San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-25
RELIGIONS AND SUNDAY LAWS

RELIGIONS AND SUNDAY LAWS.
For the Light.
While the citizens of this enlightened
city are not bothered by restrictive
Sunday laws there are cities in which
it is crime to sell a piece of ice on
Sunday and we have some people here
who are so little imbued with the spirit
of liberty that they would like to see
the same laws in force here. A treaty
was made with Trifoli in 1897 which
contains these words: The govern
ment of the United States is not in any
sense founded on the Christian re-
ligion."
Article 4, section 2, of our national
constitution says: This constitu
ton and the laws of the United States
which shall be made in pursuance
s. thereof and all treaties made or which
shall be made under authority of the
United States, shall be the supreme
law of the land. and the judges in
every state shall be bound thereby,
anything in the constitution or laws of
any state to the contrary notwith-
standing"
Article /, of the amendment says:
congress shall make no laws respect
ing the establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
The constitution also provides that no
religious test shall ever be required of
any one who holds office under the
constitution and as all citizens are
70
every person in every state. Our an
scestors wanted more than political lib
erty. They wanted religious liberty.
They wanted freedom of conscience.
They wanted each and every citizen
TO have the legal right to worship in
any manner that he or she saw fit or
not at all if they had no religion.
Benjamin Franklin said: when a
religion is good / conceive that it will
support itself and when it can not sup
port itself and God does not care to
support it so it's professors are obliged
to call for help from the civil power,
il is a sign, 1 apprehend, Of its being
a bad one" All patriotic citizens
should agree with the patriotic Benja-
min.
President Madison said; Religion
is not the puryiew of government.
Religion is essentially distinct from
government and exempt from it's cog
nizance A connection between them
is injurious to both"
President Garfield said: 1.-The d.
vorce between church and state ought
to be absolute.
President Grant said: Keep the
church and state forever separate"
President Thomas Jefferson refused
to issue the Thanksgiving proclama-
ton during his eight years in office
because he thought it was a religious
function. He considered that the con-
stitution prohibited him from mixing
religion with the affairs of state. He
was right.
The whole spirit of our constitution
is for purely secular state. That is
for state that protects all alike with
on respect to religion or lack of belief
A man can be as good a citizen who
does not believe in any God as can the
man who believes in one or a trinity,
on the other hand all societies that are
striving to pass Sunday laws or make
religion a test for citizenship are OPP
posed to equal rights and are in real
ity traitors to our country. In these
times when many people are clammor-
ing for Sunday laws and other forms
of religious tyranny, it is well to stand
by our national constitution which has
so far been safe guide. We want nc
A. p. A. nor Sunday fanatic rulers.
Some people cannot see that while
they have a right to go to church or
Sunday that any one else has as much
right to go hunting, fishing or to see
a ball game. Neither can they com
prehend that they have no more right
to force others to keep away from thsse
sports or to attend church than the
others have to force them to fish, hunt
or play ball. The parson has no more
right to close the saloon on Sunday
than the saloon keeper has to close the
church. One intoxicates with spiritual
power and the other uses powerful
spirits.
When will believers in religion evel
arrive at that grand conception OF
liberty and equality that possessed the
infidel Thomas Paine when he said
IF we wish our own rights respected
we must defend even the rights Of oul
!. pennies"
on e the Christians will turn to thai
weeEion of the bible in which is the ac,
Rept Of the man who picked up chip!
Holy he Sabbath they will find that they
'Fathe also commanded to wear fringes
'churchibbons on their garments. They
ReVbquit one practice { all except the
Il.