Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-06-26
REMARKS OF w. #. LEAK.

I'm tie proposition 10 StTtEe 0uL Ine 6ne67n6C pro-
posed By the Delegate from Alamdsee, relating
to Jesoiah disabilities, ard to insert the amend
ment Of tho Delegate from Martin, or the Dele
gate from Heryord
Irise Mr.. President for the purpose Of asking
the indulgence of the Convention, while submits
few remarks, for know that the subject under
consideration has called forth some of the best tai
ents of the House, and that it has been ably dis
cussed, and as such it would smack somewhat of
presumption in me to attempt its further elucida-
tion-yet notwithstanding, have desire to be
heard for short time. The subject before us, as
has been well said by both the gentlemen from Ala
nance and Wake, is an important one ard would
have much preferred its postponement for some few
days until we had disposed of matters of mure
pressing importance, but you have ordered it
otherwise, cheerfully acquiesce. I am, then, de-
cidedly opposed both to the amendments of the
gentleman from Hartford and the gentleman from
Martin, and in favor of the amendment offered by
the distinguished gentleman from Alamance.
My opposition to the amendment of the gentle
man from Martin, after its modification, is that
it ignores all moral obligation, condition pre-
cedent to the holding of Office that it opens the
door too wide-for, as at first proposed, it struck
out the whole of the 35th section it now stands,
in the present Constitution and lets in the Atheist
the Infidel, the Pantheist the Mahomedan, and the
Turk, &C, &C., &c. 1t is true that he afterwards
modified it, to require religious test" but,
Mr.. President correctly and fairly interpreted, it
requires no profession Of religion. The gentleman
in the course of long argument to sustain himself,
has referred to the old federal constitution which he
states and states truly, dispenses with religious
test" and he has been singularly unfortunate in
the very authority he has produced, for if fnnder
stand i, it d,sproves the very position he has Ia
ken-for it does require moral obligation, and moral
obligation is Religion. True it does say, that no
religious test" shall be required of those who are
indicted into civil office, but the very oath it re-
quires presupposes the highest degree of moral o.
gation for ask, how is it possible for you to bind
the conscience of a man who denies the being Of
God, and Of mans moral accountability
Religion "Er Of Tsrmini' means binding, a tie;
its PRIMARY meaning that: for it is derived from
two Latin words, ere" and "lgo," which means
that and nothing more. Yes, sir, it simply seems,
that its possessor has become bound, by an inward
obligation of duty to the discharge Of GER
tain acknowledged obligations. There is marked
difference between discriminating between relg ious
sects and requiring that there should be religion
possessed by the applicant for Office Nobody, as
understand it. is in favor of having religious
test" am as much opposed to it. myself as any
gentleman upon this floor, and when the Federal
Constitution says that there shall be no religious
test, but still requires auth of Office, it simply
means, that there shall he no religious diScrimina-
tons made, no preference extended to any one re.
lgious denomination over that of another That
this is So is obvious to my mind, if We look to the
concurrent history of the country, we'll as to the
practice Of the mother country. Our fathers had
just thrown off the political yoke, and they had
sorely felt the ironhee of the religious yoke, for
there was religion established by law Of the
British Parliament and no man could hold Office
who did not subscribe to its teEets and hence in
the mother country, they had and now have what
was properly denominated "religous test"
giouS discrimination, in favor of the estdblished
church, which in its effect was a condemnation
and exclusion of all others from holding seat in
Parliament or from holding any civil Office They
had just left country where there was religion
establshed by law, and hence they were careful to
prevent its intro duction as State religion, and
therefore they declared that there should be no ire
lgious tests" that there should lie no discrimna-
tons among the different religionists Of the
try, but that every man should worship God accor-
ding to the dictates of his conscience but certainly
they were far yes very far from ignoring all religion.
The very idea is supremely ridiculous for they
eminently u God-fearing as we'll as a law.abiding
people.
The objection to the gentleman's proposition from
Martini is, that it substantially ignores all religion,
and the objection to the proposition of the gentle
man from Hartford. is, that in pointing out what
obligation he would impose he has substituted such
slender bond as to make it to some extent equally
Objectionable.
True. it says, IS originally proposed, and the
amendment if understand it, is but little better
than that mo person who denies the being of God,
and Of his experimenting Providence over human
AFFAIRS shall be capable, &C., &C., &C. This, to my
mind, is rather too ndefinte-as it will let in the
Saracen, the Mahomedan the Turk, the Buddhist
the Pantheist for hold that every believes in
something that he calls God that such thing as
an Atheist per Sc not in practice but in sentiment
does not exist upon the habitable globe. 1t must
be so, else whence this pleasing thought this fond
desire, this longing after immortality. They may
call the object of their alteration God, nature or
cilance-yet believing in first cause they believe
in some kind of a God But this is not the God
would have them believe in, as a condition prece-
dent to their holding posts of civil trust
Now, our God, the God of the Bible, has necessa-
rly attached thereto certain fixed well as definite
ideas, for Christianity hangs on a few plain and
simple truths; first that God is and that he is
rewarder of all who diligently seek him 2nd-that
man has apostatized from his original character,
and by that apostacy, has forfeited his original des
tination, to regain which, and to place man back to
his original status" $50 far, at least as salvation
is concerned was the purpose for which our Savior
came into the world, and died upon the cross, as an
expiation for the sins of SINFUL but afterwards be-
lieving and repentant man. His Offices did not
Ced'Se tleil lie mas WltnQraWn MS nIiIoCuiOuS
gifts, but he still continues the influence Of his spirit
upon the hearts and consciences Of men, This is
the God of the Bible. the God our fathers recog-
nized and this is the God incorporated in the Fed
eral Constitution, which has been referred to- to
prove that no belief of the kind required by the
trainers of that Constitution, when the very oath
dsproves the position.
What gentlemen mean by experimenting con-
troll of Providence over human affairs might well
give rise to debate, and therefore, prefer the prop
osition Of the gentleman from Alamance, which
leaves the clause in the Constitution just as We
found it. except that it is so worded as to let in
the Jews. believe that they ought to be let in.
for they believe in the true God; for no Christian
can deny that Moses God, was not the true God
and beside, they hold toHture rewards and punish
ments, and their history proves that they have al
ways been found fighting on the side Of their adop-
ted country. They have now, in this our country's
greatest need come forth with commendable liber-
atty in support Of our army. Yes, Mr.. Mordecai,