Same Old Question.

“Mr. Secretary: The original and fundamental question of which the question before you to-day is but an incident,” said Mr. Jones, “is the national and fundamental question of the separation of church and state in this nation. The letter of the President on the subject recognizes this.USCS 1.3

“This incidental question to-day is the same old one that is always involved in the union of church and state: that is, that the people who urge it, not only insist on being recognized by the state as supremely religious, but that the state shall pay them for their exercise of their own religion.USCS 1.4

“Twenty-seven years ago the original situation, of which this to-day is but an incident, was that the churches owned these Indian schools. They were openly and in every respect church schools; of course with priests and nuns in charge in the Catholic schools. There was no suggestion that they were anything but ‘schools of particular religious denominations.’ And the government intentionally and openly paid to the denominations as such hundreds of thousands of dollars for conducting those, their own church schools.USCS 1.5

“There was wrought a change; the Protestant churches refused any further government appropriations. But the government ‘took over the Catholic Indian schools.’ This also is recognized in the President’s letter on this subject.USCS 2.1