NATIONAL REFORM ASSOCIATION

MEMORIAL TO CONGRESS.'

ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA, JANUARY 27, 1864.

To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress assembled:

We, citizens of the United States, respectfully ask your honorable bodies to adopt measures for amending the Constitution of the United States, so as to read, in substance, as follows:

A

proposed religious

"We, the people of the United States, humbly acknowledge Almighty God as the source of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus amendment. Christ as the Ruler among the nations, his revealed

1 ORIGIN OF THE ASSOCIATION.

While the nation was in the midst of the throes of the Civil War, the advocates of a union of church and state here,- those who had never outgrown the Old World idea of religious establishments, nor adopted the Christian idea and the American principle of civil government, seized upon this as a favorable time to press their views upon the national government. Representatives from eleven different denominations met in convention at Xenia, Ohio, February 3, 1863, "for prayer and Christian conference, with special reference to the state of the country." Out of this convention grew what is known as the National Reform Association, the chief object of which, from the first, has been to secure "a religious amendment to the Constitution of the United States."

At a national convention of this association held in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, January 27, 1864, the above memorial to Congress was adopted, and a resolution passed that it be "circulated throughout the United States for signatures," and that a large delegation be appointed "to visit Washington, and urge the proposed amendment on the attention of President Lincoln," and "endeavor to get a special message to Congress on the subject, and to lay the Memorial before Congress." While this effort did not succeed, persistently from year to year the association has kept holding its conventions, scattering its literature, disseminating its views, and seeking to overturn one of the great fundamental principles upon which the national government was founded, that of religious freedom, or the separation of church and state.

American advocates

of the Old World idea.

Origin of the movement.

Delegation

to Washington.

National Reform constitution.

will as the supreme law of the land, in order to constitute a Christian government, and in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the inalienable rights and the blessings of life, liberty, and the

With the exception of that portion relating to officers, membership, etc., the following is the

CONSTITUTION

OF THE

NATIONAL REFORM ASSOCIATION.

"Believing that Almighty God is the source of all power and authority in civil government, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Ruler of Nations, and that the revealed Will of God is of Supreme authority in civil affairs;

"Remembering that this country was settled by Christian men, with Christian ends in view, and that they gave a distinctly Christian character to the institutions which they established;

Perceiving the subtle and persevering attempts which are made to prohibit the reading of the Bible in our Public Schools, to overthrow our Sabbath laws, to corrupt the Family, to abolish the Oath, Prayer in our National and State Legislatures, Days of Fasting and Thanksgiving and other Christian features of our institutions, and so to divorce the American Government from all connection with the Christian religion;

'Viewing with grave apprehension the corruption of our politics, the legal sanction of the Liquor Traffic, and the disregard of moral and religious character in those who are exalted to high places in the nation;

"Believing that a written Constitution ought to contain explicit evidence of the Christian character and purpose of the nation which frames it, and perceiving that the silence of the Constitution of the United States in this respect is used as an argument against all that is Christian in the usage and administration of our Government;

"We, citizens of the United States, do associate ourselves under the following ARTICLES, and pledge ourselves to God and to one another, to labor, through wise and lawful means, for the ends herein set forth:

66 ARTICLE I.

"This Society shall be called the NATIONAL REFORM ASSOCIA

TION.'

pursuit of happiness to ourselves, our posterity, and all the people, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

66 ARTICLE II.

"The object of this Society shall be to maintain existing Christian features in the American Government, to promote needed reforms in the action of the government touching the Sabbath, the institution of the Family, the religious element in Education, the Oath, and Public Morality as affected by the liquor traffic and other kindred evils; and to secure such an amendment to the Constitution of the United States as will declare the nation's allegience to Jesus Christ and its acceptance of the moral laws of the Christian religion, and so indicate that this is a Christian nation, and place all the Christian laws, institutions and usages of our government on an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of the land."

BASED UPON AN ERRONEOUS IDEA.

Object of association.

Based on

This association is based upon the entirely erroneous idea that because civil governments" the powers that be" are ordained of wrong idea. God, they are therefore religious, and have a right to legislate upon religious matters; and that Christianity, being the only true religion, and this country having been settled largely by Christian people, the national government should recognize the Christian religion as the national religion, and enforce Christian institutions," particularly the Sunday institution, by law, and thus indicate that "this is a Christian nation."

The theo

theory.

Religious declaration will not

It is the same old theocratical theory of government adopted by Constantine and the church bishops of his time, which led to all cratical the evils of church establishments in the Old World, and to all the religious persecutions and horrors of the Inquisition and the dark ages. As with the bishops in Constantine's time, the leaders in this movement fail to recognize the distinction so clearly drawn by Christ between things which belong to Cæsar and those which belong to God. They wish a recognition of Deity and of Christianity in the national Constitution. Such a declaration will by no means make all the people in the nation religious. It will produce faith in no one, nor will it increase by a single individual the number of Christians make people in the nation. Nor will it give any guarantee or assurance that the rights and liberties of the people under it will be respected. The rather may it be taken as a signal for oppression. Thus far the Constitution of the United States has contained no such declaration, and yet it has been a charter of liberty. The Constitution of the Southern Confederacy, which was organized to perpetuate human slavery, contained such a declaration. Its preamble read as follows:

religious.

Preamble to constitu

tion of the Southern Confederacy.

Not a guarantee for perpetuity of gov.

ernment.

Great impetus given by court decision

of 1892.

Why national Sunday

legislation desired.

To make State laws effective.

"We, the people of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity — invoking the favour and guidance of Almighty God-do ordain and establish the Constitution for the Confederate States of America.” McPherson's "History of the Rebellion," page 98.

But we are told that without some legal recognition of religion a nation cannot endure. The government of the United States has recognized no religion. On the contrary it has by direct constitutional provision declared that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" and yet it has stood for a century and a quarter. The Constitution of the Southern Confederacy had a direct recognition of God in its Constitution, and it went down in less than five years. This shows that such declarations do little toward preserving national governments. As foundations for laws of injustice, intolerance, and oppression they may do much to weaken such governments, and hasten their downfall and dissolution. Let governmental recognition of religion once be established, and there will always be religious organizations ready to take advantage of it, and turn the power and influence of the government to their own ends and aggrandizement. Such has been the history of religion allied with civil government from the remotest ages.

A great impetus was given to the movement by the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, February 29, 1892, in which the declaration was made that this is "a Christian nation (see page 487); also by the passage of the Sunday-closing condition to the appropriation made in Congress in July of the same year, to the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893. See page 370. And its leaders

have been still further encouraged during more recent years by the introduction in Congress of numerous Sunday-law bills, and by proposed religious amendments to the Constitution, such as the one to preface the preamble to the Constitution with the words, "In the name of God." See pages 401-408.

WHY A NATIONAL SUNDAY LAW IS WANTED.

They wish every State and Territory in the United States to have a Sunday law, and that Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced by law. Especially do they wish the national government committed to Sunday legislation and Sunday enforcement. And the reasons for this they have plainly stated in their official organ. In 1889, when the Blair Sunday-rest bill was before Congress, they said:

"The national law is needed to make the State laws complete and effective." "Christian Statesman," April 11, 1889.

Twenty-one years later, they say again:

Washington and the District of Columbia have no Sunday law. The value of such a law would lie not only in the relief which it would bring to many who are now deprived of their weekly rest, but in the support which it would lend to the cause of our national Christianity." Christian Statesman," April, 1910.

These statements reveal the real reason why a national Sunday law is wanted. It is to make effective the State Sunday laws, and to give support to a national religion.

LOGICAL EFFECT OF A RELIGIOUS AMENDMENT.

At a hearing given representatives of this association by a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, April 12, 1910, on the Sheppard ("In the name of God") proposed amendment, they said: "Excellent as Mr. Sheppard's amendment is, it does not go far enough." They wished, they said, an amendment which would "fully and unmistakably" indicate that this is a "Christian nation."

When asked by Mr. Sheppard what attitude the Jew would take toward such an amendment, they replied that the Jew himself must answer that," but added:

Not a Jew

"Whatever might be the Jew's attitude, we must all keep in mind that this is not a Jewish nation, and that a nation two-thirds of whose citizens are Christians or in sympathy with the Christian religion ish nation. could not be expected to be governed by the wishes of the Jews, who are in the great minority, if these wishes are adverse to that which is essential to the nation's life and welfare." "Christian Statesman," May, 1910.

The report in the "Statesman" further says: Other questions were raised as to the attitude of the Universalists, Unitarians, and Seventh-day Adventists toward such an amendment," and asserts that "answers similar to the above" were given, all of which most plainly indicates that, while strongly denying that there is in their proposition "any sectarianism or anything that would violate either the letter or the spirit of that part of the first amendment to the Constitution which states that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,'" if their program ever carries, the rights of conscience, not only of Jews, but of Christians as well, will be disregarded and trampled upon, and the religious views of the majority only respected. But majority rule by law in religious things is all any one ever asked in the palmiest days of religious establishments and unions of church and state.

Majority must rule.

No quarter for sects

not in harmony with majority.

Desire an

At the hearing referred to, Rev. J. S. Martin, general superintendent of the association, stated that its purpose was to develop, established religion. perfect, and thoroughly establish our national Christianity." Nothing further need be added to show that they desire an established religion in this country, and that their ideas of civil government are thoroughly unconstitutional, un-American, and unchristian.