Untitled article by C. P. B.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · December 1, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 47

A Tennesseean Stirred Up.

By C. P. B.

THE following letter sent us by a friend in Tennessee to whom it was written, shows that there is a lively revolt in that State against persecution for conscience’ sake. Our after comment will correct one or two inaccuracies in the letter, which runs thus:—

Mayston, Tenn., Nov. 1, 1892.

My dear friend Stokes: My blood runs hot with indignation at the barbarous treatment being dealt out to those men in Paris, Tenn. A Christless Christianity is outraging every sense and sentiment of justice, mercy and decency. A big dog chewing the ears off a little one, a big man insulting a little one, is tame in comparison with a big society trying to crush out a little one through the guise of an unconstitutional law. A big Christian (?) community trying to crush out a little one.—For shame! For shame!

They tried the same game on King, but just before his case reached the Supreme Court, where the Sunday law would have been declared unconstitutional, King suddenly died. Died? No, he was murdered. The orthodox church could never afford to have such a decision as that. She would murder a hundred men before she would consent to that.

I have drawn up a petition to Governor Buchanan, to exercise his executive clemency in their behalf. I have not asked him to pardon them, for they are guilty of no crime. I have already over fifty signatures to this petition, and could get thousands if I had a little time.

I want you to get up one also, and after that we must get a lot of petitions to the next Legislature to repeal all those odious Sunday laws. A law that is good for Monday or Wednesday is good enough for Sunday or any other day. No one has any right to do wrong any day. No one has any right to intentionally disturb a neighbor or a meeting any day in the week.

I wish the United States Congress would enact every Sunday a national holiday, for people to be as free to do and act that day as on any other national holiday, to go to church, to a picnic, or any other place, or to work if they feel inclined. What has become of freedom in free America?

Let us pelt the Governor with petitions until Moon and Dortch and Stem are released from the chain gang. There is no politics in it; there is no religion in it; it is simply a question of our common humanity. These Sunday laws are unconstitutional; are class legislation; are a union of Church and State; are un-American and wholly unnecessary.

The writer of this letter is evidently not a reader of THE SENTINEL, else he would know that Moon, Dortch and Stem are not now in jail, having served out their sentences some time since; but he would understand that these same men are again under indictment, together with some eight or nine others, members of the same church. That the whole Seventh-day Adventist Church is not in jail is not the fault of the instigators of the Henry County Inquisition.

Another error into which the writer’s zeal has led him, is in supposing that King was murdered. Mr. King died of natural causes, though it is very probable that his malady, heart disease, was aggravated by the things which he suffered at the hands of his persecutors. Had the writer of the foregoing letter said that Mr. King was hounded to death

by his persecuting neighbors and the authorities of Obion County, he would not have been so wide of the truth. However we are glad to know that there are in Tennessee those who are alive to the outrages being perpetrated there in the name of Law and Order, and who are ready to protest against such judicial wickedness.

C. P. B.