Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-11-20
Tor the State Sentinel.
ConscTiItion Inconsistent with Abb
erty OF Conscience.


hss To- long time been condemned By multi
tudcs Il men but unaccouniahle n. may APP
pear. their attention j. drawn only % certain
kinds OF liberty. and they overlook, or even up
hold AZ the same time expressions far worse than
those they condemn. How docs il happen that
the adyocafes of liberty lave never discovered
that the enslayement Of Individuals BY gorerr-
menf. (as in the case Of drafting men, and fore
ing them into the military service. Is 4 much
worse form Of slavery than domestic serviiude 2
II We search FOR tire most plausible plea urged
I'm iusfifcariou IF each OF these forms Of slavery
II will b. found % b. the same in both cases.
the assertion that the paihc good renders IL nee
essarv but If this plea j. invalid in the latter
case II il still more so in the former. The prin-
eiple Of domestic slavery. ina general, affects only
the persons Of men, requiring them TO labor at
some innocent and commonly useful employ
ment: but CONSUMPTION enslayes both he person
and the Conscience. II enslaves the conscience,
because no government Is infallible, and NAV at
any time engage IN unjust war and besides
this as there are two parties ~ every war both
sides cannot be right: yet II the principle Of
CONSUMPTION i admissible for one, It must be so
for the other The inevitable consequence Of this
principle il, that just men would either be com
PEELED 20 engage in unjust wars and 10 take hui
man life when they knew or believed it TO be sim
full, or else TO suffer death or other punishment
at the plea IRE Of their government. Thus too
governments nav coyertly be employed as the
sools of bigots and religious prosecutors for the
destruction of upright men who are too honest
10 abandon their own deliberately formed conyic-
tons of right and duty, in order to go with the
popular current. This form Of slavery is then
thousand fold worse than ordinary domestic sa-
very. But il will be asked, how is this 10 be
avoided Are to have government
The proper answer is II YOU mean by gov
aeuf' ola mil m cd
ity over the natural personal rights Of men,
over their rights TO life and liberty Of conscience
land this not punishment for any offence
morally wrong, previously commtted;) such a
government is worse than no government at ALL
because it is, in principle at least, anticIris-
tan and oppressive government. The language
OF such government TO each and all OF Its citi
zens,-whatever pretences of liberation II may
make,-is simply this You shall not have q con-
science You shall in the most important mat
tiers, believe and do the Legislative or execu-
tive power commands YOU shall put men to
death, although you may know believe that
You are doing wrong: or, if you refuse if YOU fear
God more than Won fear man. you shall suffer
death or such other penalty "a a court martial
may order. II would be an easy matter 10 Sc
cure TO each citizen liberty of conscience, and ut
the same time secure 10 government all the
power that il ought 10 possess and this NAV he
done by making broad and clear distinction
between political offences, whereby an individual
fails TO fulfil what are alleged 10 be polit;ca OBJ
legations and offences which are really cTimes
considered in moral point of view, such as
murder theft &c. Concerning the latter there
Is no dispute bu, the former may or may
not be wrong, according 10 circumstances they
may even be praseworthy. There is little dan
ger that governments will err in determining
what offences are crimes Of themselves. consid-
cred with ref, tn fi1pi
Among civilized nations such actions are pun
ished both in the case of citizens and Of foreign
ers who owe no allegiance TO government
But when government attempts TO determine
what political obligations shall be imposed on its
citizens, here il is in great danger OF errng; for
the conscientious opinions of honest men differ
widely on this point and therefore liberty of
conscience should be allowed by permitting those
who cannot conscientiously comply with the
conditions required of citizens to renounce their
citizenship; thus assuming the same position
that is occupied by foreigners who have not been
naturalized without the political rights of cti-
zcnship, except where constitutional amend
ments are under consideration.
There is a wide difference between natural
personal rights, and political rights the former
are not derived from human governments. be-
cause human governments do not create men
they belong to men simply because they are men.
feited unless punishment for offences that are
of themselves crimes, considered in moral
point of view J for these rights are derived al
rectlv from the Creator, independently of govern
ments, and should be held only subject 10 the
condition lie has imposed upon their possession
the abStainng from real crime. On the con-
trarv. political rights received from human gov
crnments. may bc held subject to the conditions
of citizenship imposed BY such governments /;
so tina; men may be deprived of citizenship if
they fail to fulfil such conditions. The principle
of forced military service, which deprives men of
oil natural personal rights Of life itself for
failing to fulfil the alleged political obligation OF
DESTROYING the lives of others, NJ the command
of government although il may be in an un-
just war, Is then destructive of real liberty of
conscience, and of that independence of thought
and action which every freeman, who under
stands what liberty Is feels that he is entitled to.
In this case liberty of conscience cannot be So
cured without liberty of person for the con
sciences and persons OF men are inScparable in
the present life. Property and conscience are not
thus inscparabe exem ption fines, however. If
imposed. should be proporiioned TO the property
of each individual. Whatever may be the opin-
ions Of the man who i blinded by the passions
Of the hour lct him ask himself what his opin-
ions would he under different circumstance. in
the case of war which he considered in the high
est degree unjust No lover of truth should de-
sire the continuance of system which permits
jus, men to be put 20 death simply because they
are honest men. even though their opinions
should bc regarded n erroneous.
As 70 the prclcnce that men arc justified in
taking human life when they believe il TO bc
wrong, at the command of government this
i absurd II the DEGREES of government are
thc supreme and absolute rules of human CON
duct, what need would there be that men should
have consciences: and what propriety would
there be I'm n Divine law regulating the conduct
of men,-addreS,ed "a them as individuals :
According to this doctrine. il would be the duty
of a man, Mt the command of an intolerant gov
ernment 20 put to death his nearest relatives,
they being innocent persons.
IL may be alleged in defence of the system OF
forced military service. that men are perm. led to
employ substitutes but IL j. maxim OF law
and of reason that he who does an act through
the agency of another. does il himself and even
il this secured liberty of conscience 20 the rich, II
would not secure il to the poor. because they are
unable to hire substitutes. For the same reason
the permission 10 escape by paving heavy fine
could not secure liberty OF conscience 10 the
poor. Nor Is il sufficient that those who disap-
prove of wars of every Kind should be exempt
for their conscientious scruples cannot cQui,ahly
he entitled 90 greater consideration than the
conscientious seruple, OF other persons with IT.
gard 20 a particular war. although the latter may
not condemn all wars.