, 1874-01-18

TIE PENITENTIARY CHAPLAIN
The Legislature on Friday last did very wisely
in recomrnitting the question OF appointing
Catholic Chaplain to the Penitentiary. they
would have done still more wisely ii they had
killed the proposition entirely, and then abol-
ished the Office of Chaplain altogether The
arguments which wero made against the Catho-
lie Chaplain we're pertinent. so far as they went'
but they did not 20 far enough. The members
were considering only one side Of the question:
namely; Whether Catholic Chaplain should DO
added to the prison. II Protestant clergy
man is to be- granted the privilege OF
making converts out Of the conyicts, then
cortain}y Catholic should hive the same priEl-
leee; and il Catholic, then Jew; aud 80 on
throughout the entire category OF religious de-
nominations. What tho Legislature should
have doue was to have settled the question by
abolifl1ing the Office entirely, not only because
it ia hnpracticable to have a)l the sects repro
eentcd. but because the office Is un-
constitutional. Tho Bill OF Rights provides
that .sthe free exercise and enjoyment Of re-
ligious profession and worship, without discrimi-
nation, shall forever be guaranteed. and no per-
son snail be denied any civil or political right,
privilege OF capacity, on account Of his RELIGIOUS
onioions. No person shall be re-
quircd to attend or support any ministry or
place Of worship against his consent, nor ahaa
any preference be given by law to any religious
denomination or mode Of worship" Every QUE
of thoss provisions is violated. The convict
does not hare the free exercise Of religious Wor-
ship. His attendance upon public worship ID
compulsory, and in direct violation Of the law
preference is given to the Protestant form OF
worship, But the law is violated not only in
it's spirit but also in its letter. It is not. only
unconstitutional to debar s convict from the
froe exercise OF worship, and compel his attend
ance at tho ministrations Of Some particular de-
nomination, butit ia unconstitutional to appoint
salaried Chaplain at all. Sec. 8, Art. s, pro-
yides: "Neither the General Assembly nor
any county, city, town, township, school district
or other public corporation, shall ever make any
appropriation, or pay from any public fund
whatever, anything in aid Of any church
or sectarian purpose" This clinches the
| matter, and makes tho abolition OF the
Office q duty, and the further continu-
ance of q Chaplain in attendance upor
the PenitentiaEy, the other State insitutons, ane
| tho General Assembly itself, palpable and oper
violation OF law. There is no resource left bu
to abolish the Offices and then extend to tut
| conyictg. the inmates of other State institutions
i and the members Of the General Assembly, ths
privileges guaranteed by the Bill Of Rights O
! attendance OF non attendance upon worship, 81
the5 may see fit, without reference to any par
| ticular denomination, and also stop at once th
unlawful payments OF money for such purpose
| from the State Treasury.
It doeu not follow from this that the class o
our citizens enjoying the hospitality Of the Stat
at Joliet are to be deprived Of religious consola
ton OF instruction. Ope1 the prison doors t
all the ministers and sects in Joliet. There ar
sects enough in that fourishing city to accom-
modase all tho convicts. Let Baptist haT
chance ore Sunday, Methodist th
next. Catholic the next, and 60 OF
and. il there aGe Jews in Joliet competer
to expound Moses and the Prophets. lot thel
have show also. AL denominations ahou1
have chance to convert the Penitentis1y, al
the convicte should be left free to attend the
worship OF not as they see fit. This is not on'
right, but it is an obligation imposed by tt
Constitution, which is violated every weak. Tt
remedy, as We have said F,eforo, is for the Gel
eral Assembly to abolish thu uncoustilutlona
unnecessary, and quarrela'me Office Of chaplAi
Of the penitentiary.