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Show METHODIST IDEA OF GOVERNMENT. It is really surprising, with so many able lawyers law-yers and sound jurists Avho belong to the Methodist Meth-odist church, so few of them appear as lay delegates dele-gates in a Methodist conference. The proceedings at Los Angeles disclose the parson in the saddle; and if any. person claiming to be educated knows less about the fundamental principles upon which this government is founded, it is a Methodist parson. par-son. Wc will not say all, but most of them. For instance: A resolution was passed the other day calling upon Congress to enact a law forever inhibiting the citizens of a state from voting moneys mon-eys to sectarian schools. Another was passed disclaiming dis-claiming any violation of law or torture of statute where the Bible is read in public schools. This is merely incidental, however, and not to the argument argu-ment in hand. Xow what would be the effect of a law passed by Congress as these Methodists directed. di-rected. It would be a blow at the sovereign rights of the state and the individual liberty of the citizen, citi-zen, guaranteed by the constitution of the fathers. It would nullify the republican idea and scheme of government, absolutely. j Supposing the people of the state of Illinois were brought to the. same mind of a Methodist bishop there who is pronounced against education without religion, and therefore, per se, against the public school system as carried on now. Supposing Sup-posing Illinois, through legislative enactment, , should agree to pay for secular education no matter mat-ter by whom taught, and allow the denominations I to pay for religious education. It is a just and square proposition, and no more than the Catholics are asking for. Illinois would be acting within her rights , as a sovereign state should she consent to eueh arrangement. It is the money of Illinois citizens citi-zens that pays fop the education of her children. Illinois having done this, (we sneak in tbo fu ture tense), what right invests in Ohio, or Indiana., or any other state to overcome the will of the people peo-ple of Illinois? Would it not be sheer impudence to interfere upon a plea that Illinois had transcended tran-scended her state and "individual rights ? Yet this would be the logical outcome of a government gov-ernment run by Methodists. It seems ludicrous to take them seriously. Good Methodist as he was, we are' certain MeKinley would not support the resolution reso-lution adopted at Los Angeles if he were alive and sat there as a lay delegate. We are almost certain the judge from Delaware, who turned down Rev. King not long ago, voted no. But a Methodist parson cannot see beyond his node. |