gued that those who do not believe in a future
state of punishment, have no just sense of moral
responsibility. He confessed he was suprised to
hear such sentiments.
Moral responsibility! Why sir, a sense of
moral responsibility, is as omnipresent as the
Deity Himself. Where can we go to escape it;
where is the asylum upon this vast globe, or in
the boundless regions of infinite space, to which
we can flee from the torments of a guilty con-
science. If we travel beyond the pale of civili-
zed man, even there the poor savage unconscious
of the light of Divine Revelation, acknowledges
his responsibility to that Great Being, whose
voice i» heard in the howling of every tempest,
the rustling of every leaf, and the murmuring of
every stream, it is a mistaken idea to suppose,
that the Universalist has no just sense of moral
obligation, because he is not actuated by a slavish
fear of eternal punishment. For although he
may not be frightened into a sense of duty, by
the fear of Hell, of "gorgons, hydras, chimeras
dire," may he not be governed in his conduct by
that higher and nobler motive—a sense of duty to
hi« fellow and his God ?
It is an outrage upon the feelings of this highly
respectable class of our fellow-citizens, that they
should be driven from our courts of justice,
whilst the most abandoned men in the communi-
ty, are dragged forth from the gutters and sewers
of our cities, to stand up as competent witnesses,
merely because they profess to believe in a future
state of rewards and punishments For his part
Mr. F. protested against any such invidious dis-
tinctions. He was opposed to any proscription
on account of religious opinions. And whilst he
had a high regard for the Christian religion, he
was disposed to be liberal towards all denominations,
with the confident expectation that the
same charitable feeling will pervade this Con-
vention.
We should he the last, sir, (continued Mr. F.)
to encourage any thing like a feeling of intoler-
ance, for if there be any spot upon this broad
earth, which has been consecrated to the spirit
i of genuine freedom, it is here upon the soil of
this glorious old Commonwealth, where the
standard of religions liberty, was first reared in
the Western world.
Mr. BISER said that in advocating this amend-
ment, as it was his intention to do, he felt that he
was treading upon delicate and dangerous ground.
He knew that he was speaking in favor of apro-
position which would subject those who sustained
it to animadversion and criticism beyond these
walls; and he desired, therefore, that the mo-
tives for the course he might take, should be understood
so explicitly, as to leave no room for
mis-apprehension or mis-statement,
He disclaimed any desire or intention to make
invidious distinctions in matters of religion. No
man here or elsewhere respected religious insti-
tutions, and religion itself, more sincerely than
he did.
At all early period in the session of this Con-
vention his attention had been called to this sub-
ject by a numerous, respectable and intelligent

portion of his constituents. They desired that a
provision might be inserted in the Constitution,
dispensing with religious tests either as a qualifi-
cation for office, or as rendering persons compe-
tent witnesses in our judicial tribunals. He had
no particular acquaintance with the creed of the
Universalists; (for, from that sect it was that the
application to which he referred had been made,)
but lie took occasion, by means of letters to inem-
bers of their society, and in other ways, to inform
himself as to the precise character of their doc-
trines. The result of his investigation had led
him to the conclusions which he would now state.
They believed in a Supreme Being; they believed
in rewards and punishments, either in this or a
future world; they believed that no man would
go unpunished for his misdeeds, and that the pun-
ishment must come at some time; but they did
not believe in perpetual punishment.
Upon ascertaining these facts, he had looked
into the Constitutions of the different States of
the Union, and had found that in nearly all of
them, religious tests were dispensed with. The
fourth section of the declaration of rights of the
Slate of California, had met his views more ful-
ly than any other. As an humble member of
the committee of which the venerable gentleman
from Anne Arundel, (Mr. Dorsey,) was Chair-
man, he, (Mr. B.,) had submitted that as his own
proposition. But it had found no favor. A ma-
jority of the committee had voted it down. And
it would be in the recollection of the Convention
that he had yesterday offered the same section, ,
but had been informed by the President, that it
was not then in order.
He felt disposed to vote for the amendment of
the gentleman from Baltimore county, (Mr. Ridge-
ly,) though he, (Mr. B.,) must say, that he was
better satisfied with the first amendment, than
with this. He yielded, however, to the better
judgment of the gentleman, who entertained the
opinion that the pending proposition would cover
the whole ground, and answer every object which
he had in view. if that proposition should fail,
he would then offer the amendment which he had,
yesterday indicated.
The gentleman from Washington county, (Mr.
Fiery,) had, given his experience as to the opera-
tion of the existing provision in his own district.
He, (Mr. B.,) could go even beyond the limits
of his own county. He had seen a Justice of the
Peace reject the testimony of a Universalist on
account of his religious opinions, when the com-
munity at large would have taken the word of the
witness in preference to the oath of the Justice of
the Peace. And similar evidences of injustice
and of wrong he had seen time and again. He
declared himself the friend of religious toleration
and equality, under all circumstances and in eve-
ry aspect. He believed that more danger, far
more danger, was to be apprehended from those .
who, under the false garb of religion, made them-
selves competent witnesses, than from that re-
spectable and intelligent class of our citizens who
had the independence to come forward and pro-
claim the doctrines in which they conscientiously
)believed. To use the language of the gentleman
from Calvert, (Mr. Weems,) be, (Mr. B.,) was