The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-03-19
PROVO CITY. MARCE
THE NEW CONSTITUTION.

Yesterday was submitted to the con-
vention printed form of the proposed
article l of the new constitution, 1t is
all in all a very fair bill of rights with
one exception, which is more a fault
growing out of the situation than any
thing else. We allude to the statement
and restatement of the matter of re
ligious freedom and church Inhibition.
One sentence il section reads "Per-
feet toleratlon of religious sentiment is
guaranteed" 1t seems to us after
adopting the declaration that the con-
stitution of the United States is the
supreme law of the land. that but few
words, if any, are necessary to set out
the policy of our constitution on the
subject of church liberation, or a com
bination between church and state, or
the interference of the church with the
matters belonging to the state. The
intention is all right, we verify be-
lieve, but it seems to us that the state
ment and Testatement is made too
often and too solemnly. As we would
say in the south it looks too much as ii
there might be "nigger in the wood
pile" There is no other inhibition in
the constitution of the United States
more earnest, more explicit or better
understood than this one of non-inter-
ference with the religious opinions,
freedom of faith, and the entire liberty
of acting in matters of conscience just
as one pleases. That Utah has yielded
all this, is made apparent by her
prompt and even joyous acceptance of
the provisions of the enabling act.
Having accepted these and stated
that fact plainly and unequiv-
Ocally, it seems to US that
enough has been done under this
head. We no longer fear the inter-
ference OF the church in matters of the
state in any other way than as was
complained of last fall, and in that
way no fundamental law and no statute
can prevent. This sort of interference
can only be dealt with successfully by
educating churches and individuals up
to the point where even to win a
church advantage men must obey the
law rather than the dictates Of church
creeds, or even the most illustrious
ecclesiastical authority. In political
or legal sense the constitution rises far
above any church. or even of ali
churches. In writing some forty and
odd state constitutions the merest re-
ference to this matter was all that was
found necessary, and we are proud to
say that up to this moment that merest
reference has never been called upon
nor do we fear for one moment that
Utah will prove to be the exception to
the rule.
Now, in view of all this it seems to
us we can safely do as other states
have done before US, state this guarap-
tee OF religious freedom briefly and TEST
at that, There is probably not one
single politician in all broad Utah, as
in all other states, who would not use
the church as a stepping stone for his
ambition if he could, and, like in ell
other states, he would haye to get and
use church influence in secret and un-
frank ways, and in ninety and nine i'll
stances out of every one hundred his
track would be so deftIy covered that
it would be utterly impossible to fol-
low his trail up to where there would
appear an infracted law, either consti-
tutional or statutory. Many good men
in this territory believe that church
influence was used last fell, and itimay
be true, but we teel sure that such a
lesson was read to the breakers of the
rule, or the law, as that they will not
be apt to repeat the sin, even if it
were clear that they did do SC on the
occasion named. 1t has been a dread
full lesson and whether deserved or not
the racket will serve to forever render
even the most reckless exceedingly
chsrry as to its repetition.
The fact is, Article /, is pretty good.
The simple fact is, it is very good, save
only for the redundancy of restaIe-
ment as regards the church. The ar
tiele is up to date and will serve all the
purposes for which it was constructed
most admirably. AS it was prepared
by republican committee and will be
submitted to republican convention
we reason that it will be elected. 1t
will suit us.