p. 224 | A DAY OF REST BILL by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 6, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 14.

A DAY OF REST BILL.

By Editor

WE stated two weeks ago that a day of rest bill was introduced into the California Legislature, January 11, by Hon. W. Boyce, of San Francisco. It is known as Assembly Bill, No. 190. Through the courtesy of Mr. Boyce we are able to present a copy of this bill before our readers:—

AN ACT

TO PROVIDE A DAY OF REST FROM LABOR. The people of the State of California, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:—

SECTION 1. Every person employed in any occupation of labor shall be entitled to one day's rest therefrom in seven; and it shall be unlawful for any employer of labor to cause his employees, or any of them, to work more than six days in seven.

SEC. 2. For the purposes of this Act, the term "day's rest" shall mean and apply to all cases, whether the employee is engaged by the day, week, month, or year, and whether the work performed is done in the day or night time.

SEC. 3. Any person violating this Act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect and be in force thirty days from and after its passage.

The above is the bill, eminently just in its provisions, leaving the particular day of the week to be settled between employe and employer. The only danger rests in the temptation to amend it so as to legalize some religious day. If the bill passes without such amendment, the next step will be to prescribe just what day of the week is the rest day. It will be well for the friends of liberty to keep watch. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

The Hearing on the Sunday Bill.—The Sunday-law hearing before the World's Fair Committee of the House of Representatives took place January 10-13. The unconstitutionality of the Sunday-closing law on religious grounds was ruled out as irrelevant to the question. The bill, House Resolution 163, did not call for a repeal, but for a modified Sunday law. Nevertheless, some good blows were put in on those points. On the side of Sunday opening the principal speakers were Mayor Washburne, Aldermen Madden and Sexton, of Chicago; President Gampers, of the Federation of Labor; Mrs. Boyesen, Mrs. Remick, and Mrs. Washburne, from the Woman's Club, Chicago; Mrs. Susan B. Anthony, Rev. Mr. Cross, of Ohio; Rev. Minot J. Savage, of Boston; Mr. Putnam, of California; Mr. James T. Ringgold, Esq., of Baltimore; Rev. A. H. Lewis, Elder A. T. Jones; Messrs. Morgan and Askew, of Chicago; and Rev. Dr. Thomas, of Chicago. On the side of Sunday closing, or the American Sabbath Union, were, Elliott F. Shepard, Revs. Dr. Ramsdell, of Washington; Joseph Cook, of Boston; Mott, of New Jersey; Fernley, of Philadelphia; Brooks, of Brooklyn; W. F. Crafts, of Pittsburg; Hunter, of Pennsylvania; Hamline, of Washington; McCarroll, of Pennsylvania; Christie, from Asia Minor; Attebury, of New York; Bishop Hurst, of Washington, D. C.; Robert L. Belknap, of New York; Rev. Dr. McKim, of Washington, D. C.; Gifford Agnew, of New York; Mr. Cornell, of Maryland; Rev. Dr. Herrick Johnson, of Chicago; Rev. Dr. Blanchard, of Illinois; Rev. Dr. Brooks, of New York; Mr. Coffin, of Iowa; Rev. Dr. Leiper, of Pennsylvania; Mrs. La Fetra, of Washington; Mr. O. C. Evans, of Smyrna, Del.

A candid eyewitness, a gentleman educated in the law, has thus recorded his observations of the hearing:—

Upon two things, however, there was complete unanimity of conviction and expression, and those were that by decision of the Supreme Court this was a "Christian nation," and legislation asked by its religious representatives for the furtherance of Christianity, therefore, permissible, and that this decision, with the judicial precedents and social customs upon which it is based, made all reference to constitutional principles entirely futile, useless, and quite out of place. Over and over again the subtle flattery was laid at the feet of congressmen—combined with a backhanded blow at those who assert constitutional principles, that it would seem a reflection upon the committee and Congress that this matter should come up for discussion again at all; and that the necessity for such a discussion involved a reflection upon Congress that it did not know what it wanted and was composed of hypocrites and weather vanes; and that to say a word upon the unconstitutionality of the Sunday-closing proviso would be a reflection upon the committee, Congress, which passed it, and the President of the United States, who signed it.

The future will show the evil fruit of this seed sowing.