Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-05-12
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
The Key Stone in the Arch of Liberty
By Judge Louis Marchetti Of This City.

The meeting Monday evening OF
last week at the opera house which
was reported in the PILOT the follow
ing day was opened by Judge Mar
chetti who, in introducing the speaker,
said:
Ladies' and Gentlemen:
sIs Catholicism Deadly Menace
to the American Republic ?" That is
the subject of the lecture this even
ing, and to an enlightened, fairminded,
truthseeking christian people, it
would seem to be wholly superfluous
to speak in denial of the absurd pro-
position, that any religious body or
community, whose belief is based
upon the revelations of the old and
new testamant, could ever become a
danger to a civilized state. Never
theless the affirmative of that pro-
position has been preached as true,
dilige,Esiy and Systematically by
politicians, not only in Wausau but
throughout the length and breadth of
our land. and is sought to be main
tanned by newspapers, boasting OF a
million of readers, and thus it becomes
necessary to refute the slander In
order to prevent the spread of fanst-
icism, or bigotry and religious rancour.
IF the people who call themselves
"Guardians of Liberty" would know
something OF the history of the
country whose liberty they pretend to
guard, they would or should know
that their clamor is false; they would
know that no danger could come from
church which was the first one in
this, country to proclaim religious
toieration, because it is a historical
fact, that as early as 1649, a Catholic
colony enacted law declaring;
s'That no person protesting to be-
lieve in Jesus Christ, shall from thence
forth be in any way troubled, molested,
or discountenanced for and in respect
of his or her religion, nor in the free
exercise thereof, nor in any way COM
PEELED to the belief or exercise of any
other religion against his or her con-
sent"
That was the first law enacted on
this continent, looking towards re-
lligious liberty, and it was enacted by
the Catholic colcny of Maryland,
which in this instance was years,
many years, ahead of her protestant
sister colonies north and south. From
that time to this, the adherents OF
that religion have proven themselves
as patriotic citizens of this country
as those of any other denomination OF
confession, and why they should be
Isingled out at this late Gay as traitors
to their country, simply because they
pray to God in fashion which has
not the approval of these self con
stituted political guardians of liberty
why they should be held up as danger
Gus to the welfare of the state, pc
cause of their religion, passes human
understanding
The gentleman who Will speak 20
night in opposition to this monstrou'
doctrine, is no adherent of the Catllo
lie church or faith, indeed, concluding
from the name of the newspaper o.
which he is the editor, The Iconoclast
take it that he belongs to the lal'g'
number of people, who while believ
ing. or net disputing the essentia
doctrines of christianity, and believ
ing in the practice of christian virtues
nevertheless seek their own salvation
in their own way. without attaching
themselves To any particular con
fession, or form of worship. But a
an American citizen and a man 0
intellect. he knows that the bulwsrl
OF our liberty is the constitution O
the United States, and that one Q
4 the articles of that instrument, er
grated upon it through the infueilc
and instrumentality of Thomas Jefiel
son, and in my humble judgment Ia
most important of them all. is this
ssCongress shall make no law n
specting an establishment Of religion
or prohibiting the free exercise ther,
of: or abridging the freedom of speech
or of the press: or the right ot III
people to assemble, and TO petitio