The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-04-05

Writing 10 MS DfOCner, cecil calvert
insisted upon Leonard's obedience or
his removal, adding by way of expla-
nation:
eff all things that Clergymen
should do upon these pretenses should
be accounted just and to proceed from
| God, laymen were the basest slaves
and the most wretched creatures upon
the earth. And if the greatest saint
upon earth should intrude himself in
to my house against my will, and in
despite of me, with the intention to
save the souls of all my family, but
withal give me just cause to suspect
that he likewise designs my temporal
destruction, or that being already in
my home doth actually practice it,
thought withal he do perhaps many
spiritual goods-yet certainly I may
and ought to preserve myself by the
expulsion of such an enemy, and by
providing others to perform the
spiritual goods he did, who shall not
have any intention of mischief toward
me. For the law of nature teachetn
this, that it is lawful for every man in
his own just defense, vim vi repellere
those that will be impudent, must
be as impudently dealt withal."
From start to finish the founder of
Maryland and his supporters, both
Catholics and Protestants, fought Gre
dial dogmatists of every faith. The
disappointed zealots of his own COM
munion, openly and insidiously at
lacking him, well nigh brought Lord
Baltimore to the brink of ruin.
Instead of finding in the records of
Maryland, as are found in those of
other colonies and countries, a long
list of religious prosecutions, we find,
in the early history of the province a
single limitation inserted in the body
of lengthy legislative enactment.
This evidently was not proposed by
authority from above but from below,
being clause against "idolatry" and
"blasphemy," appearing IN a list of
| felonies. AS far as known, no govern
mental action was ever taken against
anyone even on these two points. In
fact, the only proceedings recorded in
the provincial courts against anyone
at all in matters involving religious
matters represented efforts to pre-
serve freedom of conscience and not
| to restrict it.
| In two notable instances there were
brought before the tribunals of the
province persons who had attempted
to interfere with the exercise of the
faith of fellowmen. In both cases, the
result of the trial was the vindication
of the principles and practice of re-
ligious liberty; punishment was melted
out, not to offenders against conform
| ity but to those who had sought to
restrict or interfere with freedom of
worship or the free expression of re-
| ligious convictions.
Documents have been adduced to
show that a member of well-known
Jewish family joined the Ark and the
Dove emigrants in the West Indies.
If this claim be substantiated as to
the race of the immigrant, the Arch
ives of Maryland show that neither
his race nor his faith prevented his
rise from condition of indenture to
the conduct of successful trade.
During the Commonwealth era, the
life of Jewish doctor, Jacob Lum-
brozo, was, upon the accusation of a
Quaker, threatened, in that it was al
| legged he had denied the divinity Of
| Christ. He might have been hanged
under the terms of the so-called
federation Act" but, shortly there
| after, the Calvert rule was reestab-
lished, and we find Lumbrozo sitting
as member of a jury impaneled to
try case involving one of the most
prominent supporters of Lord Balti.
more. This was in 1864, when Rhode
Island was denying the privileges OF
citizenship to Jews and "Papists."
Should inquiry be made as to what
became of the so-called Tolerance
Act" and it's provisions under the first
preamble, it may be said that it was
during the Puritan regime, super
seeded by greater restrictions. If il
had been an act suggested or ap-
proved by Lord Baltimore, instead OF
compromise measure evidently
forced upon the Proprietary and the
Province in contradiction to the Cal
vert instructions, it would have beer
renewed by Lord Baltimore after the
restoration. 1t was not so renewed
the restrictive legislation of the Puri-
tan regime was formally repealed and
the original policy toward religious
matters again prevailed.
Furthermore, it cannot we'll be over
emphasized that this policy represent
ed, in modern terms, a fixed purpose
on the part of the Proprietary and
his advisers, regardless of their re-
spective forms of faith, to keep the
church out of politics and politics out
of the church. After the Stuart