THE REPORTER.
"'TIS PLEASANT, THROUGH THE LOOP-HOLES OF RETREAT, TO PEEP AT SUCH A WORLD-- TO SEE THE STIR OF THE GREAT BABEL, AND NOT FEEL THE CROWD."
VOL. II. NO. 13.	WASHINGTON, (PA.) MONDAY, AUGUST 21st, 1820.	WHOLE NO. 65.

MR. EDITOR,

      SIR--Having slowly progressed through the first part of my subject, in which I have shewn that the falsely called moral association, is immoral in its nature and in its operations, by a few of the many arguments deducible from the only true standard of religion and morality, the sacred scriptures. Though many have shewn their dislike to that morality which the scriptures teach, and their rage against their candid friend who has endeavored to shew them the evil of their way; yet they have not in one instance invalidated the least argument he has submitted to their consideration. Nay, they have confirmed them in the most obvious manner by all their efforts, viz: By shewing that they had no other way of opposing that which they so much disliked, than the jibes and scoffs, of low abuse. They have acted towards myself and my reasoning as the infidel acts towards the bible. When the infidel finds himself unable to weaken the evidences of christianity by any thing apparently reasonable, he places himself in the chair of the scorner, and profanely scoffs and attempts to ridicule that which his soul abhors, but which his feeble efforts cant impair. These attempts of the sceptic confirm the faith of the christian. Just so the attempts of the enemies of that system which I espouse confirm me in the belief of it and convince me that my arguments are irrefragable and my efforts victorious.

      I now proceed to shew that these combinations and the laws under which they act are unconstitutional in our good and free state of Pennsylvania. That this proposition may be fully established and illustrated, I shall refer you to the supreme law of Pennsylvania. The text to which I allude is the third and twenty sixth sections of the 9th article of the constitution of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania; which is indeed the spirit of the constitution of the United States. The preamble to the 9th article reads thus, "That the general great and essential principles of liberty and free government may be recognized and unalterably established." "We declare"--Section third--"That all men have a natural and undefeisible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences; and no man can of right be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship or to maintain any ministry against his consent: that no human authority can in any case whatever control or interfere with the rights of consciences, and that no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establishments or modes of worship." Sect. 26th, "To guard against transgressions of the high powers which we have delegated, we declare that every thing in this article is excepted out of the general powers of government and shall forever remain inviolate."¹

      Let this most salutiferous doctrine be applied to the combinations alluded to, &, for the sake of illustration, to one of the subjects of their persecution, viz, Sabbath breakers. A Sabbath breaker in the eye of this association and in the eye of the anti-constitutional law under which, they say, they act, is, a man who does not pay a certain degree of religious respect to the day called the Sabbath.

      In the first place, then, let it be observed, that the observance of any day in a religious manner is exclusively a right of conscience, and as such the non observance of it cannot be constitutionally censured and punished by civil law in any shape or form whatsoever. Conscientious regard to any practice in religion is the only regard commendable in the sight of him to whom religious homage is due. To regard any day in a religious point of view, in any other, than in a conscientious manner is not to regard it. This being incontrovertibly evident, it is obvious that any compulsory observance is non observance, and to control a man in that which is undeniably a right of conscience only, is to destroy liberty of conscience, and to violate the only guarantee and charter of our freedom and liberty--the constitution of our country. The encroachments that have usually been made upon the liberties of any people were in the first instance trifling and at long intervals. The specious pretexts under which they have been attempted were the interests of religion or the public good. In so far this infringement of the excellent constitution of Pennsylvania has been analagous to the first inroads made upon the liberties of those once renowned nations that are now the slaves of kings and priests.

      Again let it be remembered, that there are many valuable citizens who are entitled to all the privileges of citizens who cannot conscientiously regard the first day of the week or Lord's day as the Sabbath of the Jews. The Jews themselves cannot. There are some of them now in Pennsylvania, and the prospect of more. The Jews sanctify our Saturday their own Sabbath, and cannot conscientiously observe the first day as the seventh. The seventh day Baptists or Sabbatarians of whom there are a good many in the United States observe the seventh but cannot conscientiously regard the first day called the christian Sabbath as some people think they ought. Again the followers of the great Wm. Penn who founded and once possessed the great state of Pennsylvania, who wished it ever to remain an asylum to the society of the Friends and others, from the withering and destructive breath of religious persecution; I say this society regard every day alike. They must be compelled to pay a mock regard to it, or pay the forfeit to these persecuting associations called moral. With what justice may they complain that their sect is proscribed, & another established by civil law. Yes, the Jews, the Sabbatarians, and "the Friends" are all proscribed. Yet the constitution says, "that no human authority (not even the West Middletown association) can in any case whatever control or interfere with the rights of conscience, and that no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establishments or modes of worship." Yet if any of the above sects should conscientiously observe the seventh day or any other, and conscientiously drive their waggon on the sabbath of the majority, they must appease the strong party with four dollars!! O Pennsylvania where is the shade of thy founder! where the spirit of thy great Wm. Penn!! From what has been said it is incontrovertibly obvious that these moral associations are unconstitutional.

CANDIDUS.      

      P. S. I must make honorable mention of a learned piece that appeared lately against me, it is by far the best that has yet appeared on the opposite side, it is the production of the "Country Youth" on whose peaceful mind one ray of science never dawned.² This gentleman has but one fault and that is his servile immitation of that "most sacred character" who after wasting all the vocabulary of abuse bid me farewell. This is an improvement my enemies have introduced in the mode of blackguardism--first say all manner of evil against the man they envy, and then betake themselves to their den; saying farewell I'll write no more, farewell I'll write no more.--There let them lie and sleep in peace.

CANDIDUS.      

[The Reporter, 21 August 1820, p. 1.]