The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-12-21
THE OUTRAGE

THE OUTRAGE
might not call for such extended no
tice, were it not for the fact that in
recent years in Tennessee and Ark
ansas these conscientious, Christian
people, known as Adventists, have
been Systematically presented. The
case above noted is only one of a
number of similar instances where
pure-hearted, Christian people have
been prosecuted for conscience's sake
and it would seem evident, from the
systematic prosecutions and the heart
less ferocity with which these just up
right persons have been persued
that they are victims of an organized
effort, which has for its ultimate aim
the securing of series of judical rulings
calculated to further aid the deter
mined effort being made to unite
Church and State and
.ABRIDGE THE RIGHTS
of American citizens. Against the
infamy of these prosecutions | wish to
raise my voice in indignant protest.
My whole soul revolts at the barba-
rism and ferocious savagery which
seeks by resurrecting absolute laws
to re-enact in measure the tragedies
of the past, and which through legal
technicalities ignore the constitutional
guarantee of Tennessee. 1t is a
shame, a crying shame, that such in
sane fanatism, such anit-Christian in
intolerance, should flourish at, this
late day; and doubly shameful is it
that our sense of justice and love of
liberty are SO benumed by
CONVENTIONAL HYPR oCRIcY.
that we do not as a nation rise up
against such MISUNDERSTANDING inhu-
mainly. To me there is nothing SO
terrible as the spectacle of just and
upright men' suffering as criminals.
Think of that sixtyfve-year, silver
haired father, who had harmed no
one, who had committed no crime,
who had striven to follow the golden
rule as a line of conduct for life,
being driven into chain gang with
hardened, brutilized negro criminals
simply because..of his sublime loyalty
to wkt he conceived to be right
Think of this high-handed infamy,
and remember that this
CRIME AGAINST LIBERTY
this crime against human rights, was
perpetrated in the name of law, and
instigated by persons who impious y
claim to be christians.
The secular:press of the land, with
many notable exceptions, has paid lit
tie heed to the prosecutions.
Indeed, general lethargy seems to
have overtaken our people and this
is the most disheartening syptom pres.
ent in the body polite at the, presen,
time. The day seems to have gone
by when the cry of the oppressed Oh
the weak arouses the sense of justice
in the hearts of our people. Es
pecially is it sad to see the religious
press, supposed to represent the spirit
of the reformation which struggled
against such
FEARFUL PROSECUTIONS
of other days., now so silent when fel
low-msn are being ground between
the millstones for conscience sake,
1t is true that one of the greatest relig
ious papers, The Independent, ha'
spoken grandly for freedom.
As a rule, however, the religious
press has been strangely silent.
A nation can sometimes afford t.
err on the side of mercy, but no ma
ton can afford to be unjust to her low
Hest citizen. | am one of those whC
believe most profoundly that ever,
sin, whether committed by an individ
ual, state, or nation, brings it
own consequences as inevitably as III
violation of the physicical brings
ITS EVIL RESULTS.
| believe that nations commit SUI
eide no less than individual, and thai
wrong done by nations viii result i