Show FAITH MUST BE FREE in free america it is understood that no person or association of persons can be called in question onby by the government ern ment deprived of anye any civil ivil or political right or hindered in the exercise of any lawful privilege on OB account of religious belief faith faich is free under the constitution laws institutions and popular sentiment ment in the united states if there is any division of pinion opinion on this point it only refers to the question of how far re ibous faith may be embodied in actions without subjection to the restraints stra ints of law the position of the latter day saints has been that it is vain to say that faith is free if acts springing from that faith and invading no human rights are to be preveat entea ed or punished their opponents claim that governments have a right to restrain actions which they deem detrimental to the general welfare no matter how deep may be the religious sentiment or fervent the faith which prompts those actions but no one has hitherto had bad the hardihood to enunciate the doctrine that faith of itself is to be restricted or limited or interfered with in any shape or form by the local or the national government or that for any peculiarity of mere belief or opinion any p person erson shall be deprived of a right or privilege common to the people or of any office or position under the laws in the controversy upon the mormon question this principle has been advanced and proclaimed hundreds of times by the press and enunciated with force by members of both the political parties in congress assembled sem bled that the mormons cormons Mor mons have a berf perfect beet right to believe in any and every tenet of their creed to hold to the rightfulness and divinity of plural marriage or polygamy or anything else so long as they do not break the law by actions forbidden thereby it has been declared officially and otherwise that questions of belief cannot enter into politics and that the government has nothing whatever to do with the faith of anybody and yet after all this the admission of utah into the union as a state is resolving itself in the public mind to a large extent influenced by a free pre press a 13 of a free coun country t ry iv into a q question fuestion of simple religious belief lapart apart from rom a any ny action moral or immoral secular or religious harpers weekly talks in this way As ong long as the majority of the ahe people of utah hold polygamy as an article of religious faith whether they practice it or not a constitutional declaration that it is a misdemeanor and shall be punished as such much upon conviction is but a harmless declaration so long as polygamists make the laws and try offenders whether under the constitution or under laws the new york times puts forward as an objection to statehood they say that belief polygamy is according to a divine law revealed through their prophet this is the idea sought to be impressed on the powers that be so as to influence congressional and executive action against the coming state it is a virtual disavowal of the principle of religious liberty hitherto heralded to the world as essential to american institutions and engraved upon the fundamental Is law w of the nation and of the several states it announces that the mormons cormons Mor mons must be b judged on oa their belief alone and that utah must be kept from the enjoyment of political freedom solely on account of the peculiar faith of a majority of her inhabitants this has been the conflict between re religion 1 0 and civil despotism for ages it be belongs 1 angs to the old world and the darkness and tyranny of the past it lb ib not american nor in line with nineteenth century advancement it Is inspired by bigotry and animated by sectarian hatred and is unworthy of any writer in t this his republic when the mere belief of individuals is upheld as a barrier to their political liberties they who interpose it exhibit to the discriminating the inherent weakness of their cause harpers weekly falls into the same error as many newspapers it is not the but bat the monogamists who have this matter in hand and they form the majority of the citizens of utah and when any public journal declares that a body of citizens of the united states must mast be denied their political rights and privileges solely on account of religious faith whether they practice it or not 11 it proclaims its it own apostasy apo stacy f from rom the basic principles and established institutions of republican government ern ment and its backsliding back sliding into the cruelty and intolerance of monarchial monarc bial and persecuting times it will be a sad day for the liberties of this land when a religious test teat shall be recognized as a rightful qualification to the enjoyment of political freedom the government its J ts officers the press or the people eople may not question the mere belief belief of any person or community it is entirely outside of their jurisdiction it is sacred to the individual it is between him and his god the rights of conscience cannot be lawfully invaded and this attempt to deprive mormons Mor mons who have broken no law of rights to which they are entitled because they believe differently fere ferent atly ly from the majority of the nation ought to be despised by every lover of civil and religious liberty god has left the human mind free to receive or reject any tenet doctrine or principle that may be resented presented he coerces none each soly soul is a free agent in this respect the consequences of the reception or rejection of truth fall upon the individual naturally and by the workings of eternal laws he who can judge righteously will deal out justice to each with a auml full understanding of the circumstances and conditions surrounding all of his creatures but no man or set of men beneath the boundless heavens has the right to delar debar a single human being of the common rights ot citizens because of any pe peculiar callar belief he be may entertain or accept as divine faith must most be free and woe to the nation or person ako seeks to bind it or mar its perfect liberty |