Religious Liberty in Ohio by H. A. Weaver

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 14, 1912

Religious Liberty in Ohio

By H. A. Weaver

A RELIGIOUS liberty convention, including a mass-meeting, was held in Columbus on Sabbath and Sunday, February 24 and 25, under the auspices of the Ohio Religious Liberty Association. The Sabbath services were held in the Seventh-day Adventist church, and the mass-meeting was held on Sunday afternoon in the Board of Trade Auditorium, on Broad Street, opposite the Statehouse. From many view-points the meetings were a success, and those who attended freely expressed themselves as being benefited.

Elder K. C. Russell, of Washington, D. C., delivered the principal address of the mass-meeting, which was held at 2:30 P. M. There was a fair attendance, yet not so large as it was hoped; but there was a marked degree of enthusiasm manifested on the part of those present.

Elder E. K. Slade acted as chairman of the meeting. His introductory remarks

were brief but clear. Elder J. F. Olmsted followed with a ten-minute paper. Elder Russell was then introduced to the audience, and spoke for forty-five minutes. He clearly set before his hearers the salient points involved in the question of religious freedom for all, but directed his most forcible arguments against two proposals that have been submitted to the fourth constitutional convention, which is now in session in Columbus. These proposals, which are glaring examples of the kind of legislation desired by National Reformers, read as follows:—

PROPOSAL No. 65.—“The General Assembly shall at all times protect the moral and religious and spiritual nature and Christian character of the divine institution of the Sabbath (commonly called Sunday), as the day of rest, worship, and spiritual uplift. The only exception of labor on the Sabbath should be that of urgent necessity.”

PROPOSAL No. 121.—“We, the people of the State of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for liberty, acknowledge him to be our supreme ruler, and his laws to be fundamental; and declaring this to be a Christian State, in order to establish justice, and secure the blessings of liberty for the whole people, do establish this constitution.”

As evidence that Elder Russell’s argument produced the desired effect upon the audience, reference need be made only to the fact that at its close, when the writer submitted for vote a memorial to the constitutional convention protesting against these and all other similar proposals, the audience, almost to a man, responded by a standing vote.

Those taking part in the religious liberty convention and mass-meeting were Elders E. K. Slade, J. F. Olmsted, K. C. Russell, Dr. G. T. Harding, Jr., and the writer.

From churches in different parts of the State, memorials are being sent in against the measures; and just before this report was written, it was learned that consideration of Proposal No. 121 had been “indefinitely postponed” by the committee having it in charge, which is equivalent to its death.

H. A. WEAVER.