Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-02-21
SUGGESTION OFFERED.


- Repeal the Sunday CDsAtse
Act Would Meet With
Approval.
Idaho is liberal State, neither
Priest ridden, church ridden, nor in
sny manner whatsoever favorable to
meddling Of religious organisations
in matters entirely outside Of their
proper spheres. The people Of Idaho
believe in she perfect freedom Of oil
religions, but do not interpret that TO
mean that they have : right to med
die with civil affairs and bring about
closer union OF church aud State.
Therefore Idaho believes that Con-
gress has no r,gh:ful authority under
the Constitution to close the Worlds
Fair on Sundays, thereby establish
ing religious tenent not in accord
ance with the conscientious convic
lions of hundreds of thousands Of
Christians who observe Saturday as
the Sabbath, and much larger num-
her who observe no particular dav.
Congress has no right to decide
which is the proper day to observe,
for when it does, as in this Worlds
Fair act, it gets outside of the boun-
daries Of its legitimate functions.
"Congress has no right to make any
law respecting an establishment Of
religion" says the Constitution. To
close the FAIR on Sunday virtually
says that those who keep the seventh
day Saturday ARE wrong, and that
those VINO keep the first-Sunday-
are right-and such q decision is
based on theological grounds and
therefore gross violation Of the most
important provision of the Cons,itu.
ton. By passing such law Con-
yress assumes the attitude of reli-
gious dictator. The thin, stale argu-
ment that "the majority shall rule, ="
does not hold good in this particular
respect. This provision of the Con-
stitulion was for the express purpose
of preventing the majority from rul-
ing the minority in religious matters.
But for this provision the denomina-
tion having the greatest number of
followers could at any time form II
union of Church and State without
infringing on the Constitution. If
the idea of the trainers OF the con-
stitution had been that the majority
could at any time without endanger-
ing freedom of conscience and per-
sonal liberties enter the domain
of civil government and enact reli-
gious laws in conformity with their
views, such provision would never
have heen adopted. 1t was adopted
for the sole purpose Of securing and
preserving rights of conscience of
every individual. So law closing
the Worlds Fair on Sunday is clear
violation of that time-honored pro-
vision, for it was enacted on religious
grounds. With no such law on the
statute book, all would be perfectly
free TO visit the Fair, or to not visit,
on Sunday. No ones religious free
dom would be abridged. Sunday
observers would not be compelled 20
attend, but they advocate compelling
others to remain away, by closing it.
There are many other reasons, out
side of religious reasons, why the Fair
should not be closed on Sundays, but
we will not enter into review OF
( them further than to state that they
) are based on a broad liberality in
5 conformity with American freedom
and equal rights. As we said before
, Idahoans are almost unit in opposl-
, ton to religious legislation, and
, therefore the Legislature would he
giving expression to their will b,
passing a JOINT resolution asking Con
r gress to repeal the unconstitutiona
J.. law passed, which law provides thai
q the Fair shall be closed on Sundays
STATESMAN: The Populst-Demo
cratic combine in the Senate refused
at last tn make an appropriation tt