Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-01-18
THE National Reform Association
and the Rights of Conscience.


public working in quiet way for more
than score of years. The avowed end
OF this association" is to secure an
Amendment to the constitution of the
United States, 10y which every man
shall be compelled To acknowledge that
God is Sovereign, that Christ is ruler,
and that the Bible is the supreme law.
Whether man belives it or not, is no
difference. he must be compelled TO ack-
nowledge il because they profess to
believe il. I'm other words this party
propose To set up in this country
a sort of an American Theocracy-an
American Papacy. a joint resolution!is
now pending i'll the L. ;. congress
having been read twice before this
congressional committee on education
aud labor, of which Senator Blair, OF
n. H., is chairman, appeared Rev. y. +
Crafts, of New York, stating that the
bill had been endorsed by six and one
half millions of Protestants and the
entire Catholic church Of the L. ). An
able Attorney of this town remarked
but few days since OH the proposed
amendment" to our National constitu-
ton, there has been nothing proposed
in our government affairs, since can
remember that is fraught with so much
danger to our free institutions. That
we do not overestimate this new de-
parture we quote from The Christian
Statesman of Oct. End 1854. This paper
is printed in Philadelphia, Penn, and
is the organ of this amendment party.
1t says: give all men to understand
that this is Christian nation; and
that believing that without Christianity
we perish, we must maintain by all
right means our Christian character
Inscribe this character on our constitu-
ton.
Enforce upon all that come among
Us, the laws of christian morality.
Enforce" according to Webster is
Ito force, to constrain, compel, to exc
cute with vigor." Therefore the prop
osition of National Reformers is to
force, to compel all TO regard the laws Of
Christian Morality-to execute with
vigor upon all, the laws of Christian,
morality; aud what is TO be the penalty
for dissent Will they pretend to be
so kind that they will not whip any
body for 1t; they pretend TO be so liberal
that they will not impose a tine upon
anyone for it; they pretend to be so
merciful that they will not imprison
anyone, but they are neither 50 kind,
so liberal. nor SO merciful but that they
will disfranchise everyone, who will
not acknowledge and submit to the
provisions which they choose to en-
body in their Religious Amendment TO
the Constitution.
Thus for religious opinion, how.
ever concientiously held, which may
disagree with theirs, they deliberately
propose TO deprive men of their birth
right TO the most inestimable right of
earth, that for which thousands upon
thousands have laid down their lives;
that for which our fathers pledged
their lives, their fortunes and their
sacred honor-the right to be citizen
among free people, and in this in
stance, a citizen of the best govern
ment on the earth. Every honor to
which he might otherwise aspire, every
right TO which be might otherwise be
entitled, must be swept away at one
stroke, because, forsooth lie chooses to
claim the right to worship God accord
ing to the dictates of his own con-
science. That this is no fairy picture
that we have drawn, that is no fable
that we have devised in regard 10 what
the party propose to do, we have abund-
ant proof, and that in their own words.
MI. w. j. Coleman is one of the prin-
cipie exponants OF the National Re-
form religion. In the Christian States
man, of November LIST, 1888, Mr.. Cole
man replied to some questions that had
been put by a correspondent who signed
himself Truth Seeker
We copy the following What effect
would the adoption Of tue Christian
Amendment, together with the pro-
posed change in the constitution, have
upon those who deny that God is the
Sovereign, Christ is the Ruler, and the
Bible the Law? This brings up the
conscience question at once.
The classes who would object are,
as Truth Seeker has said, jews, iniidels,
atheists and others. This class are
perfectly satisfied with the constitution
as it is. How would they stand towards
it if it recognized the authority of our
Lord Jesus Christi To be perfectly
plain, believe that the existence of a
christian constitution would disfran-
chise every logically consistent infidel."
Hara tra how. in MIA -, .,.,,I.t ,,l,.X tl.1.,