The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-03-06

taking up of arms. They were gull
ty plainly of having urged men to
follow what they considered the
teachings of the Lord and to apply
literally the commandment, "Thou
shalt not kill" So the jury could
do nothing less than find them guilty
of having violated the statutes of the
country whatever may be the cor
rectness or incorrectness of their at
titude toward the moral and religious
law. We trust that teachers of re-
lgion everywhere will take notice of
this judges opinion that teaching any
religion save that which is absolutely
in accord with statute laws is a grave
crime which is intensified, if, being
a minister of the gospel, you should
still happen to be sincere There is
no doubt that Judge Howe made his
sentences severe enough; they are
about double those imposed by the
kaiser upon the socialists who have
been trying to upset his wicked re-
gime and three times longer than
many sentences imposed upon would
be regicides.
Defendants appealed their case i'm
mediately and applied for bail pend
ing appeal, but bail was denied
These gentlemen have been in prison
since June 20, 1918, and their case is
not yet heard. Shortly after the at
torney, a Knight of Columbus, who
began and went through with the
prosecution was given a gold medal
on which was engraved the coat of
arms of the United States. Doubt
less it came from his Catholic admir-
ers. This same attorney has delayed
the hearing of the appeal by holding
up the record in the case for some
months while defendants linger be-
hind prison bars.
Has it come to the point in Amer
lea that high, undetermined, peacea-
bic Christian gentlemen can be rail
roaded into prison and denied bail
pending their appeal because they
dare to tell the truth as they see it?
VIII America tolerate religious per-
secution such as Rome practiced dur
ing the period of the wicked inquisi-
ton?
Since the trial of these men there
has been a studied effort on the part
Of certain officials to keep the facts
out of the papers. Even The Watch
Tower, the Official organ of the Inter-
national Bible Students, was warned
by secret service agents that moth
ing must be published favorable to the
defendants. The purpose seems to be
to bury these men in prison, DENY
them their constitutional rights and
hold them there and keep the public
IN ignorance of the facts. These men
are not criminals in any sense of the
word. They are Christian gentlemen
of the highest type, yet are COM
PEELED to daily associate with crimi-
nails of the vilest kind. They are
taken away from their Christian
work, to which they have given their
lives, and shut up in prison, there to
slowly die, and for what reason? Be-
cause their views of the Bible hon
estly and sincerely expressed do not
conform to those of some others.
These men are true patriots because
they have without money and with
out price devoted their lives to the
welfare of their fellowmen. Their
Imprisonment is unjust, un-American
and unrighteous. The very rights
for which the fathers of this repub-
lie fought are denied these men. Even
if their religion did interfere with the
war (Which is scarcely conceivable),
the war has ended.
Why should they suffer further?
Is it the desire to make martyrs of
them to satisfy the grasping and
intolerant spirit of Romanism and her
allies? The liberty-loving people
should demand the immediate release
of these Christians. If they can be
held in prison then the principles of
religious liberty have ceased to ex-
list in America.
Let every liberty-loving American,
regardless of his own religious be-
lief but who favors open and fair
dealing, call upon the powers that be
to Immediately release these gentle
men and let them go out to serve
the hundreds of thousands of Chris
tian people who desire and need their
aid and comfort.-Republished from
the Atlanta Constitution as a paid
advertisement in The Republican.