The Rise and Fall of Religious Liberty in America
By C. M. S.
Lining up for the Final Assault
It has been shown in these articles that the principles of religious liberty were enunciated by Jesus Christ, promulgated by the true exponents of his gospel, maintained in Europe, even during the Reformation period, in opposition to the Reformers themselves, gained a footing in America only after the most strenuous opposition of the established order, and finally found a place in the Constitution of the federal government in spite of the fact that every State government save one adopted constitutions that were opposed to it in principle. The principle of soul-freedom has grown nowhere in the world without a terrible handicap of oppression, persecution, and martyrdom. It is a principle so opposed to the kingdom of darkness, that, so long as that kingdom exists, the warfare must continue. Therefore, in view of the fact that the majority of the individual States of this nation are committed to the opposite principle through their fundamental laws, it should not surprise us if history should repeat itself in this country, and oppression come again. We have shown the growth in this country of an organized power committed to the principles of repression and oppression in “religious concernments,” a power definitely and avowedly committed to a vigorous warfare against the fundamental principles of the national government so far as the separation of church and state is concerned. Men have declared that there was no danger, that such an organization could not thrive in the “land of liberty;” but it is thriving to-day, advancing in numbers, in strength, in influence, until the principles it holds are made a lash to whip recalcitrant legislators into line with its purpose. The growth of its influence has not been kept within its own organization. It has sought earnestly and persistently for support from other organizations, and that support has been given. It has stoutly attacked the federal Constitution because it did not contain the name of God, and did guarantee religious liberty; and that attack, first resented by the great body of the people, has come to be tolerated by the mass, and to be indorsed, directly or indirectly, by an ever-increasing number. The first organized ally of the National Reform Association was the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, which was induced by the National Reform Association to second its efforts to secure legislation in behalf of “sabbath reform” and also to secure the recognition of the Lord Jesus Christ as the governor of this nation and of his law as the basis of legislation. Accordingly, in 1887 the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union added to its organization the department of sabbath observance, which was put in charge of Mrs. J. C. Bateham, of Ohio. To show that this organization was fully in harmony with the aims of the National Reform Association, it will be sufficient to cite two authoritative utterances. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union monthly reading for September, 1886, said:— A true theocracy is yet to come, and the enthronement of Christ in law and lawmakers; hence I pray devoutly, as a Christian patriot, for the ballot in the hands of women, and rejoice that the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union has so long championed this cause.
The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in national convention in 1887 made this declaration:— The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, local, State, national, and worldwide, has one vital, organic thought, one all-absorbing purpose, one undying enthusiasm, and that is that Christ shall be this world’s king;—yea, verily, THIS WORLD’S KING in its realm of cause and effect,—king of its courts, its camps, its commerce,—king of its colleges and cloisters,—king of its customs and constitutions. . . . The kingdom of Christ must enter the realm of law through the gateway of politics.
The same year in which the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union took this action, there was formed (Nov. 13, 1887) an organization known as the American Sabbath Union. From the constitution adopted by that organization we learn that the object of its existence was “to preserve the Christian sabbath as a day of rest and worship.” Its influence also was thrown with the National Reform Association to seek by means of religious legislation the enforcement of the Sunday institution upon the people. The following year the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in convention passed a resolution to the effect that— Christ and his gospel, as universal king and code, should be sovereign in our government and political affairs.
In 1888 the third party Prohibition party in State convention in San Francisco hissed down the principle of the separation of church and state, and adopted a platform recognizing the Lord as supreme ruler, “to whose laws all human laws should conform.” The same year the secretary of the National Prohibition Convention, Sam Small, in a sermon at Kansas City, Mo., in the month of January, said:— I want to see the day come when the church shall be the arbiter of all legislation, State, national, and municipal; when the great churches of the country can come together harmoniously, and issue their edict, and the legislative powers will respect it, and enact it into laws.
This is the avowed purpose of the National Reform Association, and the latter won an influential ally when that political party declared itself in favor of religious legislation. Said one prominent speaker of that party, when accused by a national reformer of not making enough of national reform principles: “We are just as much in favor of those principles as you are; but the time has not yet come to make them so prominent as you wish. But you help put us into power, and we will give you all you want.” In 1864 there was one obscure organization advocating those un-American principles; in 1888 there were four, and each of the three additions was capable of wielding a greater influence among the people at large than the parent organization. The effectiveness of the power working against the Constitution and religious liberty had been more than quadrupled. In 1884 the National Reform Association had made a bid for Catholic support of its program in these words:— Whenever they [the Roman Catholics] are willing to co-operate in resisting the progress of political atheism, we will gladly join hands with them.
What they meant by political atheism was nothing more nor less than the separation of church and state and the nation’s guaranty to the individual of the right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience. That ground being common to both the National Reform Association and the Catholic Church, the latter took the proposition of co-operation under favorable consideration, and in the year 1889, at the Catholic Lay Congress held in Baltimore on November 12, issued the following pronunciamento:— There are many Christian issues upon which Catholics could come together with non-Catholics and shape civil legislation for the public weal. In spite of rebuff and injustice, and overlooking zealotry, we should seek an alliance with non-Catholics for proper Sunday observance. Without going over to the Judaic sabbath, we can bring the masses over to the moderation of the Christian Sunday.
This was done, as it was announced by the national reformers, “after correspondence and conference with the American Sabbath Union.” It was advocated by the editor of the Catholic Universe in these words:— What we should seek is an en rapport with the Protestant Christians who desire to keep Sunday holy.6
The national reform organization sought for Catholic union with them against “political atheism.” The Catholic editor advocated an agreement with such non-Catholics “who desire to keep Sunday holy,” in order that, by such union, the Sunday institution—the child of the papacy—might be exalted. The pronunciamento issued as a result of that advice and that “correspondence and conference with the American Sabbath Union,” declared in favor of such a union between Catholics and non-Catholics as would enable this combination to “shape civil legislation for the public weal;” and that “public weal” for which they were to unite in shaping legislation is principally comprehended in what they denominate “proper Sunday observance.” That union may therefore, in effect, be regarded as consummated, and to the combination previously effected the National Reform Association can now add the power and influence of the whole Roman hierarchy in the United States. And to prove that this is not an incongruous or inharmonious combination, I quote the instruction given to Catholics by Pope Leo XIII:— All Catholics should do all in their power to cause the constitutions of states, and legislation, to be modeled on the principles of the true church.
The word “states” in the above quotation is used in the sense of nations. The principle of “the true church” in reference to the proper relation between church and state is that the two institutions should be joined, controlled by one head, and that head the head of the church, and that all “heresy” should be punished by pains and penalties. The principles of national reformism, carried to their ultimate, involve just such an arrangement, though they refuse as yet to acknowledge the headship of the pope. Both organizations believe in the union of religion and the state—or literally, church and state; both believe in the state legislating upon religious matters; both believe in the enforcement of the Sunday institution by law, backed by pains and penalties; both believe in setting up a standard of religion for the nation, and laying the hand of the law upon religions that do not conform to the standard. Why should they not join hands? For years the advocates of national reform principles sought to bring the labor unions into harmony with their purposes. For a considerable time these overtures were rejected; but notwithstanding these rebuffs and rejections, the advocates of national reformism claimed to represent the laboring men of the nation. Their claims were indignantly rejected by an authorized representative of the labor unions (Mr. Thos. J. Morgan) before a House committee during the hearing on the bill for closing the Columbian Exposition on Sunday. But the importunate persistence of the Sunday-law advocates has finally been rewarded; and the president of the American Federation of Labor has indorsed the purposes of the National Reform Association and its allies, so far at least as Sunday legislation is concerned. That indorsement was brought to light in this way: The officials of the International Federation of Sunday Rest Associations of America arranged for a convention to be held on the grounds of the Jamestown Exposition, September 25, 26, 1907, and Mr. Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, was invited to address the convention. Mr. Gompers’s letter in reply to the invitation reads:— AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR,
WASHINGTON, D. C.,
Sept. 14, 1907.
Dr. T. T. Mutchler,
Pres. International Federation Sunday-rest Assns. America,
1008 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. DEAR SIR: Your favor received to-day, and contents noted. I regret very much that circumstances are such as to make it impossible for me to accept your invitation to deliver an address before your association at its meeting in Norfolk, September 25, 26, but as I previously stated to you, it is absolutely beyond my power to be present. May I take the opportunity, however, of conveying to you my hearty commendation of the principles and purposes of the association which you represent? Not only am I personally in hearty accord with any movement which has for its object the preservation of one day’s rest in seven, but the American Federation of Labor, representing, as it does, over two million workingmen and women, has emphatically declared itself in favor of the Sunday-rest day, and it has done as much, if not more, than any other organized body of men and women to enforce the observance of the Sunday-rest day. Again expressing my regret that circumstances prevent my attending the meeting of your association, with every wish for your success, I have the honor to remain,
Very respectfully yours,
(Signed) SAMUEL GOMPERS,
President A. F. of L. Thus another powerful ally joins the ranks of those who are working to transform this government into an ecclesiastical machine that will ride roughshod over the civil and religious rights of the people. There are two other organizations that must be placed in the same category, the one designed to energize and direct these efforts on the part of the Protestant denominations, and the other designed to do the same work for and among the various Catholic organizations of the country. The first is the Inter-Church Federation Organization, and the second is the American Federation of Catholic Societies. This banding together of institutions and organizations for a common purpose—warfare against the fundamental principles of our government and the rights of individuals under it—is one of the most significant events of this century. The results of the combined influence of these organizations upon the American government and people will be considered in another article.