Manipulating Sunday Law Petitions
A CORRESPONDENT writing to this paper from Placerville, California, under date of June 17, says:— “Yesterday the Presbyterian minister had a congregation of only seven persons, all ladies and one of them his wife. He embraced this opportunity to present the matter of a petition for a National Sunday law, which he did in this way. He said, ‘All who are in favor of keeping the Sabbath stand up.’ Of course all the seven arose. He then said, ‘My object in taking this vote is to send a petition to Congress for a Sunday law, and I wished to take the sense of the church.’ He also said that other churches were doing the same thing.” Our correspondent says he can give the name of every member present at this meeting, and that the total membership of the church is over one hundred. This church will of course be reported as being unanimously in favor of a National Sunday law, and the entire membership will be counted as petitioners in favor of such a measure. This does not seem exactly honest to ordinary people, but it is in perfect keeping with National Reform methods.