A Doubtful Victory

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jun 14, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 24.

A Doubtful Victory.

An alleged "victory for the Sabbath" has been won in Georgia. The Sunday law of that state forbids the running of freight trains on that day, with a few exceptions. It also provides that the superintendent of transportation may be prosecuted in any county where any freight trains of his road violate the law. Under this law, the superintendent of transportation of the Southern Railroad Company was convicted and fined $1,000 by the court of Habersham County, and on appeal to the Supreme Court the sentence was affirmed. A correspondent of the Christian Statesman alludes to this incident as "a notable victory in favor of a quiet Sabbath," and says:

Under the laws of Georgia, the larger part of all fines collected goes to the solicitor as prosecuting attorney, and, in the light of this recent decision, solicitors all over the state will doubtless discover that their own interests will be best served by rigidly enforcing this law.

From this it would seem that the decision is more of "a victory in favor" of prosecuting attorneys than of the Sabbath. That class of people who desire to have their religious doctrines enforced by law upon their neighbors, will also deem the decision a victory in their favor. But inasmuch as there is no law of God for the Sunday-sabbath, the friends of the institution will rejoice to find themselves in possession of even human authority for its enforcement. However, the Lord of the true Sabbath (the seventh day) says, "Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." And in that day no state law or human court decision will avail against the law of God.