Evening star., 1939-05-19
Baptists Condemn
Federal 'MeddIing'
In Church Affairs
Three u. S. Senators
Help Frame Plea for
Religious Liberty
~ the AsSOciated Press


- the Associated Press.
OKLAHOMA CITY. May ia
committee of Baptists including
three United States Senators offered
to the Southern Baptist Convention
yesterday 'pronouncement on re-
igious liberty" which criticized the
Roosevelt administration for med
ding" in church affairs.
DR.. Rufus w. Weaver of Washing
ton, chairman of the Committee on
Public Relations, said the conven-
ton would be asked today to in
dorse the statement.
Senators whose names appeared
on the pronouncement were Josiah
w. Bailey of North Carolina, Walter
r. George of Georgia and M. M.
Logan of Kentucky, all Democrats.
To Be Read in Congress.
1.-The Senators are all outstand-
ing Baptists," said Dr. Weaver, and
plan to read the pronouncement
into the Congressional Record once
1t receives the concerted approval
Of the Baptist Groups of America"
He explained the committees
criticism applied specifically to pro-
posals to extend the Social Security
Act to employees Of religious agen-
cies and to what he said were bills
pending in Congress to appropriate
funds for Sectarian schools
The administration also was
criticized for sending representa-
tive to the coronation of Pope
Plus XII and for permitting use
of troops in the funeral procession
for Cardinal Hayes.
I'VE oppose" the pronouncement
read "the establishing of diplo-
matte relations with any eccleslasti-
cal body, the recognition in the
Congress of the existence of any
ecclesiastical potentate. the extern
ton of special courtesies by our
Government to any ecclesiastical
official as such. and the employment
of any Of the branches held to
honor any ecclesiastical leader"
Baltimore Next Convention City.
The convention was divided over
the choice between Baltimore and
Memphis as the 1910 convention
city, but finally chose Baltimore
by narrow margin.
The committee statement said IN
part; To-day the trend of gov
ernment, even in democratic coun-
tries, lies in the direction of greater
Capitalization. In the United
States, the philanthropic activities
of the churches are being taken
over by the Government.
The defective, the INDECENT and
the dependent groups of our social
order have long been supported
from public funds. The greatest
charity agency on earth today is
our Federal Government. More and
more the people are looking to
the State to provide.
Efforts are now being made to
place in the hands Of the Govern
ment the pensioning of those who
are employed by churches and the
agencies that serve them: to grant
to sectarlan schools financial aid
from tax-raised funds. and to sup
port from public funds institutions
that are established and managed
by Sectarian bodies"
American Baptists," the paper
stated, hold that the coercion of
religious bodies through special
taxes, the use of taX-raised funds
for sectarian schools. the appropria-
ton of public money to institutions
created to extend the power and in
f1uence of any religious body violates
the first amendment Ito the Consti-
tution) and results in the union of
church and state
European "Gangsters" Flayed.
A speakers charge that the
United States helped create the Al
Capones of Europe by becoming
party to the sins Of Versailles"
thrust the European situation before
the convention.
The speaker, Everett Gill. Euro
pean representative of the Southern
.dptists for the past 35 years, did
not specify whom he designated
"CaponeS." He f1ayed the Versailles
treaty as too cruel to our vanquish-
ed enemy and too generous to our
allies"
1T is pure stupidity to think we
can pass by. on this side, seeing
Europe go down under despotism
and tyranny" he said. I'VE are all
bound up in the fate of the world.
When liberty dies in Europe it
will die here also in the days to
come 1t already has died in Spain.
The freedom of Czecho-S -Slovakia has
gone because we passed by on the
Eother side. And now the freedom
OF Yugoslavia is gone. She is sur
grounded by gangsters."
/ Following a precedent of giving
Ithree years of service to each preSi-
Ident the convention reelected DR..
IR. L. Scarborough of Fort Worth.
He has served one year
DR.. Rupert Nancy. Oklahoma City,
was elected first vice president to
succeed DR.. w w Hamilton, New
Orleans, and DR.. Acquila Chamle.
Forsyth, Ga, was elected second
vice president to replace DR.. Ralph
A. Herring, Winston Salem. N. c.
DR.. Hight c. Moore, Nashville. and
J. Henry Burnett Macon, Ga, we're
reelected secretaries for their 9th
and ODD terms reSDectivelv