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To tie Voters of tie 3d Congressional District,
ana cspcciallj* the Old Baptists.
W c ask you as freemen, calmly and dispassion
ately, :o read section the 10th, article the 4tb, of the
Constitution under which wo live—that clause
which secures to us all, rich or poor, learned or un
learned, the "inestimable privilege of worshipping
God in a manner agreeable to his own conscience.”
That part of the Constitution to which \vc refer,
reads as follows:
"No person within this State shall, upon any pretence, be
deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping God
in a manner agreeable to his own conscience, nor be coin-
j>elled to attend any place of worship, contrary to liig own
faith and judgment, nor shall he ever be obliged to pay tithes
taxes, or any other rate, for the building or repairing any
place of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or
ministry, contrary to what he believes to be right, or hath
voluntarily engaged to do. No one religious Society shall
ever be established in this State in preference to another,
uor shall any person l>e denied the enjoyment of any civil
right merely on account of his religious principle.”
Were not the sages and patriots who drew up
that charter, right in thus sccuting to us this great
Constitutional privilege ? Is there one of you who
feels willing to surrender it? No! There can be uo
freeman who feels prepared to yield the privileges
of freedom of conscience, and of worshipping God
after his own faith.
Who then would deprive us of this blessing''
Read the subjoined statement by two of vour own
fellow citizens, mcnofunblemished reputations, and
of unexceptionable Christian character, and reflect
we}l upon its contents. They reside hero in our
midst, their loee of truth has. triumphed over even
then reluctance to appear be*,re <hc public, and
they now give their testimony that they may he in
some measure, the instruments of securin'. t 0 you
those rights without which there can be "no civil
Government. We meat, freedom of „p itlionf an( ,
freedom ofcanseience. S. M. STKO\G
. . MACON. September 2t»», ; 8 ->t
vUszszMi s&rsiran -,**«*
j Council of Macon, whilst Washm-ton ?£' ,0 ,'‘ ,e c 'ty
Xh- City, for a small lot of laod sav^m J T Ma * or
half acre, if that much, to build’ u Meetim/w Per ' aps ’ ,llan *
Primitive Baptists, and Mr “ S'“““r ° n /° r thc
JJjl have it, faying that the- C?xv
Baptist denomination one Lot, and that we 8 u Ve ®
of dividing and spliuinc up, or words to , b ^f d no bu, ">e»s
atwed that we did’ntwant them m ^ive i, hnSLT**' wc
Willing to pay for the ground, but the word ,u C , w , ere
had let the Baptists have one Lot, and if wo muJl t{le >
together we coold'nt have another, which T h ag . r f e
Poe's remarks. The ..id Lot is h^no h n , k ’ 3 Mr -
so far as my knowledge extends has Jf n3T ® l . aa ble,an<J
at any rate, it is unoccupied and nn beCD d,s r osed ° r -
fflgfcffiiiSpSa**
lmpwoKh, and we take pte, t „,e in 3a,i„ s "ba t
we have the mosl unqualified confidence in (heir
veracity and respectability.
JOHN LAMAR.
W. W. chapman.
THOMAS L. ROSS.
JAMES LEAN.
SAM’L. J. RAY,
■mg „ v/ &- O, SMITH.
IC&ioa, sapt. -jA, 1^4.