Another Johnston Sunday Bill by William W. Prescott

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 24, 1913

Another Johnston Sunday Bill

By William W. Prescott

THE perseverance shown by Senator Johnston, of Alabama, in his efforts to secure the enactment of a Sunday law for the District of Columbia is certainly worthy of a better cause. Five years ago he introduced his first bill in the Sixtieth Congress, which was passed by the Senate, but was not reported to the House of Representatives by the Committee on the District of Columbia, to which it was referred. Within a few days after the meeting of the special session called in April, 1911, Senator Johnston introduced substantially the same bill, which was reported favorably to the Senate by the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia, but was opposed by several senators and did not come to a vote.

The Sixty-third Congress met in special session April 7, and April 12 Senator Johnston introduced “A bill for the proper observance of Sunday as a day of rest in the District of Columbia.” Having failed to secure the passage of the bill which he had drafted himself, after an effort covering a period of five years, Senator Johnston has now introduced the bill prepared by the legislative committee of the Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States—the identical bill which the secretary of the alliance, Dr. George W. Grannis, sought to have substituted for the Johnston bill during the last Congress. The measure reads as follows:—

“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after the passage of this act it shall be unlawful in the District of Columbia for any person to labor or to employ any person to labor or to pursue any trade or worldly business on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, except in works of necessity or charity, and except also newspaper publishers and their employees, and except also public service corporations and their employees, in the necessary supplying of service to the people of the District. In works of necessity or charity is included whatever is needed for the good order and health of the community. It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, firm, corporation, or municipality, or any of their agents, directors, or officers, to require or permit any employees to work on the said day, excepting in household service, unless within the next succeeding six days during a period of twenty-four consecutive hours he or it shall neither require nor permit such employee to work in his or its employ.”

“Any person who shall violate the provisions of this act shall on conviction thereof be punished by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $50 for the first offense, and for each subsequent offense by a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $100, and by imprisonment in the jail of the District of Columbia for a period of not less than one month nor more than three months in the discretion of the court.”

“SECTION 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.”

We shall not discuss this bill at the present time, further than to note that it contains no exemption clause in favor of those who observe another day, and that while it makes Sunday work possible on the part of an employee of “any person, partnership, firm, corporation, or municipality, or any of their agents,” it yet prohibits an individual from doing the very same kind of work for himself.

Application has already been made to the chairman of the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia for a hearing upon this bill, and further report will be made as the matter develops.

W. W. PRESCOTT.