What the Lord's Day Alliance Is Doing by C. E. HOLMES

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 16, 1913

What the Lord's Day Alliance Is Doing

By C. E. HOLMES

Organization and Purpose

FROM the date of its organization, Dec. 12, 1888, until June 22, 1909, this association was known as the American Sabbath Union. Since 1909 it has been called the Lord's Day Alliance of the United States. The work and purposes of this alliance may be seen from the following brief statements taken from a letter sent (1909) to every Sunday-school superintendent in the United States:—

“For twenty-one years the American Sabbath Union, indorsed by fourteen of the great denominations of America, has been laboring in defense of the sabbath [Sunday]. To meet present conditions, its constitution has been amended and its name changed to the Lord's Day Alliance of the United States. But the basis of the organization remains as from the beginning.

“The various forms of sabbath desecration as they exist in the usages of the individuals and corporations who profit by them, are here to stay, and stay they will unless Christian people join strength to strength to put them down.”

In order to carry out their plan, the leaders of this organization are seeking for “uniform Lord's day laws.” In a circular recently published, their objects are stated as, “(1) To preserve the Lord's day for America; (2) to secure an active alliance in every State not yet organized; (3) to induce the general government as far as possible to set the example of sabbath observance.”

Working for a National Sunday Law

Dec. 13, 1888, a public hearing was held before the Committee of Education and Labor, of the United States Senate, on the bill (S. 2983) entitled “a bill to secure to the people the enjoyment of the first day of the week commonly known as the Lord's day, as a day of rest, and to promote its observance as a day of religious worship,” known as the Blair National Sunday Rest Bill. As stated by one of its promoters, “the reason why such a law was desired was because nearly every State has its sabbath laws, but the national government has none, though greatly needed, since the question has become emphatically a national one, and the very perpetuity or loss of our national rest day, the Christian sabbath, seems to depend on its being protected by the government from its encroachments of organized capital and on the reenforcement of State laws by national.”

The American Sabbath Union was at that very time holding its first national convention. The founders and leaders in this organization being among the chief promoters of the bill already referred to, many of them were at the hearing, and did all they could to secure its passage. But the bill failed of passage. It did not even get out of committee. Ever since that time, however, this union has been working with increasing vigor in the interests of religious legislation, its chief object seeming ever to be to secure national Sunday legislation.

Closing of Exposition Gates on Sunday

Just before the Chicago World's Fair, in 1893, when Congress was considering an appropriation for this exposition, this union, in company with other like organizations, succeeded in getting a Sunday-closing clause inserted into the appropriation bill. This proviso made the closing of the gates of the fair obligatory upon acceptance of the appropriation. By strenuous lobbying at our national Capitol, Sunday-closing clauses were also incorporated in the appropriation bills for the St. Louis and Jamestown expositions of 1904 and 1907. The accomplishment of these undertakings was deemed great victories for the cause of so-called sabbath reform.

But the securing of legislation for the mere closing of the gates of these expositions for a little season did not go very far toward satisfying the demand for a permanent national Sunday law that would touch every individual and corporation in this nation. For several years the Lord's Day Alliance has been spending its energies in building up State alliances, protesting against Sunday sports and amusements, fighting the efforts to repeal obnoxious Sunday laws, threatening officials who refused to enforce religious laws, seeking the enactment of new legislation, and various other matters of like character.

Sunday Closing of Post-Offices

A few years ago the question of reducing Sunday labor in post-offices came up. This was almost immediately espoused by the alliance. The champions of Sunday legislation saw here a vast field for operation. By embracing the Sunday-closing-of-post-offices cause, a large army of government employees could thus be drawn to their standard. This is enthusiastically explained by the secretary of the alliance in his twenty-first annual report (page 5): “We feel that it is an achievement of great significance that we have for the first time in the history of sabbath reform work, secured the cooperation of a national branch of organized labor to stand with the churches in defense of the Christian rest day.”

At first only a compensatory law was sought; that is, should any clerk in the postal service be obliged to labor on Sunday, he should be given another day off during the following week. While many of those laboring to keep the government from becoming involved in religious legislation, did not recognize the danger wrapped up in this, it was appreciated and lauded by its champions as a long step toward their object. Said Mr. Grannis: “In January [1911] Congress passed the compensatory rest-time bill and squarely committed itself to the Sunday-closing movement.”

The Lord's Day Alliance at once realized the vantage-ground it had gained, and purposed to follow it up. In commenting upon this compensatory law, Mr. Grannis further said: “We feel confident that victory will soon be complete. But we must still move forward. What has been gained must be crystallized into a definite law. A bill to this end has already been introduced by Mr. Mann, of Illinois.” And, as is well known, Mr. Mann's bill passed, closing to the general public all first- and second-class post-offices in the United States on Sunday.

The Latest Effort to Secure a Sunday Law

No doubt encouraged by the success in securing the passage of the post-office Sunday-closing bill, the alliance has now turned its attention to the District of Columbia Sunday measures. There are pending in Congress at the present time three District Sunday bills. These are the Johnston bill (S. 237), Heflin bill (H. R. 14690), and the Howard bill (H. R. 25682).

There has recently come to the attention of the writer, from an official source, information that lays bare the plan which will probably be followed in regard to these Sunday bills. To make its efforts as effective as possible, the alliance has arranged to introduce a new bill as a substitute for the three already in Congress. All the forces it can command will then be concentrated upon this one measure.

As indicated in its title, this bill would “punish violations of the Lord's day in the District of Columbia.” It makes no exemptions, except for those engaged in work of necessity and charity; and provides for a punishment by a “fine of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than fifty dollars for the first offense, and for each subsequent offense by a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than one hundred dollars and by imprisonment in the jail of the District of Columbia for a period of not less than one month nor more than three months, in the discretion of the court.”

Another opportunity will thus be offered for the friends of civil and religious freedom to make their influence felt. This can be done by petitioning their congressmen against the passage of any such measure.

C. E. HOLMES.