Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-11-22

shall be deprived of his liberty, except
by the law Of the land, or the judgment
of his peers ? This don't apply alone to
personal liberty, the freedom OF his body |
from prison, but no man shall be deprived |
of his franchise of any sort, Of his
liberty in its largest sense, except by
the law of the land or the Judgment Of
his peers, the trial by jury. Has. then
a private and secret tribunal right 10
impose qualifications for Office, and to en-
force their laws by test oaths, so as to de-
prive any man Of his liberty to be elected ?
Again :-ls not this organization not
an Imperium in Imperio against the 18th
section Of this declaration, which says
i" That the people hava right to uniform
government, and, therefore, no govern
ment, separated from or independent of
the government of Virginia, ought to be
erected or established within the limits
thereof" It is not government, but docs
it not, will not politically govern the
portion of people belonging to it, differ
emily from that portion not belonging to
it, are governed by the laws of Virginia
Again 1t does not adhere to the 'jus-
tice and moderation" included in the 18Th
section of the declaration. And lastly, it
| avowedly opposes the 10Th section, which
declares, - that religion, or the duty which
we owe to our Creator, and the manner Of
dischor9img i, can De directed only by Tea'
son and conviction, mot by force or violence;
and therefore all men are equally entitled
TO the free exercise Of religion, according
| II, bio a IF hot
is the mutual duty Of all to practice
christian iorbearruce, love and char
| ity towards each other"
But this organization not only contra
vcncs the rules Of our Declaration of In
dependence aud Rights. but it is in the
face of positive aud perpetual statute
now made part OF our organic law by the
new Constilution-the Act of RELIGIOUS
Freedom passed the 5yh of December.
1885. Against this law, this Know
| Nothing order attacks the freedom Of the
mind, by imposing" civilincapaci.ationS :"
1t thus q" tends to beget habits of hypoe-
| r'cy and moanncss " it attempts TO put =
lsh one religion and to propagate another
by coercion on both body an! mind " it
ass Enes dominion over the faith Of 9th
mode Of thinking as the only true and
in(alIible i. makes Our " civil rights to
have a dependence on oar rvli .;i1us opin
ions ;" it " dePriYcs citizens OF their &c
Iual rights, by prescribing thcnI as un-
worthy Of the public confidence, by lay
ing upon them an incap&ci.y OF being
called to Offices Of trust and emoIr,neni,
unless they profess or rtG3unce this or
that religious opinio%, - at tends 20 cor
rnYt the principles OF chat religion it is
meant TO encourage, by bribing with mo-
nopo!cs Of worldly honors and emotu-
mems, those wko will extremely profess
and conform to it - il lacks confidence
in Truth, which " is great and will pre-
vail, " if left 10 herself that she is the
proper and sufficient antagonist 10 Error,
and has nothing 10 fear from the coutlct,
unless BY human iaterp"sttJon djs"rE1,l
Of her natural weapons, free argument
and debate it wiJbdraws errors from
free argument and debate and hides them
in secret, where they bccorn1 Gangerups,
because it iSnot permitted freely 10 Con
tradict them.
Let i, not De said that this IS restrnin-
ing statute upon government, and is
/ prOhiolllun 10 - legislators anu tHlC!S,
civil us well as ecclesiastical" If lhcy
even are rv5,raincl by dis law, fortiori,
every private organization, or order, IT
jndjvinudi. il restrained. The Know
No;hingS will hardly pretend 20 the pow
er to DO what the Government, itself, and
lcI js,a!ors, and rulers, civil as we'll us
ecc!csinsticai, dare not do. II such be
their prctcnsions they claim to be above
the law or to sc. up higher law--thcn,
sic voIo, to compel man TO Gr> quent or
to support any religious Worship, and to
enforce, restrain, modest, or to burthcH,
him, or to make him to suffer" on ac-
count of his religious opinions or belief !;
or to deprive men of their freedom to
profess, and by argument to maintain
their opinions in matters of religion, and
to make the same diminish, enlarge or
effect thr civil capacities. No, when our
Constitution forbid the Legislators to ex-
ercise power, they intend that no such
power shall be exercised by any one.
Not only is the law of Vrgin'n thuG lb-
ernl as to Religion, but ALSO rs to Nat
uralzation.
Conc!uaed ncW ,cee&.)
Tho Wreck ofthc Ship :7cH Era.
1t was recently stated that Of 40 per-