The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-26
His Talk Before the American
Protective Association
Yesterday.
HIS IDEA OF AMERICANIsM.
The Mixing of Church and State.
Personal Liberty and Free
Speech.

Good Citizens Committee and particularly
the address by Oregon Sanders.
On calling the meeting TO order ID. w.
Outflow, the chairman, said the continued
attention the people paid to the work OF
the American Protective Association was
proof to him that this was the age OF evolu-
ton and that the time was rapidly ap-
preaching when all the people OF TINS land
would receive that protection that the
grand American flag guarantees them.
The audience then joined the Choral
Society in singing America" with great
deal of fervoT.
Rev. +. K. Baker OF the Epworth M. E.
Church offered 10 g prayer. In the
course of his appeal TO the Almighty he
said that the American people had been
.disloyal to the trust that had been given
them and by reason of that disIoyalty,
arising from carelessnesS, the enemy had
been permitted TO plant itself in front of
them, but that now they had their eyes
omen 10 the duty that was expected of
them. He expressed the hope that the
Lord would help every American citizen
TO be loyal to flag and country. The
prayers OF the reverend speaker were APP
plauded from many parts of the hall.
Miss Hattie Whiteside essayed vocal
solo entitled Arrows" The young LADY
sang the song in so acceptable manner
that she was forced to give an encore,
which was loudly applauded.
NJ 7. Brewer, VINO bad been announced
to deliver short address in the nature of
a prelude, did not appear, and the Rev. Mr..
Baker was called upon. He said that he
had been handed letter which he would
read instead of making an address. It de-
nounced the flying of foreign flag over
one of the buildings in the City.
The Rev. Mr.. Baker, commenting on this
letter which was not signed, said that he
believed the time was not far off when
none but the American flag would float on
American soil.
land the time is not far off" exclaimed
q voice in the gallery.
The speaker, continuing said that there
were Americans who are backsliders, and
that such are not worthy the name of
American. He expressed the hope that
the people would have sufficient backbone
TO stand by the principles of the country.
After an organ solo by Henry Scheutte,
Oregon Sanders was introduced, and for
an hour and half entertained the audi
ence.
He prefaced his address by stating that
he had been accused of having been a
Senator, and while he was willing to admit
that he had been in bad company he would
not admit that he had ever been in such
bad company as a Senate of California. He
said he was glad to announce that he had
never been a Senator. In regard to the
letter that he had heard read he did not
think that the display OF the Irish flag was
intended as disrespect to the American
flag, but that it was probably put on the
building by some hot-headed young fellow
without any intent TO insult the stars and
stripes.
He then said that he would devote him
self to his subject, "Americanism." He
thought the expression, Il am an Ameri-
can" was too frequently used. All the
roustabouts for Dan Burns called them
selves Americans, those who landed at
Castle Garden called themselves Ameri-
cans-by choice, and if their carpetsacks
were searched naturalization papers would
be found in them. He stated, upon the
authority of Roscoe Conklin, that at one
time portions of Europe were flooded with
naturalization certificates furnished by
one class IN this country. Residence in
the United States did not constitute Amer
icanism, else If it did, the British Minister
In Washington, and all the Chinese in the
land would be Americans. 1t required
more than residence. 1t meant that the
people must be attached to the principle
of the Constitution and the Declaration OF
Independence. Americanism might 90 a
might want to elect the President by di-
rect vote and still be Americans
He then quoted from the. constitution
and declared that the trainers when they
said that Congress should not pass any
laws looking toward the establishment of
Il religion, meant just what they said, that
it was separation of church and state
and that the inhibition ran against all
legislative bodies in the United States
This provision OF the constitution did not
conflict with the teachings of Christ, who
refused temporal power. Satan, he said,
offered Christ certain things, but the
Savior would not accept them; still if he
had Satan would have done what Dan
Burns could not do; he would have deliv-
cred the goods. The constitution, he said,
told the people to pay taxes, to behave
themselves and to obey the law. The law
: of the land, he said, was that church and
state should be kept apart, and he could
not see why the churches were so reluc-
tant in standing by the law. 1t was the
duty he said, OF every one to see that
church and state were kept apart and
that every one be allowed to worship ac-
cording to the dictates of his con
science. The employment OF chap
lains in Congress and Legislatures
and in the prisons he denounced as
a trampling down of the constitutional
barriers, as it was at the expense of the
oldCe Intoxicating TeilglOus principles.
, The payment of large sums of money bv
the Government for the maintenance OF
religious institutions he maintained. was
also mingling of church and state. in
violation OF the constitution, and that it
was the taxing OF the people at large to in
culcate the ideas Of some particular creed.
There were some of the American Protec-
tive Association who Endorsed this, be-
cause they clamored for religious instruc-
ton. In the past eight years, he said, bills
amounting to more than 100000 had
been allowed by Congress for the support
OF religious bodies OF different creeds.
Much OF this money had been obtained for
the purpose of teaching the Indians, and
that, he said, was mixing OF church and
state, for each religious body sought to
impart its doctrine to the Indians, and
that was using the money of the people for
religious instruction. He said that there
were number of such bills now pending
before Congress. and that when the time
comes to vote not member from Califor-
MIA would have the courage to vote "no,"
or ever object.
He then said that the exemption of
church property from taxation was unjust
and also mixing of church and state. He
said that it was increasing the taxes of one
class of the community that the other
might go free of the burden ofgovernment.