The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-04-28

CHcumstanceseKlst incur own times
give some importance to question OF
history. That question is this: What
were the views Of our fathers who framed
our government as to the rel tons sulj-
sistin gsbetweei rel 81 ion and the cisil au
fh0rity? To answer this question exhaus
lively, by gong back from the period 81
the Revolution to the first settlement of
this country, would be to write book
and this is surely not within the limits OF
al newspaper article. Such a history
would show That The early colonists.
though coming to these shores for thu
better enjoyment Of their religious and
civil rights, did not in all respects und pr
stand the fall import of their own doc
trine. They sl1eenly felt its force as fug3
tives from persecution; but, when they
came.to the worksof creating a COVER
ment and enacting laws, they were not
always consistent with themselves. They
had the theory of religious liberty pretty
thoroughly ingrained into their convic
tions, and threw around it many valuable
safeguards yet they did no. by any
unexpectedly carry out their own prin
ciplez The. Development of sneh IA. sprita
ciple, as was naturally to be expected,
was OF slow progress. 1t always takt,
line, and trial, and education to ripen 50
large thought and fully apply it in act
.ual life q q
What then is the result at length gain
ed, and finally reduced to formal -x-
preston, as growing out of the entire
his ory OF the country from $ commenc, :
ment to the adoption of the Constitute
of the United States? What was tn
final and collective Judgment Of the ag
In respect to the sphere and junction
OF civil government, especially in relation
to tn subject of religion There are
two documents. in high repute among the,
American people, that ought to be regard
ed as conclusive upon this point. The
first is the Declaration of Independence,
and the second is the Constitution of the
United States. stA ~
The first of these papers, though not
.aninstrument of Government, is a&decta@
rationeof principles. In IL we find thu
following language: -" We hold thes,
truths to ,besstlf evident that sall men
are created equal; that they are. endow-,
ed by their Creator with certain ina1ien
able rights that among these are life,
liberty, andsthe <pursIit ofe@1appincss :;
that"to secure these rights governments
are instituted among men, deriving their
jnstspew from the consent ofthe gov
'erned land hat whenever any form of
CIV ernment becomes destructive of these
ends, it is, the right of the people to alter
or abolishit, and 20 institntenew govern
ment laying its foundations on such
principles, and organizing its powers in
such form as to them shall seem mo L.
likely to effect their safety and happl-
ness" 1t is not often in the history of
the world that SO much truth is found
within such narrow verbal limits The
fact that men are created beings, and also
the further fact that there is Creator,
rom whom they uave derived their ain
alienaple rights are incidentally recog
nized showing that the signers. of the
Declaration Of Independence were not
atheists. 'Ihltwo other clauses of the in
strument God appears under the titles Of
F" Nature's God y and the "Supreme
Judge of the world" In the last sen
tence his government in the affairs Of
earth is admitted by the expression of "a
trm reliance on the protection of Diainel
f'roDadezce" The Declaration of Inde-l
pendence surely is not a goddess paper. It'll
not only does not deny, but explicitly
recognizes the being and providence dfl
God. aI I'D fsasJ sdj "a st.s.
And yet this Declaration is not ron
fessloi4 of faith for the government of q
church, or a formulary of Christian doc
trlne. 1t states the right of men as such |
not as Christians or infidels but as human
beings and members of the BODY pe,itic
making no, discrimination between them
on any religious ground; and on these
rights, common TO them ALL erects the |
superstructure of civil government, ex-
pressly declaring it to lie the proper OBJ |
ject of such government J" to secure these
rights" and that all the Gust powers y
thereof must be derived from the con.
sent OF the governed" 1t is obvions
upon the very face OF these princi Piles
that nc civil society built upon them, and
having IN It diverse religious beliefs, can
establish any one of these beliefs as an
integral part of its constitutional bein0
1t may have religion in the persons of its
members, and this fact may in various
ways appear but religion itself can be /
no part OF the law of the lanu in the
sense OF having any authority sanction
or enforcement as derived from this law
The truth lis, the Declaration of indie
pendence does not know anything about
men as Christians or as sinners. as in tbol
church or out of it. It simply knows
them as men, and passes their religion. or
the want of it in silence.
What the Declaration ofIndependence
thus sets before us as theory the Consti-
tuition of the United States reduces tl,stb..
firm of established Iaao. Tt provides IN
the First Amendment that "Csngress
shall make no law respecting an estab-
,lshment OF religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof" This absolutely