Grand Forks herald., 1917-02-28

men and not to deprive any man
Of his rights. 1t is not true. as 1t
Is often asserted, that all men
lave to give up and surrender
some of their natural rights
when they enter the social com.
pact. No government has a right
to ask any man to surrender any
rights which arc his own by ma.
turc, without his consent or
without offering an equivalent in
compensation, excepting, :. Of
course. penal punishments for
upright. honest citizen should
enjoy equal rights with every
other citizen, irrespective of
numbers. creed. or color, before
the law Of the land. Equality Of
rights Is the first OF rights. and in
the sight of the law there should
be no respect Of persons. wlleth-
cr they be king or pope. noble
man or peasant. rich or poor.
Christian. jew. or infidel. red,
white. or black.
The right Of choice is divine.
and every man should he pro-
tected in its free exercise 80 long
as the exercise of his choice does
not interfere with. the equal
rights Of his neighbor. The right
to choose a religion and to prac.
tice its tenets and functions 80
long as the equal rights Of 9th.
ers are not invaded. Is the most
important Of all mems natural
and divine rights. and without
this right all other rights are in.
secure.
Every attempt on the part of
religious orga nizations to secure
to themselves special favors from
the government BY combined in
ffuence and pressure. which,
could not be granted to an alike,
no matter how few In number,
should be instantly detected a.
an unlawful encroachment upon
the most sacred rights Of every
citizen. No citizens rights are
secure so long rs a government
daree to trample underf0ot sin.
gle right Of any man. The rights
Of an are secure only as we make
secure the rights OF each.
In . republic each and every
citizen u . sovereign. He rules
his own spirit and shapes his
own destiny. He is the architect
of his own fate or fortune. His
course through life IL In har.
mony with his own choosing. His
conscience is his monitor, and
aabeo1ute in It's own sphere Of
operation. It is the duty Of the
state to 40 that he conducts
himself as . good, virtuous citi.
zen in civil matters, and that he
IL projected In the unmolested
enjoyment Of all his cOnstitntiOn-
al immundes and God-given
privileges. whether he II religious
or non-religioals. Governments
as conceived in harmony with
the divine economy. are not Ne.
hgious, but purely OWL organ.
fzatons, and should deal only
with mans relation to man. Tho
civil government has no Scrip
tural or civil right to compel any
citizen TO worship tho true God
in harmony with the flrst com.
mandment: Il has no right to
prohibit any man from making
images and worshipping them In
violation of the second com.
mandment: IL has no right to
lekialste On blasphemy akainst
God and compel men to observe
the letter and spirit Of the third
commandment: and 1t has no
right TO compel people to observe
the Sabbath Of the Lord. This
IL the Lords day. and purely .
religious institution. Il would BE-
Just ~ proper to compel people
to obseeve the Lords supper, the
lords baptism. and the Lords
prayer BY civil statute a. the
Lords day. An these aEe duties
Christians owe 10 God. hut not
to Cae6ar. and should be found
only in the church ritual. not on
the statute books Of tho stAte.
Christ is the author 6f inalien.
able rights. [:
Very sincerely.
-ARIao1nna.