The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-05-28
THE JEFFERSO OMAN


the service Of the United States per-
sons in sympathy with the Confeder-
ate States, whose Constitution was
adopted March II, 1861, and the
Congress of the United States passed
this law requiring an oath Of allie
glance July 2, 1862, but the oath of
allegiance prescribed by Congress,
reached forward as we'll as back
ward. Another sentence in that oath
was this:
"And I do solemn1y swear that to
the best Of my knowledge and abil-
ity I will support and defend the
Constitution Of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and do
mestic, that [ will bear true faith
and allegiance to the same-that I
take this oath freely without any
mental reservation or purpose of
evasion; so help me God"
The South was not the enemy Of
freedom of conscience, or freedom Of
speech, or freedom Of the press. The
South took with it the Constitution
when it left the Union, making only
three important changes, and these
related to the tariff, to internal i'm
provement and to slavery. The Con-
stitution like the Decalogue is a
written instrument. 1t can have no
enemies except those who oppose it's
principles. Search the globe, and
it's only open, avoWed, and organized
enemy, is in Italy, and is composed
Of body Of which the majority is
always Italian. The Constitution
establishes a separation of Church
and State. These Italians decree a
union Of Church and State, but it is
their church which must enter into
and control, by force if need be, this
unholy union. This makes the issue
between Papacy and the Constitu-
ton.
At the present moment the oath
Of allegiance required for all persons
elected or appointed to the civil,
military and naval service of the
United States, except the President,
whose oath is fixed in the Constitu-
ton, is as follows:
Il do solemnIy swear that I will
support and defend the Constitution
of the United States against all enc
mics, foreign and domestic, that I
will bear true faith and allegiance
to the same, that I take this obliga-
ton freely without any mental reser-
walton or purpose of evasion, and
that I will we'll and faithfully dis
charge the duties of the office of
on which I am about to
enter: SO help me God"
IT [ were member Of the House
Of Representative or the Senate, |
would insist upon the amendment of
this oath SO as to make it read as
follows:
Il do solemnly swear that I will
support and defend the Constitution
Of the United States against all enc
mics, foreign and domestic; that I
have not yielded and will not yield
a voluntary support to any man,
body of men, power or authority,
within Or without the United States,
which advocates or believes in a
union of Church and State, that ]
take this obligation freely, without
any mental reservation or purpose of
evasion, and that | will we'll and
faithfully discharge the duties of the
Ott1ce Of --- on which | am about
to enter, SO help me God"
This oath would exclude from the
civil, military and naval service of
the United States all Papists, as enc
mics of the Constitution.
In the charter of our noble State
are thees words:
There shall be a liberty of con
science allowed in the worship oil
God, to all persons inhabiting, OF
who shall inhahit Or hn rocidopI