The Portland daily press., 1894-02-12
FOR THE COMMON SCHOOLS.
Address of the League for the Protec.
tion of American Institutions.

A Movement to Amend the Constitution
in the Interest of the Common Schools.
The Law Committee of the Maine
Branch of the National League for the
Protection of American Institutions
issue the following address:
To the Voters Of Maine:
/ Your fellow citizens, whose names are
subscribed hereto, members of the
Maine League for the Protection Of
American Institutions, appeal to you for
assistance in securing the passage, at the
next session of our legislature, of the
resolution for the submission to your
determination of the proposed constitu-
tional amendment, which reads as fol-
lows, viz "No money or property OF
the State and no money raised by taxa
ton, by any town OF city of this State,
shall ever be- appropriated or used, or
authorized to be used, for the purpose
of founding, maintaining or aiding, by
appropriation, payment for services, ex-
penses or otherwise. any church, relig-
ious denomination or religious society,
or any institution, society or undertak-
ing, which is wholly or in part under
sectarian or ecclesiastical control. But
this amendment shall not abrogate any
act of prior legislature.
The resolution for the submission of
the above amendment passed the last
House by the extraordinary vote of 80
to 10. 1t failed to pass the Senate. The
House insisted on it's action and asked
for committee of conference. The SEN
ate acceded, and the conference resulted
in referring the measure to the next leg
islature (1S95). This action leaves the
resolution pending with a favorable re-
port of the Judiciary Committee. and all
the petitions and memorials on file for
the consideration OF the next legislature.
In view of the fact that the PROPOSE
zion to submit the proposed amendment
to the calm consideration and deliberate
Judgment of the whole people of the
State, without appeal to partisan or re-
ligious prejudice (Which has been the
undertaking policy of the Maine League)
must, as it seems to US, commend
itself to the patriotic sentiment and sense
of justice of our fellow citizens, we be-
lieve that full expression of the peo-
ples' desire will induce the next legisla-
ture to give the matter favorable con-
sideration and to vote for the submission
of the amendment to your Determination
as a;matter of right as well as expediency.
Without argument, it is only necessary
to state that the functions of the state
and the church are SO different that
their entire separation is indispensable
alike to civil and religious liberty.
And the only remedy for the evil of de-
nominational appropriations of public
money, as experience has shown, is to
deny by constitutional prohibition to all
religious sects, any pecuniary assistance
whatsoever from the State.
To this beneficent end believed to be
in the interest of peace and justice
among all religious sects, and in accord
ance with the spirit of our American in
situations, we earnestly solicit your as
sistance in all ways which your oppor-
tunities allow and which you deem con-
sistent and proper.
SEwALL G. STRoUT,
JOSEPH w. SYMoNDs,
CHARLES F. LIBBY,
L. B. BENNETT,
CHARLES A. STRoUT,
Law Committee of the Maine League
for the Protection of American Institu-
tions.
Portland, Feb. 4, 1924.