Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-11-18
Taxing Church Property

The secret societies that have gone into politics to
establish invisible government said to be planning to
law at the next session of the legislature that will
place churches and church property upon the tax rolls
The idea not bad Exemption of churches from
taxation is of a form of special priviege-and
privilege should be eliminated far possible in a
democracy. There does exist any good why
churches should not help sustain the we'll
other property owners.
However, it would be unfair place churches on the tax
roll not also secret societies other organizations
exempted, upon the rolls also Moreover it will be
unfair to tax nonproft making religious and social organ
zaons and leave untaxed securities and bonds issued by
local and state governments which large part the
property of the wealthy affordng them refuge to
taxation.
The present statutes exempt from taxation:
All federal and county town.
% sn s M sssi ss as
shall be actually occupied for the which they
they situated grounds tombs
B
d % homes ap wng an
actually inv use All notes secured BY MORTGAGES on real
not exceeding $1,000
Church exemptions under No. a, schools and lodges
under No. but inasmuch all church school and lodge
property not used such already taxed it is doubtful
how much the state revenues would be increased. For
instance church is taxed but the parsonage and the
business blocks and realty owned by the church, is lodge
room not taxed but those parts of the building devoted
10 other purposes church school not
taxed but property owned and not utilized for educational
purposes is.
Exemption Of church property from taxation is as old as
civilization ITSELF and dates from the time that the church
the state and the chief priest the ruler The civil power
In all the earliest civilizations at first subordinate to the
religious Demonstrated unfitness of the prestcraft to
conduct caused the employment of those better fitted
warriors With the installation of the mtarycv power
there followed long struggle between priesthood and king
AS nomad seized the developed valleys
plotted hem contests continued for dominance between the
native priesthood and the foreign ruler usually ending
invaders and betrayal of the king witness the
GUS conquests of Egypt and Babylon which recorded the
triumph of the temple over the palace.
Gradually the state represented by the king got the
upper hand and the monarch united and church
assuming divine powers and arrogang himself the power
of the chief priest still the basis of monarchy With
collapse of Rome and the ensuing anarchy, the power of
the state went into eclipse but the church kept alive the
torch of civilization through the dark age again seized
temporal With the revival of knghp near the close
of the middle ages the church shorn of much of
power and riches, it's accumulated wealth proving too
great temptation to poverty stricken royalty. Following
the French revolution the church stripped of most
the property had not lost during the reformation and the
process continues, notably in Russia.
Oppressive taxation caused by exemption of privilege has
been the of revolutions and modern deocracs
based the theory of the separation of church
state and abolition of privilege Realizing however the
necessity of religion in the life of the people, as the
beneficial effects of education encouragement of both in
the development of country has been sought through
their exemption from taxation encouragement perhaps
they longer needat least in the estimation of our
invisible rulers.