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Show Fax-Reaching Decision Permits Public Funds "To Aid Private Schools The recent five-to-four decision decis-ion of the U. S. Supreme Court, by which public school funds in New Jersey will be permitted to pay for transportation of children chil-dren to Catholic parochial schools, has created widespread interest. The majority, headed by Justice Jus-tice Black, ruled that legislation created a public benefit from which no person could be barred on account of religion. This view was upheld by Chief Justice Vinson Vin-son and Justices Reed, Douglas and Murphy. The minority view was expressed ex-pressed by Justice Rutledge, who maintained that the First Amendment Amend-ment to the Constitution expressly express-ly separated religious activity and civil authority and forbade "every form of public aid or support sup-port for religion." In this view, he was joined by Justices Frankfurter, Frank-furter, Jackson and Burton. Two of the justices, Messrs. Jackson and Frankfurter, charged charg-ed the majority with "giving the clock's hands a backward turn" because the prohibition against establishment of religion cannot be circumvented by a "subsidy," bonus or reimbursement." The decision will have far-reaching far-reaching effect in certain states of the Union, where Catholic parochial schools provide education educa-tion for a sizeable precentage of children. States with a large Catholic population will naturally natural-ly tend to extend the benefit. In other states where the proportion pro-portion of Catholics is small, there will not be the demand for public transportation for parochial paro-chial students unless the opinion of the Court means that the states are required to give to these pupils the same public transportation it offers to those that attend public schools. With due respect to those of the Catholic faith, we think that there is danger in permitting, or requiring, the State to make any provision whatever for the children chil-dren who attend schools set up by any church. The presumption is that the State, in establishing public schools, offers reasonable educational educa-tional opportunity to all children. chil-dren. If, for any reason, the children chil-dren of a particular church do not care to attend the public schools, then the function of the State is fully met. Certainly, if the State is required to provide the same transportation for pupils, pu-pils, regardless of what schools they attend, it will likewise be required to provide other equal facilities. We are quite certain .that the separation of Church and State is one of the most vital policies of the American Republic. Religious Relig-ious freedom does not exist in any country where Church and State is a combination. While any church has a right to establish any kind of school, it should not have the right to expect to receive re-ceive funds raised by taxation for the promotion of its program. Tax Reduction Depends Upon Unknown Factors The budget-slashing resolution calling for a $6,000,000,000 cut in Federal expenditures, is nothing noth-ing more or less than a statement of intention. The appropriation bills that come before Congress will give the members an opportunity to implement the intention expressed, express-ed, but nothing in the resolution will prevent Congress from appropriating ap-propriating larger sums than possible if a $6,000,000,000 saving sav-ing is effected. Representative Harold Knutson. Knut-son. of Minnesota, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Com-mittee, admits that his twenty per cent "across the board" tax reduction depends entirely upon the action of Congress in cutting expenditures $6,000,000,000. If this does not occur, "It will kill any Idea" of such a reduction in taxes. So far as is known, there Is no accurate forecast of what will happen. Not until Congress makes its appropriation bills, will anyone know the extent of (the slashes in expenditures and not until then will anyone be able to appraise the prospect of a sizeable reduction in taxes. Even at that time, there will be considerable debate as to whether Congress adopts the Knutson "across the board" reduction re-duction or other proposals, one of which would raise the personal person-al income tax exemptions. Critics Crit-ics of the Knutson plan say that it will give greater relief to those with large incomes. By contrast, other proposals seem designed to give greatest relief to those in the lower income brackets. |