The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-05-31
HUGHES FAVORS
FREE RELIGION
Warns of Danger to the
Nation in Recrudes-
cence of Bigotry

The fddrens OF Secretary OF State
Hughes In laying the cornerstone of
the National Baptist Memorial 10
Roger Williams and religious liberty
at Washington on April %. once
more calls attention to tho fact that
the Baptist. the most orthodox or
Christian evangelical denominations,
Las stood like n rock from tho very
beginning OF It's history In the
United States for liberty OF con-
science md total severance OF
church and state. Secretary ilughoe
said IN part!
The memorial 81 NJ once n tribute
ana ulodEe. 10 is a tribute, ia this
capital whore tho services and ideals
Of thC.s vino founded and preserved
tho union eio fttlngly f0rcrunnors,
tn tho fiOL who first In America
erected the standard OF religious lib
erty. ] ~ n plcdae that his prlnci-
plee shall be- hold inviolatc.
The conception OF religiouB lib
cry In 10 familil TO us that we find
II difficult 10 realize that II IN not
q natural one; that II is ono of tho
into iruiUa OF political experience.
a4J that. when first declared. II was
a. med OF all doctrines tho most
uigious and dangerous. II In dis
I r,lv an American doctrine, for
Pura tho principle first found cffcc-
live expression In governmental In
EtitutioHs.
Gives Credit 10 Anabnptists.
10 the Anabaptists. tho most
sCorned OF soCts, belongs tho
impcrlshable shonor OF declaring the
fundamental doctrine that rulers Of
States should not intervene In sf-
fairs Of conscience and that civil
disability should not be predicated
upon religious belief.
This contribution In the glory Of
the Baptist heritage, moro distinc-
tive than any other Characteristic OF
belief or practice. To this militant
leadership all sects and faiths are
debtors. Let this memorial proclaim
the Indebtedness In tho capital Of
tho republic, whore the once de-
splgod dogma has become tho foun-
dation OF tho civic structure.
The seeds OF liberty were blown
across the Atlantic and found fruit
age here. But II was long process.
The new world, dspite Its freer at
mospherc. was affected by tho ira
ditions of the old. Freedom to wor-
ship God was one thing. Freedom
Tor some one else to worship God
was quite another.
Able. well trained. aflame with
zeal, came Roger Williams. An
exile, banished by tho Theocratic
neligionists, In Rhode Island he
founded the commonwealth whore
for tho first time religious liberty
was n principle. In 1863 hla fun
damental tenet was embodied In the
memorable and discriminating Ian
guage OF the charter for tho colony
OF Rhode Island.
This was the ancestor OF the pro-
visions OF our federal constitution
adopted 124 years later: Congress
shall make no law respecting an es-
tablishment OF religion, or prohibit
Ing the free exercise thereof and
of tho familiar provisions OF similar
import OF the respective state con-
stitutions.
Inhibited From Political Action.
This principle OF our Institutions
also carries with II an inhibition, re-
spocted by all good citizens, that no
one should seok through political
action to promote the activities of
religious organizations. or should In
trude differences Of religious faith
or practice into our political con-
troversies. The extent to which we
manifest that self-restraint marks
our degree OF attachment to the
liberty we proclaim.
The right to religious liberty has
become truism and we are so ia
miliar with this conception that we
are likely TO forget at what cost
freedom OF conscience has been won.
and also the danger to which we are
constantly exposed OF a recru-
descense OF blgotry. The hardest
lesson mankind has to learn is that
the religious truth which is held
TO be most precious cannot pros
per by attempts to forcibly impose
II upon others. strong convictions,
especially religious convictions, are
apt to develop tyrannicai purpose
and no faith is 30 pure but that Il
is ever In danger OF being made
the instrument of mistaken zeal of
those who would deny to others the
right To think as they choose.
1T II n sound instinct that couples
civil and righteous liberty In one
phrase In our description OF free in
stitutions. however distinct theo-
retically they may be. The effort
TO dominate the conscience OF men
by the use of civil power has al
ways been destructive OF civil lib
erty itself. IL there are any wht
would pervert our institutions I,
make them servants OF religion,
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