Sunday Bills Now Before Congress
By W. A. Colcord
From almost the earliest history of the nation, contrary to one of its fundamental principles, misguided men have sought to fasten religious legislation onto the government of the United States. The chief means by which they have sought to accomplish this has been through Sunday legislation. As early as 1829 and 1830 petitions and memorials were sent to Congress, praying for legislation prohibiting the carrying and handling of mails on Sunday. In 1888 Senator Blair introduced his famous Sunday Rest bill, for a national Sunday law. Two years later Mr. Breckenridge introduced a bill for a Sunday law for the District of Columbia. None of these measures passed. “It has been a long fight to get a Sunday law for the capital of our country,” said the manager of the International Reform Bureau, in an address last August before an Epworth Assembly at Lincoln, Neb. But the friends of Sunday legislation are not dismayed. They do not intend to cease their efforts until they have secured the laws which they desire. The following is the text of two Sunday measures which were introduced in Congress about a year ago, and are still pending:— to further protect the first day of the week as a day of rest in the District of Columbia. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it shall not be lawful for any person to keep open any place of business or maintain any stand for the sale of any article or articles for profit during Sunday, excepting vendors of books or newspapers, and apothecaries for the dispensing of medicines, and undertakers for the purpose of providing for the dead, or others for the purpose of charity or necessity; nor shall any public playing of football or baseball, or any other kind of playing, sports, pastimes, or diversions, disturbing the peace and quiet of the day, be practised by any person or persons within the District of Columbia on Sunday; nor shall any building operations or work upon railroad construction19be lawful upon said day. And for any violation of this Act the person offending shall for each offense be liable to a fine of not less than five dollars nor more than fifty dollars, and in the case of corporations there shall be a like fine for every person employed in violation of this Act laid upon the corporation offending. SEC. 2.—That it shall be sufficient defense to a prosecution for labor on the first day of the week that the defendant uniformly keeps another day of the week as a day of rest, and that the labor complained of was done in such a manner as not to interrupt or disturb other persons in observing the first day of the week as a day of rest. This Act shall not be construed to prevent the sale of refreshments, other than malt and spirituous liquors, or to prevent the sale of malt and spirituous liquors as now provided for by law, or tobacco, cigars, railroad and steamboat tickets, or the collection and delivery of baggage. requiring certain places of business in the District of Columbia to be closed on Sunday. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it shall be unlawful for any person in the District of Columbia to sell or to offer for sale, or to keep open any place of business for the sale or delivery of, any groceries or meats or vegetables or other provisions on Sunday, except that from the first day of June until the first day of October meats sold prior to Sunday may be delivered at any time before ten o’clock on the morning of that day. Any person who shall violate the provisions of this Act shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than fifty dollars for the first offense, and for each subsequent offense by a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than one hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in the jail of the District of Columbia for a period of not less than one month nor more than three months, or by both fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court. SEC. 2.—That all prosecutions for violations of this Act shall be in the police court of the District of Columbia and in the name of the District of Columbia. These are the Sunday measures now before Congress. The first was introduced in the House, Nov. 24, 1903, and was referred to the House Committee on the District of Columbia. This is as far as it has gone. The second was introduced in the House, Feb. 4, 1904, and passed that body on April 6, and hence is called an Act. April 7 it was introduced and twice read in the Senate, and referred to the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia, of which Hon. J. H. Gallinger, of New Hampshire, is chairman. The committee has never reported on the measure, a tie vote having been taken by the committee on it shortly before Congress took its recess last spring. Thus matters stand on these pieces of proposed Sunday legislation at the opening of this winter’s session. There is one measure before the Senate, and one before the House of Representatives. Petitions have been prepared to present to Congress, protesting against the passage of these or any like measures. Copies of these petitions can be obtained from the tract societies, or directly from the Religious Liberty Bureau. We trust that our people will circulate these generally, and return them to us without delay. The little religious liberty leaflets just issued should be circulated widely, and can be used to good advantage in connection with the petition work. Order these also from the tract societies, or directly from the Review and Herald Publishing Association, 222 North Capitol St., Washington, D. C. W. A. COLCORD,
Secretary Religious Liberty Bureau.