Untitled article | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York City · June 11, 1896

AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION.

In a speech in the House of Representatives on the 4th of last February, recorded in the Congressional Record of the same date, page 1439, Mr. Maguire of California said:—

“There is an establishment of religion right here in this House, and repeated appropriations of public money for the establishment and promotion of religion here, which, in my judgment, we ought to stop before we take up the subject of charitable appropriations to sectarian hospitals and asylums. The election of a chaplain of this House is an act respecting an establishment of religion. You cannot select a chaplain to pray for heavenly guidance for this House without having first determined that he is a minister of the true religion. How worse than useless, nay, how terrible it would be to select a minister of a false religion to serve as a medium of communication between this House and the Almighty. His appointment would be an insult to divinity, and his prayers would be blasphemies, bringing curses instead of blessings. We do necessarily establish a religion in the election of a chaplain to conduct religious services for the House, and we do it in defiance of the constitutional provision which absolutely forbids it. We have no right to do it, and no right to appropriate a dollar of public money for that purpose.

“Now, let those who object to sectarianism in our laws and in our appropriation bills—in which I quite agree with them in principle—do away with this unconstitutional establishment

of religion and put a stop to this unconstitutional appropriation of public funds to pay for sectarian teaching and sectarian religious ceremonies. I will go as far as any of these gentlemen in supporting the spirit of our institutions as embodied in that provision of the Federal Constitution; but let us commence where no harm and no wrong can be done. If principle be the sole motive of the objection to these appropriations, and I assume that it is, here is a grand and conspicuous field for patriotic effort. Let our national church establishment be disestablished and leave these minor violations of principle until the Government is better prepared to substitute public care for private care of its charges.

“I make these suggestions in no spirit of hostility to the churches nor to any church. I recognize their great power for good among men. I believe they will be stronger and greater when they shall be entirely separated from the State, and I believe the State will be likewise made stronger and better and purer by such separation.

“This is a civil government, deriving nothing from the church and capable of giving nothing to it. It should be strictly nonsectarian—professing no religion, but respecting and equally protecting all.”