The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-12-09
CHURCH AND STATE.
Letter From Ex-Speaker Blalne-COn-
stItutiOnaI PFOVl siOns,

The following letter was written by
Mr.. Blaine to a prominent Ohio gen.
tlenan, just after the late election in
tina State
"AUGUsrA, Me-, Oct. 20.
MY DEAR SIR The public school
agitation in your late campaign is liz
abs to break out else where, and, Oe-
curing first in one State and then in
another, may keep the whole coun-
try 10 a ferment for years to come.
This inevitably arOuses secta rlan
feeling, and leads to that bitterest and
most deplorabIe of all strifes, the strife
between religious denominations. 1t
seems to me that this question ought
| to be settled in some definite and
comprehensive way; and the only
settlement that can be final is the
complete victory for nOn-sectarian
schools. lam sure this will be de-
msnded by the American people, at
all hazard and at any cost. The
dread of sectarian legislation in this
country has been felt many times In
thepast. It began very early. The
fira amendment of the Constitution,
the joint product OF Jefferson and
Madison, proposed in 1859, declared
that Congress shall make no law re-
spectiug an establishment Of religion,
nor prohibiting the free exercise
thereof At that time, when the
pswers of the Federal Governfaent
were untried and undeveloped, the
fear was that Congress might be q
source OF danger to perfect religious
liberty, and hence all power was tax
en- from it. At the same time the
States were left free TO do as they
pleased in regard to an establishment Of
religion, for the tenth amendment pro-
posed by that eminent jurist, Theoph-
| illus Parsons, and adapted contempor-
aneously with the first, declared that
AL powers not delegated to the United
| States by the Constitution nor pro-
hikited by 1t to the States, are reserv-
edto the States respectively or to the
people, A majority of the people in
any State in this Union can, there
fore, IL they desire it, have an estab-
IIshed church-under which the mi
nority may be taxed for the erection
Of church edifices which they never
enter, and for the support Of creeds
which they do not believe. Tbis
power was actually exercised in some
Of the States long after the adoption
of the Federal Constitution, and al
though there may be no positive
| danger of its revival in the future,
the possibility OF 1t should not be per-
mItted. The auspicious time to guard
against an evil Is when all unite in
preventing 1t.
"And in curing this constitutional
defect all possibility OF hurtful agita-
ton on the school question should be
ended also. Just let the old Jeffer-
sou-Madison amendment be applied
to the Ststes by adding the following
to the inhibisory clauses in section 10,
article 1, Of the Federal Constitution,
viz. ..rs.
~tNo State shall make any Law respecting
an establishments of religion or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof and no money
mort Of public schools, or derived from any
nnublic fund therefor, shall ever be under
the control OF any religious sect. nor shall
any money so raised ever pc dIvloeo De
tween religious sects or denominations
6This, you will observe, does not
interfere with any State having just
such a school system as its citizens
NAV prefer, subject to the single and
simple restriction tt9t the schools
shall not be made, the arena for sec
tartan controversy or theological dis
putation. This adjustment, it seems
tc me, would be comprehensive and
conclusive, and would be fair alike to
Protestant and Catholic, to Jew and
Gentle, leaving the religious faith
and the conscience of every man free
and unmOlested.
every sincerely yours,
J. G.. BLAINE"