The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-01-21
sunday Tyranny I'm Maryland.

Published by Request.l
From the Washington I'd. c. Sentinel.
Religious liberty was one of the great
principles first proclaimed on this cont
ncnt two centuries ago in the State OF
Maryland. Though the State of Mary
land has, mainly by the aid of the for
eign-born citizens, been kept thus far out
of the clutches of the intolcrant Puritan
zeal element. it now rivals in Sunday
bicotrv any "l the New England States.
Whilst there the Purltanical Radicals are
the religious prosecutors, that task is as
sumed in Mary land by the Purtanical
Democrats. Religious liberty exists at
present at Baltimoreas little rs in Boston
or Portland.
We maintain that under the Constltu-
tion, which guarantees religious liberty
To the Jew as well ss the Puritan, no
State has right to pass through It's po
litical Legislature any law prescribing p
saints day, Sabbath, Sunday, or any
other religious holiday, on which one
religious sect compels all the citizens,
whether they belong to it or not, to COM
PLY with its peculiar notions Of observ-
ance of such holidays or Sundays. We
do not believe that the jew has any
right to compel Christians to stop work
or close their places of amusement and
recreation on Saturday. On the other
hand, We do not think that the Christians
have any right to compel the 1sraellte
to observe their Sundsy. Both parties
are citizens, with equal rights and priv
ilrgeS under the Constitution.
Mr.. Blaine has recently introduced an
amendment To the Constitution of the
United States bsnishing scctarian infu-
enccs from our pubic schools. We now
give notice that we shall prepare mn
amendment TO that amendment, pro
hibiting any State Legislature from vio-
lating the Constitution by forcing upon
the citizens the religious opinions
and customs of the Puritanical
or any other religious sect. and
from enacting laws establishing relig-
ious holidays and furnishing citizens
Tor not observing the latter at the
same time repeating all laws in opposi-
tion 10 that principle. We hope to find
at least one Congressman who has still
veneration enough for the Cor stitution,
and who will offer such an smendment.
Ii Mr.. Blaine and his friends are sim
cere in their purpose Of freeing our
children of sec,arian influence, they
hardly will have any reason 10 refuse
extending the same benefit to the
adult people of this country.
In the meantime We ask the Mary yland
Congressional delegation TO use their in
fucnce with the members of their State
Legislature TO pass law which again
will give Maryland right to proclaim
10 the world that religious liberty" ex-
lists as of yore within her borders. Let
them remember that the Puritanical pro.
cliviiies Of some of their Democratic
friends are immensely iniuring the pros
poets of their party in other States by
spiking some of the most effective guns
against the Radicals.
If the Democrats desire to be success
ful, they can only do SO by strict ai-
herence to the Constitution and to civil
and religious liberty. Your Puritani-
cal Sundays are, besides, unknown in all
other civilized country's except Scotland,
and the population of the latter has be-
come besotted and miserabl, in conse.
quence of the same. For that reason
We sincerely hope the Maryland Demo
cratic Legislature will correct the evil
and abolish the law that violates the
Federal Constitution and ignores the
brightest page in the early history Of
Maryland.