New-York tribune., 1900-10-28
CITIZENS WHO DON'T VOTE.
COVENANTERS AND MENNONITES ARE
DEBARRED FROM THE FRANCHISE
THROUGH THEIR RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS.

the Inlru reformed 1TeSDy terrain CHuTcn, ldSl
Sunday preached against voting may have
struck many who read of it in the daily papers
as merely another instance of the prevalent
freak preaching" pulpit sensatiOnalism of
these days. This, however, would be entirely
erroneous and unjust view of the In
speaking as he did Mr.. Foster only gave the
members of his flock timely warning of what
the peculiar tenets of their denomination re- !
qure of them. Not only the members of the !
Third Reformed Presbyterian Church. but all
the adberents of the "Old Light" from which
the New Light in this country seeded in
1S:"} are by their distinctive profession of faith
debarred from vOti from taking the oath
of allegiance TO the Constitution of the United
States as it stands.
The Rev. Mr. Foster when applied for some
explanation of his position, only gave his state
ment Of the "Covenanters position after pre-
lminary protest against furnishing material for
a Sabbath paper" 1t being understood,
however, that whatever he said was not to be
taken countenancing what his coreligiOni5ts
regard as a breach of the Biblical law he kindly
gave the required information, the substance of
which is follows
The members of the so-caIed Reformed Pres
byterian Church of America adhere rgidly to
the Solemn League and Covenant ratified
il Scotland in the year 1GSS, and which, so far
il is a moral document, included in their
Covenant of 1871. The whole spirit of the Cove
nant, from its first subscription in 1850 sup
poses the Government whether republican or
monarchical in form, to be based upon the au- !
thority of the Creator. The American Cove
nanter, therefore, while he does not believe in
the union of Church and State. insists upon the
union of religion with civil authority. On this
account he is unable to subscribe conscientious
ly to the Constitution which begins with the TO
him, impious words. We the people of the
United States do ordain and establish I
thereby ignoring the Divine authority ii civil
affairs" Moreover Mr. Foster asserts the laws
of the United States in several respects sanction,
and even require. violations Of the law Of God. .
where the Postmaster General is required by
his oath of office maintain the activity of
the mail service as well on Sundays as On other
days
The Reformed Presbyterans "Old Light" or
Covenanters. of this country hold themselves
to be the only genuine representatives of the
religionists who suffered persecution, outIawry
and sometimes death for the Covenant in the
reigns Of the later Stuarts. They were first
tablished in the American colonies in l19S were
never numerous, and now number not more than
ten thousand church members in the United
States. nearly all of them native born Ameri-
cans. Although unalterahly opposed taking
any part. direct or indirect, in what they regard
as goddess government, they willing enough
to furnish fighting men when their country calls .
and Mr.. Foster points with pride to the number
Of volunteers who came from his congregation
foi service in the last war
There appears 10 be only one other disfran-
!hising religious denomination in the United
States. judging 10y the public statements Of the
rarious confessions. The Mennouites take then
came from the famous Memo Simons. who was
9orn III Friesland in 1l05. and suffered severe
persecution for his Jealous preaching Of adult
hmm