The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-01-04

This language of the preamble is entitled
to great weight in constituting the pro-
of the instrument. There is
no more expressive word han elderly"
upon which volumes have been pub
lished, and religious freedom is en-
braced within its BLESSINGS" The
sixth article declares that no religious
test shall ever be required as a qualifi-
cation to any Office or public trust under
the United States" This vital princi-
pie of the government was adopted
unanimously by the members of the
Federal Convention in 1887. When the
constitution was submitted to the States
for ratification, the loudest rallying cry
of its opponents was the omission of a
bill of rights defining and protecting
the privileges of American citizenship,
which included freedom of thought and
action on sectarian matters. The peo-
pie, fearful of the vast power which had
been welded among nations by the
church during many centuries, and
dreading the revival of an era of perse-
CuCAOh " uuDCllS Ill iClISlouo CCLCtD,
determined that the soil of the Union
should never be crimsoned by the blood
of martyrs. They were not satisfied
with the constitutional bulwarks erected
for their safety from the onset of bigot-
ry, and never ceased their efforts until
the first amendment was adopted,
which proclaimed that Congress shall
make no law respecting an establish
ment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof"
The of these apprehensions and
the necessity for these articles can be
understood without difficulty, when we
glance at the history of the kingdoms
and empires that swayed the destinies of
men before 1887. At this period every
State possessing sufficient strength to
remove the boundaries of its neighbor
had a church establishment. Some of
the colonial governments had been
theocracies, and withheld the right of
suffrage and holding office from all per-
SONS who were not members of the o Il
trolling sect. A quotation from Black
stone shows the effect of a national
religion. " In order the better to secure
the Established church against perils
from non-conformists of all denomi-
nations, infidels, Turks, Jews, heretics,
papists and %sectaries, there are, however,
two bulwarks erected, called the corpor.
alton and test acts" Under the former
no subject of Great Britain could be
elected to any office in any city or cor
poration unless he received at a certain
time sacrament of the Lords supper
according to the rights of the Church OF
England" The latter required all civil,
and military officers to make a declara
/ ton against transubstantiation and re
ceive the sacrament referred to. Tt
prevent such evils from gaining any
root in this country, every remedy wa
resorted to which human wisdom coulC
suggest.
What was the result of these prohibi
tons ofthe constitution ? Judge Story, il
his commentaries on the constitution say
that they cut off forever every pretens'
of any alliance between church I'M
state in the national government ,
that the trainers of the constitution
"knew that bigotry was unceasingl.
vigilant in its strategems to secure t.
itself an exclusive ascendency over tn
human mind )" and hat "it is easy t
~foresee, that without some prohibition
of religious tests, a successful sect in GU
county might, by once procuring pow
er, pass test laws which would secure t
themselves a monopoly of all the office
of trust and profit under the nationa
government" This learned jurist, on
OF the most renowned of American
thinkers, also utters these words 9
warning Experience has demon
strated the folly, as well as injustice c
exclusions from Office, founded upon re
ligiohs opinions. They have %aggravate
all other evils in the political organizs
ton of societies. \ X X Whereve
they have been perpetuated, they hav
always checked, and in many case
overturned, all the securities of publ
liberty"
Mr.. Curtis, in his History of the Cor
sutton, informs us that the claus
relating to the religious test' wa
added for the purpose of forever preven'
ing any connection between church an
state, and any scenting into mems r'
ligious opinions. While the Feders
Convention was in session, the Congress
of the Confederation passed an ordinanc
for the government of the territory {
the United States, northwest of the rive
Ohio" The reader will observe tia
this act reflects the same sentiment
which have been referred to, and SUI