“It is one of the first principles of my life, and one that I have cultivated from my childhood, having been taught it by my , to allow every one the liberty of conscience. I am the greatest advocate of the [HC 6:56] Constitution of the there is on the earth. In my feelings I am always ready to die for the protection of the weak and oppressed in their just rights, the only fault I find with the Constitution, is, it is not broad enough to cover the whole ground.

Although it provides that all men shall enjoy religious freedom, yet it does not provide the manner by which that freedom can be preserved, nor for the punishment of government officers who refuse to protect the people in their religious rights, or punish those mobs, states, or communities, who interfere with the rights of the people on account of their religion. Its sentiments are good, but it provides no means of enforcing them. It has but this one fault; under its provisions a man or a people who are able to protect themselves can get along well enough, but those who have the misfortune to be weak or unpopular, are left to the merciless rage of popular fury. The Constitution should contain a provision, that every officer of the Government who should neglect or refuse to extend the protection guaranteed in the Constitution, should be subject to capital punishment, and then the of the would not say ‘your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you;’ a issue exterminating orders; or Judges say, ‘the men ought to have the protection of law, but is won’t please the mob; the men must die anyhow to satisfy the clamor of the rabble; they must be hung, or be damned to all eternity.’ Executive writs could be issued when they ought to be, and not be made instruments of cruelty to oppress the innocent, and persecute men whose religion is unpopular.

I cannot believe in any of the creeds of the different denominations, because they all have some things in them I cannot subscribe to, though all of them have some truth. I want to come up into the presence of God, and learn all [p. 1754]