St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-06
RELIGIOUS Liberty.
Rev. Porter Scores the Sabbath
rIan RefOrmers With a Heavy
Hand

Hand.
Rev. r. c. Porter, state secretary of
the National Religious association, adj
dressed meeting last evening in the
WacOuta Street Baptist chapel on the
subject. civil and Religious Liberty"
His address in substance was:
Is it necessary to have national Sun
day rest law that Workingmen may have
one days rest in seven? There is no
word SO sweet to us as liberty. As we
have the history of the different periods
of bondage of the past, and come down
to the present, we say we are in a land
of liberty. Christ was labOring man,
and as labOring man He understood
the wants of the labOring classes.
Christ's gospel recognizes the rights
of every other man to be as
sacred as His OVID. If nations
in making their laws would ever carry
out the principles of ChriSt's Gospel
there would be no oppression. Personal
liberty was the dearest thing on earth.
The rights of all are equal. All are ell
dowed by their creator with certain in
alienable rights. The nation does not
give each these but they come from
Gov. 1t is the need of a govern
ment to protect ones rights
from the encToachment of others
upon them. A man transfers certain
of his rights to the government and in
return receives protection from the
government. But has man a right TO
transfer TO the government his right to
worship or not worship God according
to the dictates of his own conscience?
No; for then he would transfer his right
to eternal life to the government. Now,
if we ask the government to legislate
on having a certain day to rest, If a
man does not believe in that day, is not
that restraining his conscience? When
ever we admit that the state has right
to legiSlate on our religious belief, then
we admit the principal of religious
legislation and of church and state.
Though man be an infidel. he would
have equal rights with church members,
and the trainers of our constitution de-
sired to keep church and state entirely
separate. In 1880 an effort was made to
stop stages on Sunday, but it was
checked by showing the principles of
our constitution to be directly opposed
to all legislation upon religious views,
as stopping the stages on that day would
be legislation upon religion, and would,
therefore, be unconstitutional. Is it not
marvellous that to-day cry arises in our
ititution; there are three points de-
sired. First, to secure rest for tile work
ing men; second, to close the saloons
one day /; and third. SO that the people
may have quiet Sabbath. 1t Is fact
thatour laws are such as 10 Cypress the
labOring man. Is it fact they cannot
rest one day in seven if they choose?
He read a quotation from DR.. Crafts
himself which said he had written to
every country in the world to find out
il many had lost much by cOnScien-
tiOusly stopping work and observing
the Sabbath. and never yet found one
who had lost anything by it.
Mr.. Porter said there were $4,000 law
abiding citizens who observed the sew
enth day as the Sabbath. What will
become of them? The National Re-
formers say they will have to labor in
side of closed doors or not at all. II
speak not of these people because [
think more of them than of other peo-
pie. | would declaim Just as loudly
against the movement if the law was to
be made in their favor. Every man has
a right to keep any day he wants TO.
What is the object of these men who
ask for this? Does it point to
the union of church and state? If so
il is dangerous. Having often heard the
theory of these men presented, con-
clude their great object is to unite
church and state. Should we have the
saloons closed on Sunday. we should
have them closed on every day. Should
we have laws to Cypress the labOring
man? No; and we do not have them."
The address Will be repeated to-mOr-
row night in the same place.