Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-09

1850 suc news or the latest shir
fhiIaoelphia. or from Boston
W rom baltimore. or down in Vir.
g., a,I,nichmond. Gradually, during
a a. inns time. the settled conviction
pesan TO grow in the minds of on,
Colonial ancestors that the onIv safe
way. the only safe course. wa. -
establish total and complete separa.
tion between Church and State. tha,
pohtlcs and religion should be en-.
.iIe!y ana separately handled, that
p .o'.I were public matter. that
Ieuslon should ever remain a nrivate
iua..er' sacred matter to each in.
We did not wholly escape here IN
america. Our Puritan ancestors ~
Masachusetts drove Roger Williams
anu some OF his friends out OF Mas
saenusetts Colony. in weather some
., IKE this. where there were no
o.ner colonies within hundreds OF
iIes, wnere there was the immedi-
Tro ana imminent prospect OF being
aao.s 20 oeath or OF starving to
", n' SIMPLY because they differed
trlne OF the Trinity or some Of the
points which the Puritans regarded
as essential to salvation. And onlv
ny the grace Of God and by the
IIienalness Of the heather Indians
~ hnode Island were some OF our
GnIlstiah ancestors preserved. And
loVioence' as YOU know, was tn,
name which Williams gave to the
pace where the Indians protected
MN and his few friends. AS | saw.
thls question of the separation Of
church and State was a common
topic OF those times which our Colo
MAJ ancestors were discussing. and
discussing with just the same heat
ana ardor as some of us dicuss the
Eishteenth Amendment.
Ihose OF YOU who have read the
correspondents between men of that
time know that 1t was the topic of
the day above ali others-the total
anu complete separation OF Church
ana state. So. after the Revolution
we sot READY to set up government,
AFTER the critical period between the
close of the Revolution in 1888 and
the Constitutional Convention of
1897. When that Convention was
called the doctrine was completely
ana thoroughly established. Nobody
DOUBTED 1t. Nobody had any idea of
uouptlng the proposition that in
America there must be complete
separation of Church and State, and
IN the Convention of 1887 thew
thought. from their experiences and
from experiences abroad, that they
were accomplishing the results when
they put into the Sixth Article of the
original document of the Constitu-
ton OF the United States. NO re-
llglous test should ever be required
as a qualification for holding public
office or in any public trust under
the government of the United States.
They had had the example in Massa-
chusetts. just before this. that no.
BODY in Massachusetts. for more
than 80 years. could vote in a Gown
meeting unless he was a member of
the Congregational Church. He had
to be member of the Congregation
al Church before he could vote in
town meetings. That was one of the
examples that was before our ances.
tors.
Now those of YOU who have fol-
lowed the debates in the Constitu-
tlonal Convention of 1887. those of
you who have followed the. debates
IN the ratifying conventions in the
several states. know that the people
became alarmed. They were not sat
tsfied with this Arrangement as it
was left. 1t was not broad enough
to cover what they were fearful Of.
and during the most exciting period
That America has ever seen, when
the entire group of the Federalists
anr the entire group of the Anti
Federalists went to PENNSYLVANIA
tnen on to New York. then down to
Virginia. and to the various places
where the ratifying conventions were
being held. using all OF their argu-
ments for and against. debating this
great document. the Constitution of
the United States. those Of you who
1olloWed that know that the Consti-
tuition of the United States would
never nave been ratified in the world.
uniess-and it was only ratified, in
some states by one or two votesAit
never would have been ratified unless
Madison and Hamilton and the lead
ing Federalists had given their words
that something more would be done
in the way of guarantying total and
complete separation of Church and
State in America.
So the very first Congress that met
under the new government in 1887,
the very first Congress. proposed this
amendment which was ratified:
Congress shall make no law restrict
ing the establishment Of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
Some have construed to mean that
Congress shall not establish a ma
tional religion. That is not the true
construction. Congress shall make
no law in any way affecting or res
pecting any religion" is the con-
struction which James Madison put
upon it. You will remember that the
two big men-they were all big men,
to be sure-but the two men who
stood head and shoulders above all
others in our Constitution. were
Alexander Hamilton and James Madi-
son. James Madison penned with his
own hand the larger part of the Con-
stitution. The rough draft, the ORR
ginal rough draft of the American
Constitution, is in the handwriting of
James Madison, and he presumably
knew something about what it meant.
When he was President of the United
States in 1911. Congress took occasion
to appropriate some townships of
land. to a Baptist church in Salem.
in the Mississippi territory, and he
says in his veto message. Il now
return the same to the House of Rep
resentatives in which it originated,
with the following objection: Be-
cause the bill in reserving @ certain
parcel of land OF the United States
for the use Of said Baptist church
comprises a principle and precedent
for the appropriation of funds of the
United States for the use and support
of religious societies. contrary to the
article of the Constitution which de-
clares that Congress shall make no
law respecting a religious establish
ment.'"
So much then, that you may clearly
view, have clearly in your minds
what is meant by the American doc
trine of total and complete separa-
ton of Church and State as applied
to our National Government. Very
soon it was discovered that this did