THE separation of this country from the empire of Britain, and the erection of the American Republic in the place of the British monarchy, are based upon the assertion that “all men are created equal.”
Upon this assertion is based the assertion that all men have “certain unalienable rights;” and by the assertion of these rights Jefferson and his compatriots justified the separation from Great Britain.
But the assertion that “all men are created equal” is an unequivocal recognition of God. The very existence of this American Republic is, therefore, based upon a recognition of God.
No one can justly claim, therefore, that God is not recognized in the American Republic. Yet precisely this claim is made by the National Reform party and their religious allies. They say that the nation will perish unless it makes a recognition of the Deity.
But upon a recognition of the Deity is based the whole national structure as it has stood since the Revolution; for, as pointed out, the recognition of God the Creator is made the basis and justification of the first and fundamental step in giving the nation a separate, independent existence.
What the “reform” combination wants, then, is a recognition of God different from that made in bringing the nation into existence. But a different recognition of God could be made only by taking away the lowest foundation stone of the national structure and thus upsetting the edifice itself. Any other recognition of God than that which has been made means a revolution in the Government.
By the recognition of God the Republic was called into being; and by it therefore have come the rights and liberties which the people of the nation have enjoyed. God gave the people these rights, and any so-called recognition of him under which the liberties of the people would be abridged, is not a recognition of him at all. It is a recognition of some other god than the Creator.