The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-07-25

Specting the establishment OF religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof" For
n century, under this guarantee, Protestant
and Catholic, Jew and Gentle, have wor-
SHIPPED God according to the dictates of con-
science. But religious liberty must not be
perverted to the justification Of offences
against the law. A religious sect, strongly
intrenched In one of the territories of the
Union, and spreading rapidly into four other
territories, claims the right to destroy the
great safeguard and monument of social or
der, and to practice as a religious privilege
that which is crime punished with severe
penalty in every state of the Union. The
sacredness and unity of the family must be
preserved as the foundation of all civil gov
ernment as the source of orderly admins
trotion, as the surest guarantee of moral
purity.
The claim of the Mermons that they are
divinely authorized to practice polygamy
should no more be'admitted than the claim
of certain heather tribes, If they should
come among us, to continue the rite of human
sacrifice. The law does not interfere with
what a man believes; 1t takes cognizance
only of what, he does. AS citizens, the Nor
mons are entitled to the same rights as
others, and to these they must be confined.
Polygamy can never receive national sane
ton or liberation by admitting the commu-
nifty that upholds it as a state IN the Union.
Like others, the Mormons must learn that
the liberty of the individual ceases where the
rights of society begin.
OUR CURRENCY.
The people of the United States, though
often urged and tempted, have never serious
ly contemplated the recognition of any other
money than gold and silver-and currency
directly convertible into them. They have
not done So they will not do so, under any
necessity less pressing than desperate war.
The one special requisite for the completion
of our momentary system Is the fixing of the
relative values of silver and gold. The large
use of silver as the money of account among
Asiatic nations, taken in connection with the
increasing commerce of the world, gives the
weightiest reasons for an international agree
ment in the premises Our government
should, not cease to urge this measure until
common standard of value should be reached
and established-a standard that shall en-
able the United States to use the silver from
its mines as an auxiliary to gold in settling
the balances of commercial exchange.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
The strength of the Republic is increased
by the multiplication of land holders Our
laws should look to the judicious encourage
which should henceforth be held as a sacred
trust for the benefit of those seeking homes.
The tendency to consolidate large tracts Of
land in the ownership of individuals or cor
porations should with propee regard to ves-
ted rights, be discouraged One hundred
thousand acres of land in the hands Of one
man is far less profitable to the nation in
every way than when its ownership is
divided among one thousand men, The evil
of permitting large tracts of the national
domain to be consolidated and controlled by
the few against the many is enhanced when
the persons controlling it are aliens. 1t is
but fairthat the public land should be dis
posed$of only to actual settlers and to those
who are citizens Of the Republic, or willing
to become so.
OUR SHIPPING INTERESTS.
Among our national interests. one Ian
guishes-the foreign carrying trade. 1t was
very seriously crippled in our civil war, and
another blow was given to it in the general
substitution T steam for sail in ocean traffic.
With frontage on the two great oceans,
with freightagesarger than that of any
other nation, we have every inducement to
restore our navigation. Yet the government
has hitherto refused to help. A small share
of the encouragement given by the govern
ment to railways and to manufactures, and
n small share of the capital and zeal given
by our citizens to those enterprises would
have carried our ships to every sea and to
every port. A law just enacted removes
some of the burdens upon our navigation and
inspires hope that this great interest may at
last receive its due share of attention. All
efforts in this direction should receive en-
couragement. ...
sACREDNESs OF THE BALLOT. -
This survey Of our condition as nation
reminds us that material prosperity is but a
mockery il it does not tend to preserve the
liberty of the people. A free ballot is the
safeguard of republican institutions, without
which no national welfare is assured. A
popular election, honestly conducted, en-
bodies the very majesty of true government.
Ten millions of voters desire to take part in
the pending contest The safety of tho re-
public rests upon the integrity Of the ballot,
upon the security of suffrage to the citizen.
To deposit fraudulent vote is no worse a
crime against constitutional liberty than to
obstruct the deposit Of an honest vote. He
who corrupts suffrage strikes ut the very
root of free government. He is the arch
enemy of the republic. He forgets that in
trampling upon the rights Of others he ia
tally imperils his own rights. sit is a good
land which the Lord our God doth give u.s."
but we can maintain our heritage only by
guarding with vigilance the source of popu-
lar power.
am, with great respect,
Oh