Evening star., 1945-04-29

OUdtCS oClldUOl Wd1UCI oCOl &c
In a recent radio address in which he
urged Americans to demand a religious
freedom declaration at the San Fran
cisco Conference of the United Nations,
which opened last Wednesday.
The United States, ever defender Of
religious liberty, sought vainly at the
Paris Peace Conference, in February,
1919, to include a general article in the
Covenant of the League of Nations,
guaranteeing freedom of religion every
where. How far OUR delegates will press
for a similar article in the new League
of Nations charter remains to be seen.
Resolutions from church groups through
out the country indicate that Catholic.
Jewish and Protestant leaders are
agreed on pattern for peace" which
seeks to protect the rights of the in
dividual as well as the rights OF nations.
However, implementing the general pro-
visions of Chapter TX of the Dumbarton
Oaks proposals and defining its terms in
respect to the basic rights of man, in a
manner universally satisfactory will not
be an easy task.
That the question of an international
agreement on religious freedom and lib
erty of conscience is receiving careful
study by the State Department was ad-
mitted recently in a public address in
New York, by Mr.. Henry S. Willard, chief
Of African affairs, State Department. He
asserted:
IF it were possible to obtain an inter-
national agreement on religious liberty
following the war, the question might
receive plementation-along with
other civil liberties-through one of the
commissions to be established under the
proposed economic and social council
of the international organization. This
would not preclude the possibility of in
serting in appropriate international
treaties or conventions provisions for
the free exercise of religion and for
freedom of conscience, subject always to
the maintenance of public order and Sc
curity. I can assure you that
this Government is certainly prepared
in future instances to accept nothing
less than the guarantees of religious
liberty already accorded"
Mentioned in IS Treaties.
A review of the diplomatic protection
accorded and demanded in respect to
religious freedom by the United States
in its dealings with other nations, and
a study of the reasons why the religious
freedom clause was the only article
dropped from the original draft of the
of Nat ~,
might serve as a beacon light to our
delegates to the San Francisco Confer
ence. The record shows that the sub
ject of religious freedom and liberty of
conscience is mentioned in IS treaties
negotiated by the United States with
43 countries. Covering in specific terms
the subject>of religious freedom, liberty
OF conscience, religious institutions and
missionary societies, the list is indeed an
impressive one. Chronologically it reads:
1882, Netherlands 1888, Sweden; 1785,
Prussia (and 1897 1875, Algiers Q815
and 1816); 17s6, Tripoli Q797 1sO5);
1903, France; 1919, Spain 1888 and
1902; 1924, Colombia; 1925, Central
America; 1928, Brazil; 1881, Mexico
Q848 1889; 1882, Chile; 1886, Peru
Bolivian Federation; 1886, Venezuela
1880; 1889, Ecuador; 1874, China Qs58,
1868, 1909; 1916, New Granada; 1849,
Hawaiian Islands; 1849, Guatemala
1850, Ell Salvador Q87O, 1926; 1851,
Costa Rica; 1851, Peru Q87O, 1887; 1853,
Argentina; 1856, Siam 1920; 1858,
Bolivia; 1858, Japan 1884, 1929; 1859,
Paraguay; 1864 Haiti; 1864, Honduras
Q92O; 1867, Russia; 1867, Dominican
Republic; 1867, Nicaragua; 1867, NADIA
gascar Q88D; 1886, Tonga; 1891, Congo;
1916, Denmark; 1923, Germany; 1924,
Great Britain; 1925, Hungary; 1925, Es-
tonia; 1928, Austria; 1928, Latvia; 1880,
Great Britain and Iraq
It Is noteworthy that the first of these
treaties was signed five years before the
adoption of the Constitution of the
United States. John Adams succeeded
in negotiating Treaty of Amity and
Commerce. with the Netherlands, Oc-
tober 8, 1882, on behalf of the 13 United
States of America. The fourth treaty
in the history of our foreign affairs, it
was the first to contain mutual pledge
OF liberty of conscience, according the
right of religious worship to nationals
of another nation. Article w declared,
in part:
There shall be an entire and perfect
liberty OF conscience allowed to the sub
jects and inhabitants of each party, and
to their families; and no one shall be
molested in regard to his worship, pro-
vided he submits, as to the public DEM
ontsration of it, to the laws of the coun-
try: There shall be given moreover lib
erty, when subjects or inhabitants of
either party shall die in the territory of
the other, to bury them in the usual
burying places or in decent and con-
venient grounds to be appointed for that
purpose, as occasion shall require, and
the dead bodies of those who are buried
shall not in any wise be molested. = - ="
First Treaty Proclamation.
Incidentally, this was the first in
stance of formal proclamation of
treaty of the United States. The re-
ligious-freedom clause in subsequent
treaties was substantially the same; in
some instances more specific terms
were set out. Some 10 countries have
signed treaties in which they specifically
agreed TO permit nationals of the United
States to lease, erect or maintain in
convenient locations churches. houses
or other buildings appropriate for reli-
gious services. China was the first to
make such a guarantee. 1t appears in
its treaty of July 3, 1874 (Article XVII).