Steps toward Religious Legislation
A Series of Dates of Interest to Those Who Wish to Study the Question
JANUARY 6, 1890, the Breckenridge Sunday bill for the District of Columbia was introduced to Congress. July 19, 1892, Congress ordered the gates of the Chicago World's Fair closed on Sunday, and decided that Sunday is the Sabbath of the Decalogue. March 1, 1900, the appropriation of five millions for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis was made conditional upon Sunday closing of the gates during the exposition. April 6, 1904, a Sunday bill for the District of Columbia passed the House of Representatives. June 21, 1906, Congress appropriated $250,000 for the Jamestown Exposition, and conditioned it upon Sunday closing. June 11, 1906, Wadsworth District Sunday bill passed the House of Representatives. In the two years of 1907 and 1908 there were no less than ten bills for Sunday observance introduced during the first session of Congress. May 15, 1908, the Johnston District Sunday bill was passed by the Senate. March 22, 1909, the Johnston District Sunday bill was reintroduced in the Senate. The same bill was introduced again in 1910, January 17. The Johnston District Sunday bill passed the Senate January 27. January 28, 1910, it was introduced in the House. April 6, 1911, the same bill was introduced in special session of Congress. May 22 it was favorably reported by the Senate District Committee. May 16 the Mann bill for the observance of Sunday in post-offices was introduced in the House of Representatives. During the last two years there has been legislation, or agitation, in not less than sixteen States, — New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, California, Arizona, etc., etc., and the countries of England, Canada, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Japan, and China. Surely these things mean something.