The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-04-26

MARcn 81, 1s5l.-Ordcrcd TO be printed
| Mr.. MEACHAM, FROM THE COMMITTEE
ON THE JUDICIARY, MADE THE FOLLOW
| ING
r POR r.
Tie Committee on The JR9iciary, 10 wk0m iccre
| rcjcrrcd The memorials of citizens Of scrcfdt
StotcS, praying that the o6fee ofchapiaia in
The army, nary al Iptst P0int. al Indian
| statioHs, and in Joth hoHscs Of Congress, be
aboiided, reSpee tftUy repOH:
That they have had the subject under
consideration, and, after careful examin
alton, are not prepared to come to the
conclusion desired by the memorialists.
Having made that decision, it is due that
the reason should be given. Two claus
es of the constitution are relied on by
the memorialists to show that their pray
er should bc granted One q. .,.eso is
in the sixth article, that mo religious
test shall ever be required as a qualifca-
tion to any Office or public trust under
the United States" Ii the whole sec
tion were quoted VIC apprehond that no
one could suppose it intended to apply
| W wv uIliblullDcub VI tuUIlhlus.
ART 6, Sec. 3. The senators and
representatives, before mentioned, and
the members of the several State lcgisa.
lures, and all executive and judicial of
ficers, both of the United States and of
the several States, shall be bound, by
oath or affirmation. to support this con
stitution; but no religious test shall ov-
er be required as capitalization to any
Office or public trust under the United
States"
Every one must perceive that this re
fers to a class of persons entirely dis
tinct from chaplains.
Another article supposed to be violat-
ed is article Ist Of Amendments Con.
grcss shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion" Does our
present practice violate that article p
What is an establishment of religion ?
1t must have a creed, defining what q
man must believe it must have rites
and ordinances, which believers must OBJ
serve it must have ministers of defined
qualifications, to teach The doctrines and
administer the rites it must have tests
for the submissive, and penalties for the
nof-conformist. There never was an cs
tablished religion without all these. Is
there now. or has there ever been, any.
thing of this in the appointment of chap
lains in Congress, or army, or navy2 The
practice before the adoption of that con
stitution is much the same as since: tho
adoption Of that constitution does not
seem to have changed the principle il
this respect. We ask the memoralsts
to look at the facts. First in the army
chaplains were appointed for the rcvolu
tonary army on its organization ruics
for their regulations are found among
the earliest of the articles of war. Con
gress ordered, on May 27, WI, that
there should be one chaplain to each
brigade of the army, nominated by the
brigadier general, and appointed by Con,
gress, with the same pay as colonel
and, on the 18th of September following
ordered chaplains to be appointed to the
hospitals in tho several departments
with the pay of $50 per month, three
ratious per day, and forage for one horse
An original order of Washington just
one wear prior to the declaration of in
1orondonao n;u .h,,r H., IT,. -,
:, ''' -
the service Of chaplains in the army II
is taken from the original order book ol
the Commander. in chief.
HEAD QUARTErs.
Cambridge, July lth. l775.
"9 ''' EHoci'ono4' - uoofge 4" "Sn.'S'on
;,l ,l Go,l''';'Nue'Iil'onlo' Goi; as N.t on tNc
"''0' nv, Ho'|,ies % VI -'"' VI 'N''oi'I'
~ n' o0"V'"i 'nu'' earnestly re-
du''e' ".iu "a Ap.o.s " uu' upSei,tHco o.
'''oao al ''o,'s % ""' oN'""i'sncI i1r ,nI
sosei n.'en' " '"o a'"9 "n'oh 'o'oiu
ou'' ';"s 'nu s"o"''ns "nu ur9''Ae'es'
"e' ~ ~ nm u'a'''''' l"I.oS ""u expect;
~ d, oii'1'' anu so'.'er' no' e"9'9eu
~ ".'1@' uG'9' i" i""I,""' I''T'iu''ioe 70
I'M I'M 'u, ~ Nv " '"I,".o '"9 c'o's'ns u
r''a'o i..'sn "f'" '"' '''"''' "''' io' o"' o'
"'S,Iu VII .lo n.r.,,;o
n nen ,no t, ool3'.'u''ou was iur'ppu
No',s'o9' nav pV"u' " ia'SS anu sup
ro.. "' "',.a' "'D ~ lln. 'ue ioi "Iu Sup
po'' !" "a, I"N ~ '"'Ne "''' anu resu
,a''our 'oI '"o so'o',',.'0''' anu i's"'a
''on " ra"u 'i a"u na;"I io'ooS, ln 'he aD'
:onVu ., an is'!''".ionS' sonc'", UT spec
'"', % ~ "PI ,I ,i'r 10 Is.': ISsune INA tn"t 'nsy
w "elo " w 'uoSo sIpS'"n''al'y i IN 'ne
1r'no "a ''''in., "' n"u ooo, u1ue po'ore
- ~ '"e" lucy were as 'ruly empower.
ou TO appoint cnaPialnS US 10 appoint
generals or 10 ehiist so1r'erS Accord