The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-05-31
,TLAND BON s. D. THuRsDAY NAY 81 aea7

tion Of citizenship. which would claim
al Of the rights and privileges 81
citizenship without assuming any Of
its duties. The privileges Of citizen
ship must depend upon the faithful
discharge Of its duties, and to claim
the one without assuming the other
is cowardy. The two can not be di-
yorced. The fact that certian people
live honest, sober and upright lives.
does not make them good citizens. To
live an honest and upright life is es-
sential to good citizenship, but it is
not at all that good citizenship im-
plies. Good citizenship also involves
. service in behalf Of the country, ia
other words, public service
Mr.. Rubendall attempts to justify
his position by quoting certain passag-
es of scripture, but the Interpretation
Of those passages is forced to suit
his argument. Forsinstace he quotes
/" Thou shalt not kill, but notice that
the scriptures do not say that one
must stand idly by and be killed.
Again he quotes They that take
the sword shall perish with the
sword. Z How is one to perish with
the sword unless there is some one to
WELD the sword against them? These
passages are plainly intended to apply
to the aggressor in fight and not to
the defender. This country in the
present conflict did not take the sword
as an aggressor, but drew it in de-
Tense after hundreds Of our citizens
had been ruthlessly slain and now
that the prophesy may be fulfilled,
we propose to make those who took
the sword perish with it. Again he
quotes Christ's words when He said
My kingdom is not of this world.
If my kin gdom were of this world
then would my servants fight. = This
declaration Of Christ plainly contra
diets the position taken by Mr.. Rub
indall. This government. in the sense
in which Christ used the term, is a
kingdom of this world, and Christ de-.
fends the right to fight in defense of
such kingdom. The reason that
Christ would not fight to defend him
self was that his mission upon earth
was declared to be for sacrifice.
Had he fought against that sacrifice
he would have been fighting against
the mission for which he was sent.
Fortunately. we do not believe that
the citizens Of the United Sta,es were
'sentFinto the world to become sacri-
fices in the interest of autocracy and
greed.
In the memorial submitted by the
Adventists they say: 1--WE recognize
civil government as ordained by God.
that order, Justice and quiet be main
tained in the land Granting that
this is true, God did not establish this
government without first requiring
the people to fight for it. The privi-
leges of civil and religious liberty
rest upon the stability of our govern
ment. If our government perishes
our privileges perish with it It took
war and blood shed to establish our
government, and under present con-
ditions it will take war and blood
shed to preserve it. Under such con-
ditions the man who would shirk that
responsibility, or would insist upon
choosing his line of service that he
may select some place outside the
danger zone, is not a loyal citizen
and as we maintain, is not deserving
of voice in the management of gov
ernmental affairs, for his influence
there would be unsafe.
Mr.. Rubendall closes with a quota
tion from the Father of our Country.
Why should he quote as authority one
whose life he must condemn? We
love the Father of our Country be-
cause he fought so nobly to establish
our freedom, yet MIR. Rubendall, to
be consistent, must condemn that
life. In the quotation from President
Washington it is declared that good
citizens should be protected in wor-
Shipping God according to the dictates
of their own conscience, but it is ap-
parent from the life and character of
Washington that what he would re-
gard as good citizen would be one
who was willing to defend the princi-
pies of his government. To. make
ones religious faith" an excuse
for opposing the only means by which
freedom of religious faith has ever
been established or maintained is in
consistent.