The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-07-29
PRESS COMMENT
Would Set Dangerous
Precedent

4
/ Precedent.
I'VE hold these truths to be self
| ident: that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable rights, that
among these are life, liberty and pur-
suit of happiness. That to secure these
rights, governments are instituted
among men, deriving their just pow
| ers from the consent of the governed"
| The above words are taken from the
| Declaration of independence. They
were the basis of the formation of this
/ government. They are as vitality true
today as they We're on July 4, 1776.
| we would like to ask a question,
/! then. Why is it that few men and
women can feel that it is their right
| to get bills forced through and passed
1 into laws for the purpose of regulating
| the actions of every citizen of the
United States, whether they wish such
laws or not?
| While we entertain the deepest re-
| spect for Sunday observance and be-
| lieve that we should all hold the Sab
bath day sacred, we do view with some
uneasiness the attempt of a small
number of persons to force congress
| to pass laws compelling its obser-
vance. Our forefatheTs came to Amer
lea to enjoy religious freedom. They
wished to worship in their own way
and according to the dictates of their
own consciences. Can the United
States afford now to take away from
the people those personal religious
| rights and make it a state matter in
stead? Can our government, at the
urging of few people who APPARENTLY
are sincerely religious mad anxious
that all mankind be equally SO, afford
! to force" Sunday observance?
With all due respect toward these
| enthusiasts and their opinions, we ven
ture to express the belief that in
matter which lies between each indi-
vidual and his Maker it is mistake
and one which is likely to do more
harm than good to the cause of reli-
| gion-to endeavor to compel the peo-
| pie to live in accordance with these
religious beliefs. And we believe that
instead of eliminating any threatened
danger of anarchy or boishevism as is
claimed, any such legislation would
| tend, among certain elements, to in
/
ment and its laws because it interfered
with personal liberty. Russia tried to
| regulate the religious thought of hei
| people, and Russia got bolshevism out
of 1t.
| When Governor McKelvie, Of Ne
braska, vetoed the movie censorship
bill in the face of tremendous pressure
| brought to bear by the so-called Pur-
itan machine, he said in part, as al
explanation:
I am thoroughly convinced that pub
/ lie opinion, when it is left free and
| untraHmeled, will control the situa
| ton. -. Let us then place the
responsibility with the people them
selves, where it belongs. realizing that
| If we as a nation are to be a strong
virile. self governing people we pust
assume the full responsibility of citi-
zenship without expecting the state
to relieve US from the ills that are self
| imposed, and that are within our range
to control without the aid or direction
of statutory law" n
BY all means let us have Sunday OBJ
| servance; let us have more respect foI
the things spiritual. But let it come
through the heart and in sincerity
rather than through compulsion i'm
posed by congress. We doubt if that
kind of Sunday observance would have
much to recomend in the way OF
benefiting our souls.-Tarpon Springs
Leader.