The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-09-30
THE GEGHAN BILL.

"a Bill to secure liberty Of conscience in
matters of religion to persons impris-
oned or detained by authority Of law.
SECTION ]. Be it enacted by the Cen
eral Assembly of the State of Ohio, That,
as liberty of conscience is not forfeited
by reason of conviction Of crime, or by
reason of detenticnin any penal refor-
matory or eleemosynary institution, or
any House of Refuge, Work-bouse, Jail or
public asylum of the State, no person in
any such institution shall be compelled 10 at
tend religious WOrShip or institution Of a form
which Is dgdinStthe dictates of his or her con-
science; and it shall be the duty of every
Director, Trustee, Superintendent or 9TH
er person having in charge any such in
stitution 10 furnish EQUAL FACILITIES
to all such persons for receiving The nliaistra-
tons Of the authorized Clergyman Of their Oo0a
religious denomination or persuasion, under
such reasonable rules and regulations as
the Trustees, Directors, Managers or Su-
perintendents shall make; but no such
rules shall be so constructed as to pre-
vent the clergyman of any denomination
from fully administering the rights of his
denomination to such inmates provi-
ded such ministration entail no expense
on the public treasury. rs.t
SEC. 2. This act shall take effect from
and after its passage"
GEO. L. CONVERSE,
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
ALPHONSO HART,
.,nl. President of the Senate.
Passed March 80, 1875.
Now, reader, this is the Geghan Bill
which Republican papers and stumpers
would have people believe turks in the
division of the School Fund, the Pope's
"bull" and horns, the destruction of
Protestants, the downfall Of our glorious
free Government, &c. and so on. This
simple little Geghan bill. which provides
in few, plain words, that the liberty of
conscience in religious worship shall not
be denied to any one who may be pri-
soner in the penitentiary, or an inmate
Of any of the eleemosynary institutions
of the State That is all there is about
it. Yet it seems to be the only hope for
Republican demagogues, in some parts
of Ohio, to excite religious prejudices
among the people, and thereby make
votes against the Democratic candi
dates. a
Why don't the radical papers and
stumpers of Ohio attack the Constitution \
of the State7 There the spirit of the
Geghan Bill is laid down in the strongest
terms, viz:
"Sec z. All persons have natural
and indefeasible right to worship AL
mighty God according to the dictates of
their own conscience. No person shall
be compelled to attend, erect, or support |
any place of worship, or maintain any |
form of worship, against his consent
and no preference shall be given by law
to any religious society; nor shall any
with the rights of conscience
be permitted, No religious test shall be
required as qualification for Office, nor
shall any person be incompetent to be a
witness on account of his religious belief;
out nothing herein shall be construed to
dispense with oaths and afirmations,
Religion, morality and knowledge, how
ever, being essential to good govern
nent, it shall be the duty of the general
assembly to pass suitable laws, to protect
every denomination in the peaceful en-
oyment of its own mode of public wor7
ship, and to encourage schools and the
means of instruction.