Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-29
GENERAL IMPORTATION.

uENEAAL lNFOHMAyION.
Alasanac for the City Of Wasaingtoa.
THIS DAY
s,... sun rises. 9 Length Of day. ~. "a
New moon 18th, a.a4 AN. NJ changes cath, saS Pm.
TRAVEL.
For Baltim0rs.
The @ earn leave daily at 8 and s,S A. NJ, and and
For Alexandria.
The Washington and Alexandria boat leaves
Pages Wharf, Seventh street, hourly Fare Ave cts
For Rockville. /,
The stage leaves every morning at o'clock. Fare
III. Office, corner Of ID and 9th streets.
- Fbr Upper Marlboro,
The stage leaves every morning at o'clock. Fare
VI 90. Office, northwest corner Of d and 9Th ats.
For GordoasUiile. '9g
The cars leave Alexandria daily at ~ o'clock, for
Gordonsville and intermediate places
For Richmond
rae boat leaves the wharf At the terminus Of Iath
IS 30.
For Lscsburg.
The stage leaves Tuesday, Thursday, and Satur-
day. Office, United States Hotel.
California Steamers.
The regular mail steamers leave New York on the
9TH and goth Of each month. Persons desirous Of
writing from this city should mail their letters on
the Sd and 18th Of each month.
lHe x~OSt OWce
The Northern and Eastern Mail is opened at
O'clock a. \ M and half past 2. M; closes at P.
The Great Southern Mail is opened at A. M, and
closes at y n ~ The Southern Mail as far South as
Wilmington, North Carolina, arrives 1t half past
Al, closss ct 3 I. n.
The Northwestern Mail is open at half past p M,
The Western Mail is open II o'clock A. NJ. closes
The Norfolk Mail arrives at II o'clock P. NJ closes
at 2 +. M, daily, except Sundays.
The Caltornia Mail direct, closes here on the Sd
and 18th of each mouth, ut Q p. NJ.
Warrenton Mail arrives at II A. NJ, closes at 10
! Waenton @ Springs arrives at II A. NJ, closes at
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
in the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year 1886: -
Well awareShat Almighty God hath created the
mind free that all attempts to influence it by tenn
poral punishments or burdens, or by civil incapa-
citations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy
and meanness, and are departure from the plan
OF the Holy Author Of our religion who, being Lord
both OF body and of mind, yet chose not to prop
agate by coercions either a was in his almighty
power to do; that the impious presumption of leg
slatures and rulers, civil as well as ecclesasticai
who, being themselves but fhllible and unnspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faith Of
Others, setting up their own opinions and modes Of
thinking as the only true and nfaible and as such
endeavoring TO impose them upon Others hath es-
tablished and maintained false religions over the
greatest part Of the world, and through all time
that to compel man to furnish contributions Of
money for the propagation Of opinions which he
disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical that even the
forcing him to support this or that teacher of his
own religious persuasion is depriving him of the
comfortable liberty of giving his contributions
to the particular pastor whose morals he would
mako his pattern, and whose powers he feels most
persuasive Righteousness and Is Withdrawing from
the ministry those temporal rewards, which, pro-
ceedng from appreciation of their personal CON
duct, are an additional incitement to earnest and
unremitting labors for the instruction of mankind;
that our civil rights have no dependence on our re-
hgious opinions more than our opinions In physics
or geometry; that, therefore, the prescribing of
any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by
laying upon him an incapacity of being called to
the Offices of trust and emolument, unless he pro-
fess or renounce this or that religious opinion. il
-deprivmg him injuriously of those privileges and
advantages TO which, in common with his fellow
citizens, he has natural right that it tends also
to corrupt the principles Of the very religion It is
meant to encourage, by bribing, with monopoly
of worldly honors, those who will externally pro-
fess and conform to it; that though, indeed, those
are criminal who do not withstand such tempta-
tons, yet neither are those innocent who lay the
bait in their way that to suffer the civil ma
gstrate to intrude his powers into the field of opin-
ion and to restrain the profession or propagation Of
principles, on the suppostion of their nj tendency,
is dangerous fallacy, which at once DESTROYS all
religious liberty, because, he being of course Judge
of that tendency, will make his opinions the rnIe
OF Judgment, and approve or condemn the senti.
ments of Others only as they shall square with, or
differ from, his own that IL is time enough for the
rightful purposes of civil government, for ts Off
GERS to interfere when principles break out into
overt acts against peace and good order: and,
finally that truth is great and win prevail II left to
herself that she Is the proper and sufficient antag-
onist OF error and has nothing to fear from the
conflict unless by human interposition disarmed Of
her natural weapons, free argument and debate.
errors ceasng TO be dangerous when II Is permitted
freely TO combat them.
BE u, therefore, enucted By The General As.
sem6ty, That no man shall be compelled 10 fre-
quent or support any religious worship, place. or
ministry whatsoever nor shall he be enforced, re-
strained molested or burdened In his body or goods
shall he otherwise suffer account ohis religious
opinions or belief but that all men shall be free to
profess, and by argument to maintain, their opip-
ions in patters Of religion, and that the same shall
in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil
capacities.
And though we well know this Assembly. elected
by the people for the ordinary purposes Of lcgis
lation only, have no power to restrain the acts OF
succeeding assemblies, constituted with powers
equal to our own; and that, therefore, to declare
this act irrevocable would be Of no effect in law
yet we are free TO declare and do declare, that the
rights hereby asserted Of tho natural rights of
mankind, and that IL any act shall be hereafter
passed to repeal the present. or TO narrow its ope-
rations such an act will be an Infringement of
natural right.