The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-07
THE TRIUMPH or RELIGIOU US LIBERTY
IN SPAIN


THE grand appeal made by Senor CASTELAR, in the
Spanish Cortes, to guarantee to every person in
the country the full and free exercise
of his conscience in matters of religion,
has resulted as might have been anticipated by
every one who read his burning words. The
cable brings us the intelligence that the Con-
stituent Cortes, by vote of 164 to 40, have
adopted the article in the proposed new COnsti-
tuition which relates to the subject of worship.
The articles bearing upon this point read as fol-
lows
"Artice 2o.-The nation obliges itself to maintain
the worship and the ministers OF the Catholic re-
ligion.
any other religion is guaranteed to all foreigners resi-
dent in Span without other limitations than the uni
versal rules OF morals and OF right.
ARTICLE 22-n any Spaniards profess any other
foregoing paragraph are applicable to them"
1t will be observed that the twentieth article
makes Catholicism the established religion of
the State. All liberal Christians will unite In
pronouncing this serious mistake The day
when every member of society should be forced
to contribute to the support of a State religion,
whether he believes that religion to be the one
true faith or directly the reverse has long since
been numbered with the past, yet the United
States is the only nation of any pretensions
which has recognized this fact and acknowledged
its importance in framing its scheme of govern
ment. England continues to insist upon the
gross injustice of compelling dissenters to assist
in maintaining the Anglican Church, while, at
the same time, the dignitaries of that Church are
permitted to take part in framing the general
laws of the realm, whether their import be of a
civil or of religious character Until the
eleventh hour she has carried this doctrine into
practice to the utmost extreme in Ireland; but
at last, before the advancing spirit of the age
and the fear of losing even her infirm hold upon
the Emerald Isle, she is receding rs fast and as
far as her sense of dignity and decency will per-
NIT. The disestablishment of the Irish Church.
| however, portends similar severance of the
religious from the civil authority in England be-
fore the lapse of many years-a fact which many
OF the Tory leaders so fully appreciate that they
make 1t the groundwork of their arguments
against the overthrow of the Irish Church.
lhat spain will ultimately follow in the foot
steps OF England in this direction we cannot
DOUBT Ihe adoption, by such an overwhelming
Note, oi inc arucle guaranteeing all Spaniards
and foreigners resident in Spain entire liberty of
worship Is a great STEP sure to be followed. in
good time, by the greater stride which snail
place the Spanish people souarelv op tho
American platform-an entire severance bot,,o',,
the Church and the State, in the best intere.ts
of true religion and Unaffected morality. Tbe
words which Castelar, used in combating the
arguments of the advocates of absolute intoIo-
rance are quite as forcible when directed apains
any intermeddling by the Government in mat
tiers of religion. He said that
'If we believed in religion, the voice of our o,v,
conscience was suficlent to make us follow its pre
cepts. If did not believe in it, the protection o
the State was highly injurious, as it obliged US TO b
hypOcrttes and TO make professions with our lin
which we had not "a our hearts. Religion migh
then be the means Of helping us deceive our fellow
men, but we could mover deceive God-GOd VIII