Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-06-16
DOCS Congress Have Right to
Legislate Upon Moral Ques-
tiOns.

tions.
All men are created equal, and gov
eminent derives It's just powers from
the consent OF the governed. A citi-
zen holds the right and title to his
llte IN fee-slmple. Of what is a mans
life composed? 1t is time. That is
the stuff OF which the web of his life
is woven: That time is his. possessed
by him IN lndefeasible right. Nav
he take civilly one-sevenIh of his
nelghbors time; whereas seventy wears
are allotted to man. Can nv neian-
Dor take ten years of my time and de-
vote 1t to any purpose whatever? If
not, then has Congress any right to
! delegate to the people of this COM
monwealth the power to take away
| one-seventh of the lifetime of all the
| peoplef For, if it be true that thew
have that right and may therefore
give 1t to the people, then the repre-
sentative of the Knights of Labor.
who spoke at the late Sunday conven-
ton at Washington, was on the right
track when he said, 1--WE 90 farther
than you, and demand two DAYS in
the week, Saturday for play and Sun
| day for rest" And it may properly
be made penal offense to labor on
Saturday and Sunday, and if for two
days, then for three, four, five. six or
seven; and the state may properly die
tate what shall be the work of neces-
sity and mercy permissible for any
and all days of the week. Then a
mans lifetime is not his but has been
| absorbed into the being of vampire
of his own creation. If this can be so
what has become of the 'inalienable
rights" of 'life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness" which the Declar-
alton of Independence asserts? Con-
gressmen are sent to crystalize into
law the highest expression of the will
of the people. The expression of the
civilian will, must result in civil law.
They are there to make civil law are
they not? Not moral law. Why can
they not make moral law for the peo-
pie? For they cannot exceed the
powers which the people had to give
them, who constituted them legIsla-
tors. Those who are asking for the
passage of bill to close the Worlds
Fair on Sunday are urging the mem
bers to commit themselves to an IN
constitutional act. Sunday laws and
the whole line of religious legislation
which goes in the same category are
alien to the letter of American funda-
mental law and to the spirit of Amer
lcan institutions. The bill bears
within itself conclusive evidence of
its religious character; and If relig-
ious, 1t is not within the perview of
congressional legislation, as contem-
plated by the constitution. A clause
of article fourteen of the amendments
to the constitution says that no state
shall make or enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or immu-
mites of citizens Of the United States.
Speaking on religious Legislation, Rev.
w. D. Gray said, in open convention
held at Sedelia, Mo-, that he did not
believe the governments derive their
Just powers from the consent of the
governed, and so the object of the
movement was an effort to change
that feature of our fundamental law.
The assent Of the convention to these
views was shown by the election of
Mr.. Gray to the secretaryship of the
permanent state organization. Col.
Elliott Z. Sheparn, president of the
American Sabbath Union, in speech
made at Chautauqua last summer said
governments do not derive their just
powers from the consent of the gov
| erned." These open statements show
what these associations are at heart.
They unblushinglY declare their dis
respect for the principles Of the Dec
laration of independence as a prelim
mary to the request to congress for
| the passage of laws in violation of the
constitution. They are at enmity
with the Declaration and Constitution
because they desire to ignore rights
which the one specifies and the other
secures to the people. There is no
controversy but that these questions
raised by this line of Legislation must
come before the courts for adjudlca-
ton. If this is to be the American
Sabbath" and these the necessary
measures for its preservation, who
will be the American GodP Jeho-
yah? the courts? or the theological
instructors behind the bench? The
twentieth congress was largely petit
toned for the stoppage OF Sunday
mails, IN fact, these petitions did call
upon congress to settle what was the
law of God. Let religion once enter
into our civil affairs, our government
would soon be destroyed. Our Con-
stitution protects all and favors none.
But religion must be Ike pit out OF our
civil laws. Religion needs no support
from the state 1t is stronger and
much purer without 1t. These petit
tions flooding congress to close the
Worlds Fair on Sunday accompan-
led with threats from religious de-
nominations that our Legislators must
comply with their wishes, or lose their
heads, should be pondered by all ma
tionalities and by all denominations
of religion who desire the perpeptu-
| ity. and value the blessings Of our
| free government. The connection Of
church and State corrupts religion
and makes the state despotic. Thus
the closing of the Columbia Exposit-
ion on Sunday is from religious
point of view and is but an entering
wedge to a union of church and state.
Shall the good people of Kansas hold
still and not raise a voice Of warning
until too late for remedy?
For RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.