Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-31
OHIO.
Priestly interference in Politics.
senator Thnrman's Opinion OF the
GD-d Priests" -Perorati0n OF His
sSieeeh Dc Cleveland last satnraay.

Cincinnati Commercial Report.
In close connection with the false clamC
about the schools is another false clarhor
priestly interference Ia politics. We boa
great deal said about a bill passed by th
last Leg stature, commonly called th
'sGeghan BILL and to listen to a Radica
stumper or read Radical newspaper,
man, knowing nothing else of the subject
would suppose that that bin is a frightfu
enOrnity giving peculiar and immense cd
Vantages TO the Catholic Church over th
other churches in the State. But thes
alarmists take good care not 10 produce tn
bill itself; because it is only necessary Il
read it to see that there is no foundation
whatever for their denuneiatiOns. Their
is not a word about the Catholic Church il
the Geghan law, not provision that gives
TO that church the slightest preference owe
any other church, not a provision that i:
not found in substance in the Constitution
of the State, and that was not found in our
old Constitution. Ever since Chic has
been State, ever since the year Of our
Lord 1902, the principles Of the GeghaI
bill have been par Of our fundamental
law. The old Constitution declared
"That all men have a natural and indie
/ AllNolDAC AAELb W " 041A4AH 4AAAAAAAAhy 0g4
| cO-ding to the dictates Of conscience; that
no human authority can, IN dIly case tohdt-
erer, control or interfere with the rights of
| conscience; that no man shall be compelled
TO attend, erect or support any place Of
worship, or to maintain any ministry
aga INST his consent; that no preference shall
ever be given, by law, to any religious So
ciety or mode Of worship, and no religious
test shall be required, as a qualification, to
any office of trust or profit. But religion,
morality and knowledge, being essentially
necessary to good government and the hap
pinesS Of mankind, schools and the means
Of instruction shall forever be encouraged
by legislative provision, not inconsistent
with the rights of conscience"
The same provision, enlarged in its
scope, is found IN the present Constitution,
which declares, Article l, section I, that:
GAIL men have natural and indefeasi-
bic right to worship Almighty God accord
ing to the dictates Of their own conscience.
operson 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 interference with the rights Of con-
science be permitted. No religious test
shall be required, as a qualification for
Office, nor shall any person be incompetent
TO be a witness on account Of his religious
belief; but nothing herein shall be construed
to dispense with Oatbs and afhrmations.
Religion, morality and knowledge, how.
ever, being essential to good government, it
shall be the duty Of the General Assembly
to pass suitable laws TO protect every reli-
giOus denomination in the pesceable en-
joyment Of its own mode ofpublic worship,
and to encourage schools and the means Of
instruction"
Now, this constitutional provision COM
pletely covers the Geghan law, for what
man will dare assert that the inmates of
our asylums, or even the cOnvicts in our
penitentiary, are less entitled to the rights
of conscience than other men, OF less en-
titled to the ministry Of religion, or that
they can be compelled to attend any place
Of worship against their consent? The
Constitution embraces every man, woman
and child in the State, the guilty as well
az the innocent, the prisoner as well as the
freeman. The Legislature can infiict pen
allies for the commission Of crime, but
there is one penalty il cannot infiict, one
penalty that the Constitution imperatively
fOfbids, and that is 4 deprivation Of the
rights Cf conscience. And now, what is
the Geghan law? Let me read il, and You
will see that every word l have said Of it
is strictly correct, and that the clamOr
against Il has not the slightest foundation
in reason or truth. It reads IS follows:
can Act 20 secure liberty Of conscience in mat
tiers OF religion 20 persons imprisoned, or de-
tanned by authority Of law:
''SectiOn /. BE il enacted by the General
Assembly Of ~ State Of Ohio, that as lib
erty of conscience is not forfeited by rea-
sen of conviction Of crime, or by reason Of |
detention in any penal refOrmatOry or elee- |
Institution, or in any house Of |
refuge, WOrk-hOuse, jail, or public asylum |
in this State, no person in any such insti- /
tuition shall be compelled 20 attend re- |
ligiOus worship or instruction of a form /
against the dictates of his or her conscience,
and il shall be the duty of every director, /
trustee, superintendent OF other person |
having in charge any such institution, to
furnish ample and equal facilities to all
such persons for receiving the ministratiOns
IF the authorized clergyman Of their own
religious denominations or persuasiOns,
lnder such reasonable rules and regula-
ions as the trustees, directors, managers or
shall make; but no such
ules shall be so construed as to prevent
be clergymen Of any denomination from
ully administering the rites Of his denOm-
nation to such inmates; provided, such
entails no expense on the
public treasury.
Sec. 2. This act shall take effect from
nd after its passage.
''GEo. L. CONVERSE,
Speaker Of the House of Representatives.
"ALPHONsO HART,
"President Of the Senate.
tPassed March 80, 1872
When this bill first passed the House of
there were sixty votes for
nd thirty-twO votes against it, and among
hose who vOied for t were seven cOnspicu-
us Republicans, one Of whom, am told,
7as and is a Protestant preacher Of the
iospel. But Immediately afterward the
1ea entered the heads Of the party man
gers that some party capital might be |
made out Of the bill, that il might be made |
o assist the aug.-CathOljc and KnOw-NOth-
ne cry about to be raised for party pur-
Oses; and hence these seven Republicans |
7ere induced, by party considerations, to
DTegO their judgment, and to vote for a re-
Of the bill, and, only four !
avs after they had voted for IL, four of
hem voted against it, and three Of them
mitted to vote at all. Now, If the bill {
7ere bad bill, why were seven Republic
ans found voting for it, before the party
ash was applied to their backs? And why
id three Of them stand out so far as to let
pass without their dissent? If it is q ]
ad law, why did not the Republican State {
Convention condemn it and demand !
S repeal? They we're ready enough !
D condemn the Legislature, but j
on find not one word in their platform (
this law. If it is a bad law,
Thy did the Republican Convention Of (
hamilton county, on last Wednesday, re- !
use 10 pass a resolution demanding its re- {
cal? If it is a bad law. why has not
Ome Republican orator, from Gen. Hayes I
own to the least Of them, or some RepUb- I
can newspaper, great or small, pointed out I
therein it is bad? But you hear nothing !
{ that kind from those speakers; you see
othing Of that kind in those papers; bat
on hear and see general defamation with 7
ut end, passionate appeals without truth
r decency, and Misrepresentation with {
NJ stint or limit. You hear it asserted
nat however unobjectiOnable the bill may I
c, it was passed in obedience to preistly ]
and this assertion is made a '
ext for a crusade against the Catholic
,hurch and wholesale denunciatiOn Of the I
Democratic party. But what foundation /
there for the charge? That some CathO- {
L