Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-03-01
The Blair Bills.


we will occupy little more space In
your valued paper as a continuance of
our argument in your issue of Feb. l.
We cannot afford to settle down in
fancied security when such bills as the
above are before congress. This relie.
ious legislation mania is a dangerous
disease, and has already gone SO Tar
that systematic and persistent efforts
are being made by the National Sun
day Union, in conjunction with other
unions and organizations. to secure the
passage OF these bills. This question,
in our estimation, is u vitaarTone, and is
decidedly the question OF the hour.
All liberty loving citizens should be
aroused as neyer'before toa true sense
of the danger that threatens our coun-
try, and set to work to enlighten 9TH
ers in regard to the true designs of
these would be reformers. : We oppose
the Sunday Rest bill and proposed
amendment. because we believe it
would be the destruction OF the dearly
bought principles Of American liberty,
the destruction Of the inestimable
treasure of American citizenship, and
the destruction OF every principle of
the rights Of conscience under the gov
eminent of the United States, and be-
cause we know that the Sunday is an
institution of the papacy. BY an edict
of Constantine, in A. d. 321, the day
was first changed from the seventh to
the first day of the week. All Catho-
lie works and catechisms agree in
claiming that they are the only author
lty for the observance of Sunday as a
day OF rest, and professionals can not de-
ny it; neither can they find one state
ment in the Bible that requires any
one to observe Sunday, or the first day
of the week, as day of rest. or where
the day was ever sanctioned by divine
authority. But the Sabbath, or the
seventh day of the week, was institut-
ed at creation, i(Gen. 2:23), proclaimed
| by the voice of God from Mt. Sinai
(Ex. 20:1, 8-1I,) and engraved by his
own fingers on tables of stone, Nx. 81
! 1877 thus showing its everlasting char.
acter. The catholic church is elated
over the prospect of this country pass
! ing 2 law in favor Of the strict obser-
| vance and enforcement OF their OWL
|lnstitution, while many protestants
| stand ready and willing to !oin hands
| with her and do her bidding. We are
able to prove, from their own words
something OF the real spirit they have
against any and all who may oppose
them. The name Of the Rev. DR.. Jon
athan Edwards stands very high
among National Reformers, and his
addresses are published and circulated
| to-day as national reform literature.
He, in CHASING all seventh day observ-
ers with infdels and atheists, says:
"These are all, for the occasion, and, so
far as our amendment is concerned,
one class. They use the same argu-
ments and the same tactics against us.
They must be named from him, the
atheist they must be treated as, for
| this question, one party They must
be counted together" In the Chris
tian Statesman Of Nov. l. 1883, MIR.
Coleman, one Of the principal expo
nents of the National Reform religion,
replied to some questions that had
been put by correspondent who sign
ed himself "Truth Seeker" we copy
the following:
"What effect would the adoption of
tha Christian amendment, together
with the proposed changes IL the con
| stitution, have upon those who deny
that God is the Sovereign, Christ the
Ruler, and the Bible the law 2
This brings up the conscience ques-
ton at once. The classes who would
object are, as Truth Seeker has said,
Jews, infidels, atheists. 'aad others.
These classes are perfectly satisfied
with the constitution IS it Is. low
would they stand toward it it it recog-
nized the authority Of our Lord Jesus
Christ? 70 be perfectly plain, | be-
lieye that the existence of Christian
constitution would disfranchlse every
logically consistent infdel."
Here we have in plain words what
they propose to do with dissenters IN
der their "Christian constitution" Or
in other words, the honest man, it he
be a dissenter, can not be citizen: but
everv hypocrite can be q citizen,
Therefore the inevitable logic OF the
national reform position is to put g
premium upon hypocricy. 1t is not Sc
much our purpose to notice the logic
Of their position, as to show their
avowed purpose Of outraging every
rrior,,e of the rights Of conscience
lc,1 n |