Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-10-26

igion according to the dictates of conscience
5. Restraints upon the expression of re-
ligious belief.
Ijected to the censorship of the State, or Of
any public authority"
And we may add the following from Story
on the Constitution I" And the Cath
olic and the Protestant, the Calvinist and the
Arminian, the Jew and the Infdel may sit
down at the common table of the national
councils, without any inquisition into their
faith or mode of worship"
This doctrine has been expressly decided
to be the law by many of the courts of the
land. The Supreme Court of Ohio, in Bloom
. Richards, 2 Ohio St. R. 800, unanimously
any other system of religion is a part of. the
law of the State. We sometimes hear it
stated that all religions are tolerated in Ohio,
but the expression is not strictly accurate :;
much less accurate is it to say that one re-
ligion is part of the law of the land, and
all others only tolerated. 1t is not by mere
liberation that every individual here is pro-
tected in his belief or disbelief He reposes
not upon the leniency of government, or the
lIberality of any class or set of men; but up
on his natural, indefeasible rights of con-
science, which, in the language of the consti-
tuition, are beyond the control or interference
of any human authority
We apprehend that it will be unnecessary
to quote farther to establish our position
that it is an error to assert that the American
government has any right to control a mans
conscience or that it can use public money
collected from people of all sects and religions
to advance the theories or beliefs of any one
of them, or any set of them. 1t is true that,
as Mr.. Brastow says, the conscience of the
minority has no right to control that of the
majority but it is the noblest triumph of
liberty and progress that the world can re-
cord, that here in America the largest major
ity has no right to control the conscience of
the humblest citizen. On the other hand, the
statement that from the denial of Mr. Bras
tow's theory follows the utter expulsion of
everything religious and moral, is untrue
The State always makes use of all the aid
that Christianity or any other religion can
furnish provided always, that the rights of
conscience of no one shall be taken away in
matters of religion. Moreover the principles
of morality are most of them common to all
religions and existed before the religions
which adopted them. This St Paul ex-
pressly states.
The State does not make use of the judicial
oath because Of its connection with religious
faiths, but because experience teaches that it
assists in securing true testimony. The
State upholds marriage because it is cipil
institution, not because Christianity de-
mands it. 1t has been expressly decided by
courts that the Sabbath laws rest upon no
religious principles. The government can
practically make use of all the sanctions of
every religion that it desires, and Mr. Bras
tow himself says that arguments for retain /
ing the Bible in the public schools can be .
adduced upon other grounds.
We trust that, at this time, the State will 1
not turn its back upon the most glorious .
liberty of our people. In the language of .
one who having labored to free his race from .
bondage is now fighting to secure to sects .
and creeds the same victory which he has
secured for races q Oh what liberty 1t
is. The right to think, write and believe
the right to differ with the majority-more
precious, more priceless liberty which
has cost more tears, more blood, more agony
than all other liberties together. l am for
seeing it established, and my command to
the church and all denominations Of the
church, whether Catholic or Protestant, is
hands off the government; and my command
to the government is, hands off the church,
To make the question as practical as pos
sble, would Mr.. Brastow think it right,
should the time ever come when the majority
of the voters of America shall be Catholics.
for the State to be made a Catholic country,
and for Protestants to be only tolerated? If
not, the question is settled. We know no
better rule than that of Christ himself,
g Whatsoever ye would that men should do
unto you, do ye even SO unto them"