THE SUNDAY LAW by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 8, 1881

THE SUNDAY LAW.

By Editor

The San Francisco Post says:—

“The press of the interior make a mistake in asserting that the Sunday law has been passed upon and sustained by the Supreme Court. It has never yet been brought to the attention of the tribunal. The Chief Justice, in determining a habeas corpus case pending before him alone, pronounced the law constitutional and valid; but the Chief Justice is only one-seventh of the Supreme bench.”

That was our understanding of it. Those who are so earnest to enforce a universal observance of Sunday will have their eyes opened to several points which they have not considered. Starting out with the avowed intention to suppress the liquor traffic on that day, they secured the sympathy of all of the better classes. But not only have they abandoned that ground, but appearances indicate that they will affect the liquor traffic far less than other and useful businesses. The law exempts restaurants, and in some places the saloons are already being turned into restaurants, where liquor will be furnished in the same manner that tea and coffee are served. Such an evasion of the law might not always succeed, but it will lead to endless litigation, and disagreements of juries. We notice by the papers that several cases have already resulted in jury disagreements.

If the ministers and their allies make such sweeping applications as they declare they intend to, the result is easy to foresee; a reaction will set in which will make their movement too unpopular to succeed in jury trials, and make the Sunday law the subject of a lively time before the next legislature of the State, where it will be greatly modified, if not repealed. They have been too much elated over the prospect of an easy victory.

At a meeting in the Congregational church in Oakland, on the evening of Nov. 28, a form of agreement was adopted to be presented to every business man and firm in the city, to secure their promise to transact no business on Sunday. It was prudently suggested by a D. D., that this pledge be not presented to the ministers. And we suggest to the committee or prosecutor to ascertain how many ministers work for wages next Sunday in Oakland. This matter may come up for consideration.