p. 22 | What the Sunday-Law Advocates Are Doing by W. A. C.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 15, 1908

What the Sunday-Law Advocates Are Doing

By W. A. C.

As stated in the Literary Digest, of October 3, “the national government has received considerable attention the past year from the Federation of the Sunday Rest Associations, and according to what this organization has in view, it will receive considerable more.” The accomplishments as well as the plans of the Federation are outlined in the Christian Observer (Louisville), as follows:—

“Acting under the direction of the Federation, the Committee on Petitions secured a large number of petitions addressed to Congress and to the President and Cabinet officers, signed by two million persons, in the interest of the better observance of Sunday. Among the things attempted was to secure a Sunday law for the District of Columbia, which would prohibit unnecessary business, such as the selling of candies, cigars, etc., as well as labor, and that no exception be made on account of religion; to secure the cessation of the inspection of aliens at Ellis Island on Sunday; to diminish as far as possible Sunday work in the post-office. Among the matters accomplished are the securing a provision to the bill authorizing an appropriation to the Alaska - Yukon - Pacific Exposition, which forbids the opening of the doors of the exposition to visitors on Sunday; the President issued an order that Sunday work in the departments must be restricted to ‘that which is of an emergency character, or which is recognized as being absolutely necessary to the public interest and welfare,’ and the closing of the gates of the League Island and Naval Station to the public on Sunday.

“Among the things the federation is attempting to do may be mentioned the following; namely, to secure national legislation which will compel all railroad companies to diminish the Sunday work of their employees as much as practicable, and to give all employees who work on Sunday a full twenty-four hours’ rest day during the next six days, and to secure an order by which any post-office may be closed altogether on Sunday where a majority of its patrons petition for such closing; and that the soldiers and sailors of the United States be not allowed to engage in ball games or other sports on Sundays.

“At the same time, other friends of Sunday rest are springing up. Mr. Gompers says that the American Federation of Labor, which represents over two million working men, has emphatically declared in favor of the Sunday rest day. The National Druggists’ Association adopted a resolution in 1904 requesting ‘all druggists to lessen their Sunday sales by confining their Sunday trade strictly to works of necessity and mercy.’”

This gives something of an idea as to what the friends of compulsory Sunday observance are doing.

W. A. C.