuss this matter but had to hir'
halls
Philias Gendrou.
Philias Gendrou of Biddeford wa!
introduced by Mr.. Dupre, who testi
ned that he had been a citizen there
: for 35 years and had been refused us'
of the church for the purpose of hold
ing protest meeting for this purpose
r sentiment was in favor of the move
md I, lit or