An Important Hearing by K. C. Russell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 17, 1910

An Important Hearing

By K. C. Russell

ACCORDING to appointment, the hearing on the Johnston Sunday bill was held in the House Office Building, March 8, from 10 A. M. to 12 M., before the District of Columbia Committee of the House of Representatives. Long before the hour had arrived, the large committee room, with a seating capacity of three hundred or more, was well filled with both the friends and the opponents of the bill. The chairman of the committee accorded to the participants in the hearing the matter of the arrangement of time. This involved some difficulty, owing to the fact that the friends of the bill desired a considerable portion of their hour to come last. A compromise was finally effected so that the friends of the bill were to occupy the first forty minutes, then the opponents their full hour, and the friends of the measure the closing twenty minutes.

Owing to a little delay at the start, and several interruptions by questions asked by different members of the committee, the argument of the opponents did not begin until about eleven o'clock. At twelve sharp they had just completed their part of the hearing. At this juncture the hearing was suddenly brought to a close, as Congress convenes at noon each day.

The committee subsequently arranged to give the friends of the bill their remaining twenty minutes on March 16, at the regular session of the committee.

When the hearing opened, there were only two members of the committee present, but by the time the opponents of the bill began to speak, nearly every member was in his seat, listening attentively to what was being said.

Three of the speakers in favor of the bill were attorneys. Besides these, there were two ministers, a Presbyterian and an Episcopalian, and the general secretary of the Washington Y. M. C. A.

The addresses, in the main, that were made against the measure were listened to with keen interest by the committee, judging by the questions they propounded to the speakers.

The chief speeches delivered against the bill were made by W. W. Prescott; A. T. Jones; Simon Wolf, a prominent attorney of Washington, of the Jewish faith; Rabbi Simon, of Washington; and H. C. Kirk, president of the Washington Secular League.

We feel confident that the Lord heard the many prayers that were offered by our people before and at the time of the hearing. The chief arguments made against the bill were those exposing its religious character and unconstitutionality.

The forthcoming issue of Liberty will contain quite a complete report of the hearing, and by that time we shall doubtless be able to report the final action upon the bill by the committee. We trust that this issue of Liberty will have a wide circulation, for it will contain matter of lively interest to every reader.

K. C. RUSSELL.