THESE men sworn to a solemn trust, to support the Constitution of the United States, have been threatened, cajoled, persuaded, into proving false to that trust and the shameful achievement is hailed by the Christian Statesman as “the greatest moral victory since emancipation.” The truth is that as emancipation gave freedom from physical enslavement to eight millions of blacks so this marks the beginning of the governmental enslavement of the consciences of sixty-five millions of all colors and races now resident in the United States, and the millions yet to come. Instead of the two things—emancipation of the colored race and the passage of religious legislation by Congress—being parallel moral measures, they are complete antitheses. The first echoed the constitutional principle of the natural freedom and equality of all men and established civil liberty; but the last contravenes the Constitution and natural right, and establishes civil inequity and religious despotism. The first removed from the Constitution its only inconsistency and did away with the shame of the Nation; the last is an irremediable blot upon the proceedings of the national Legislature, and puts disgrace upon a free people.
This is the threat which this arrogant minority described by the Statesmen here as “three score thousand preachers and a thousand religious papers” holds out to Chicago, the World’s Fair management, and the calm minded and patriotic intelligence of the country which may assert its divine right of dissent from their fatal religious folly and political error:—
To refuse the half million would be to cancel the Government exhibit and so black ball the Government. Chicago can not afford to give the “bluff” to the United States. In that case not only would Christians boycott the Fair because of Sunday opening, but patriots also, because of its discourtesy to the Government.
If the Management are wise they will discover in the more than two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress against Sunday opening, that Chicago is not the United States, and in the matter of Sabbath observance does not represent American sentiment; and they will not further endanger the financial success of the Fair by proposals to override the wholesome laws and customs of our country, but will promptly accept the people’s verdict as to the Sabbath. . . . Financially, as well as morally, it is a blunder to give three score thousand preachers and a thousand religious papers so many causes to condemn rather than commend the Columbian Exhibition.
Here is again heard the voice of the “Pittsburg preachers” which has been before raised to cry,—Boycott, and let loose the dogs of war, if Congress or Commission shall fail to accede to our demand. We shall rule or we shall ruin.—The Pittsburg preachers are not alone in that cry. It is heard to-day at Homestead, at Duquesne, at Coeur d’Alene, and in the Anarchist halls where Most, and Berkman, and Mrs. Parsons, and Emma Goldman are accustomed to give tongue like the wolves of society that they are.