"Church and State has several times crept into American politics,
as in the contentions over the Bible in the public schools, the
Anti-Catholic party of 1844, &c. Our people have been wise enough
heretofore to respect the clergy in all religious questions, and to
entertain a wholesome jealousy of them in politics. The latest
_politico-theological movement_ [italics ours] is to insert the
name of the Deity in the Constitution."
The present movements of this National Association and the progress it
has made luay be gathered somewhat from the report of the proceedings of
the Convention held in Cincinnati, Jan. 31, 1872.
From the Report of the Executive Committee it appeared that ten thousand
copies of the proceedings of the Philadelphia Convention have been
gratuitously distributed; that a General Secretary (Rev. D. McAllister)
has been appointed, with a salary of $2,500; and that a long and
elaborate paper by Prof. Taylor Lewis, of Union College, in advocacy of
the ideas and objects of the Association, will soon be published; that
the number of the Executive Committee is recommended to be increased to
twenty-five, besides including all presidents of auxiliary associations;
that $2,177 have been raised the past year by the Association, and that
a balance of over $90 remains in the treasury. Nearly $1,800 were raised
at this Convention.
The Business Committee recommended that the delegates to this Convention
hold meetings in their respective localities to ratify the resolutions
adopted at Cincinnati; that twenty thousand copies of the proceedings of
this Convention be published in tract form; and that the friends of the
Association be urged to form auxiliary associations. All these
recommendations were adopted.