Untitled article

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · February 25, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 8

Under the title “Rights of Sabbath-keepers,” the Iowa Workers’ Bulletin has the following:—

“Near Nortonville, Kansas, is a large colony of Seventh-day Baptists. A few months ago, the trustees of a school district near that place undertook to bond their district for the erection of a new school building; and in order to carry a bond election, set the day of election for Saturday. Thus the Seventh-day Baptists were practically disfranchised. This led to a suit, of which the Nortonville News says the following:—

“The case of S. H. Stillman et al. vs. J. H. Freeland et al. involving the legality of a bond election held in school district No. 73, in Atchison County, on Sept. 5, 1891, was on trial in the Atchison District Court this week. Two main points were involved in the case: one whether the Board has the right to call an election to be held on Saturday in a district where a majority—nearly two-thirds in this instance—observe that day as the Sabbath; and the other, whether the affirmative vote must be a majority of the electors residing in the district. Questions as to the sufficiency of the petition for an election and the notices thereof were also in the case.

“The Sabbath Recorder gives the result thus:—

“Later it was announced that the case was decided in favor of the plaintiffs, the election being declared illegal. If, therefore, this was a case in any sense designed to compel the Seventh-day people to violate the Sabbath, or lose their franchise in a matter of public interest, it was a signal failure, as it deserved to be.”