p. 12 | Class Legislation

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · May 21, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 20.

Class Legislation

IT is a deadly poison, which these reform organizations are injecting into our Government and body politic. It is deranging and perverting every just principle of liberty and humanity. It is sacrificing man to institutions, principles of right to popular prejudices, right or wrong. That government which in its laws exalts institutions at the expense of human rights, will always and forever be guilty of class legislation, and will be the shuttlecock of class prejudices, traditions, bickerings, strifes, jealousies, leading to eventual ruin. For instance, the so-called "American Sunday" is a class institution, and nothing else. It is a religious class institution. So is any Sabbath from its human side. People may observe it who will, but they have neither human nor divine right to say that he must observe or honor it who elects otherwise. Nay, more, but majorities even have no right to say that he must honor it who elects so to do. The honor or observance is elective; the right of choice is universal, vested in the individual, and dominant over all civil authority whatsoever. The observance or non-observance of the institution is a matter of conscience between the individual and the being he may call God, but it is not a matter with which the State has any right to interfere, except to guard the equal rights of all her citizens and subjects.