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Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · August 11, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 31

THE Washington Post under the title “District Blue Laws,” has the following:— Some of the queer old Blue Laws in the District of Columbia will soon receive a raking over in a memorial to Congress which is being prepared by Mr. Edward Ramsay. He said:—

“Another old law, with hoary and aged whitened whiskers, is one that makes it a crime in the District of Columbia to deny belief in the Holy Trinity. The penalty provided is imprisonment without fine. I imagine that should this obsolete law be suddenly enforced, the Washington penal institutions would soon be overcrowded in a most alarming manner. While President of the United States, John Quincy Adams violated this law daily. You know he was a Unitarian, and attended that service every Sabbath day.”

“The old Blue Law here in reference to the observance of Sunday is also very strict. Under its operations should it be enforced, there would be no gas or electric lights on Sunday nights, no street cars running, newspapers circulated, nor drug stores open. For the first offense the penalty provided is a heavy fine, and for each succeeding one imprisonment without fine. Like General Grant,” concluded Mr. Ramsay, “I believe in enforcing these laws to the letter, and then their repeal would certainly be brought about. The law-makers themselves would suffer thereby, and they would quickly disappear from the statute books.”

Yet, notwithstanding, Congress hastens to pass “Blue Laws” for the World’s Fair.