The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-18


1t may be creditabe to two leading Iowa
Republican papers that they are so
ashamed of their party's repeal of the
Ohio Ghegan law that they seek excuses
for it that are not true, but we think it
would be vastly more creditable if they
would honestly denounce the hypocrisy
and bigotry of the repeal.
Here is the Davenport Gazette saying:
Sundry Democratic journals in Iowa much
disturbed in view of The fate of the notorious
Gehgan law in Ohio. 1t was passed by the use Of
the Catholic whip over the Democrats in the Ohio
Legislature. The people broke that whip last
fall, and now the Law Is being repealed the house
voting that way by sixty-two TO forty three-a
strictly party vote The senate will follow. Tins
was the bill that allowed none but clergymen to
visit the jails, &c. and hold religious services
therein. 1t shut out the earnest laynen OF the .
NJ G. A., but let in the Catholic priest, to hold
regular services where chaplains were re-
gulary appointed to that duty, The result was the
breaking down of all discipline in the prison, as
well as the exclusion Of efforts by faithful men
whose labors had doEe great good,
The Gdzstte has too much character to
stand responsible for statement that is
not true, and the above is not The Geg-
han law was copied from precisely similar
statute passed long ago by the Republican
legislature of Massachusetts, which is to-
day the law in the Bay State, The law did
not prohibit all but clergymen from held
ing religious service, it did not shut out
Earnest. laymen," nor do anything else
which the Gazette says it did 1t simply
provided that persons in jails, peDitenti
aries. poor houses, orphans mute and
blind asylums. had not forfeited liberty OF
conscience The. Gazette is too wise pa
per to take the reverse of that proposition
Next comes the Muscatine Journal, with
an excuse equally untrue. 1t says:
The Iowa City Press is shedding crocodile tear
over the repeal OF the Geghan law in Ohio /
thinks the repeal violates liberty OF conscience
In religious matters AS affects only prisoners ant
Others who become charges upon the state. it 4
difficult to see where there IL any great hardship
II each prisoner in the pcnitentary must have tn,
privilege of sending for his fayOrite priest paste
and make the taxpayers foot the bill, where is thu
thing TO stop? Why not premit him to select ant
order his fayorite beverage also? We thought thu
penitentiary was place where q mans privilege
were limited-uot enlarged
The Geghan law provides expressly tina
inmates of the institutions we have already
enumerated, not penitentiaries only, a,
the Journal would have inferred, shall no
forfeit the liberty of conscience and thu
right to be administered to by clergymer
of their own denomination, Proutded Sucj
administration shall entail no expense o,
tie pnbtic treasury"
Now what has the Journal to say? VIII,
does it not publish the repealed law anC
then honestly confess that its party ha
made bigoted blunder?
Here is the law, introduced by Mr.
GeghaD, and passed by the last Legislature
Of Ohio.
An act to secure liberty of conscience in matter
OF religion to persons imprisoned, or detained b.
authority OF law
SECTION 1. Be IL enacted By the general assem-
10 Df Thaf Ehartv Of
science is not forfeited by reason Of conviction
crime or by reason OF detention in any penal, re
formatory,or eleemosynary institution, or any hous
OF refuge, workhouse, Jail or public asylum In thi
state. no person in any such institution shall b.
compelled to attend religious worship instruc
ton of a form which Is against the dictates o
MS or her conscience; and Ii snail be the duty o
every director, trustee, superintendent or othe
person having in charge any such institution, t
furnish ample and eqnal facilities to all such per
sons for receiving the mnistraiions Of the author
lied Clergyman of their own religious denOmina
tions or per5uasons, under such rules and regula-
tions fhe trustees directors managers or super
lntendents shall make, but such rules shall be
construed as to prevent the cleIgymen of any de
nomination from fully administering the rites o
his denomination to such inmates; provided suci
administration entail no expense on the public
treasury.
SECTION D This act shall take effect from ant
after passage"
This law, it will be seen, is simply ant
nothing more than law PERMITTING cler
gymen of all denominations of religion Il
visit prisoners and others deprived by Law
of their personal liberty, and to minister
to them. There is no privilege in this Law
for one clergyman more than another, moi
for one class or denomination of religion
more than another. And no expense car
be made to the state.