ment; they have used their money and means
without one particle of discretion, for the
advancement of their individual sectional
views and ends; animated by what to them
may have appeared the best of motives, the
propagation of what they believed to be true
and good. But in so doing they have been
led into the commission of crimes and excesses
that we to-day shudder to read of, all the
time doubtless believing that they were doing
God service.
Now, if we open this door in this country,
we will find that, with all the powerful en-
ginery that ministers of the gospel can bring
to bear on all men, especially during their
last moments, they will not hesitate, to take
away property from a man's wife, and from
his children, and to absorb all that a man
can alienate into the hands of the church,
whether the church needed it or not. There
never has been an instance, in all the length
and breadth of this land, where a church
was necessary, that, money was not given in
abundance to build it. There have been
built about five times as many churches as
are actually needed. It has now got so that
churches are built for the purpose of sustain-
ing ministers, which, in many instances is
serving the Almighty with shucks, for they
could not make a living in any other walk of
life. As church property accumulates the
religion of churches goes down. There is
certainly less religion among the masses now
than there was in the days when our fathers
established our Government, The churches
have grown rich; they have waxed fat and
they have kicked. Our churches now have
more money than they need.
The whole principle of the support of the
true and proper system of religion is that the
people should receive religious instruction
and pay for it day by day voluntarily; not
be forced to give money, not be induced by
threats of retribution hereafter to give of
their means to support the church; they
should be left free to give exactly what they
think it is right for them to give from day to
day, for the support of the man who preaches
to them. Let your churches accumulate
property, permit your ministers to become
vested with great wealth, and, as ministers
are but human, they will grow lazy, indolent
and luxurious, and become disregardful of
the obligations they have taken upon them-
selves, and true religion will die out.. Reli-
gion has always best thriven in this country
when the ministers have gone out poor men,
where the churches or denominations who
employed them have been poor, hardly able
to pay their ministers enough to feed and
clothe them. Those ministers who have gone
out as itinerants, trusting to the morrow to
provide for ilself, have founded some of the
most prosperous churches in the land. But
whenever they have accumulated wealth
their property has generally been so used as |
to retard the advancement of true religion.
But where they have been poor, influenced by
a sole desire to spread the cause of religion,
they have most prospered and been most suc-
cessful in so doing. Wherever they have
obtained gifts, lands, and other chattels, they
have forsaken the best means to accomplish
the ends of true religion, and have tried to
use the money of the church as a power in
the land. We all of us know instances of
attempts made by ministers to wrest from
dying men the property that belonged to
their families. I never heard of a church
that needed money that did not get quite as
much as was good for it, and the only church
in which the ministers are not paid at all is
the church which has been the most suc-
cessful,
Mr. THOMAS asked the yeas and nays upon
the question of striking out the article; and
they were ordered.
The question being taken, by yeas and nays,
upon the motion of Mr. Stockbridge to strike
out, and resulted—yeas 3, nays 54—as fol-
lows:
Yeas—Messrs. Daniel, Hatch, Stockbridge
—3.
Nays—Messrs. Abbott, Baker, Barron,
Bond, Brown, Clarke, Cunningham, Cushing,
Davis of Washington, Duvall, Earle, Ecker,
Farrow, Galloway, Greene, Hatch, Hebb,
Henkle, Hodson, Hopkins, Hopper, Horsey,
Jones of Cecil, Jones of Somerset, Keefer,
Kennard, King, Lansdale, Larsh, Markey,
Mitchell, Miller, Morgan, Mullikin, Murray,
Negley, Noble, Nyman, Parker, Ridgely,
Robinette, Russell. Schlosser, Scott, Smith of
Carroll, Smith of Worcester, Sneary, Stirling,
Swope, Sykes, Thomas, Todd, Valliant, Wick-
ard, Wooden—54.
The motion to strike out was accordingly
rejected.
Mr. HENKLE moved to strike out the word
"five" and insert the word "fifty," so that
it would read " any quantity of land not ex-
ceeding fifty acres, for achurch," &c.
The question being taken on the amend-
ment it was not agreed to.
Mr. BROWN. I move to amend by inserting
after the word "Legislature," the words
"subsequently obtained," so that it will read
''consent of the Legislature subsequently ob-
tained, shall be void, "&c. As the article
.now stands, it is ambiguous whether the consent
of the Legislature shall be a condition
precedent or a condition subsequent.
Mr. STIRLING. I would suggest to the gen-
tleman that his amendment will require that
the assent of the Legislature be obtained
subsequently, and will prohibit the Legisla-
ture from giving their assent in advance. I
would suggest to the gentleman to so modify
his amendment so as to require the prior or
subsequent assent of the Legislature.
Mr. JONES, of Somerset. I would suggest
to the gentleman from Queen Anne, (Mr. |
