The weekly Anglo-African., 1859-08-13
OUR PHILADELPHIA LETTER.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. /, Is

| LIZ 1Lh'
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. l, 1859.
Mr.. ED1roR:-The Sunday question con-
tinues to hold pre-eminence among the
questions of the day. 1t pervades every
circle, and demands of every individual a
careful analysis of its component elements.
i, 1t presents itself in several aspects, and
demands a careful, candid, thorough ex-
animation of each, refusing to be put down
at the bidding of sectarian dictation. Its
will is iron, its courage indomitable, its
mandates reasonable, and its adherents for
midable The case of William III, Jaen-
dell, the driver of one of the Coates and
Green streets railway cars, who was arrest
ed on Sunday, the 18th ult., by order of
Mayor Henry, being charged with breach
of the peace, was brought before the Su-
preme Court of Pennsylvania, Justice
Thompson presiding, on Thursday, the
21st, and disposed of. The case was
heard on writ of habeaS corpus, and at
tracted dense crowd of spectators. 1t
was ably argued by counsel on both sides,
after the evidence had been adduced.
Thursday was occupied in hearing evil
dence, Friday in hearing arguments of
counsel, and ON Saturday Judge Thomp-
son delivered his opinion, substantiating
the charge preferred against Jaendell.
He refused to discharge the prisoner, but
handed him over to the proper authorities,
the Court of Quarter Sessions, in consider
alton of the following facts, namely: that
the defendant was driving a railway car
at the time of his arrest, which was attend
ed by noise sufficient to constitute breach
Of the peace; that travelling or riding for
recreation, even, is not breach of the
Sabbath, and persons may not be arrested
for riding along the streets for such pur-
poses, but when a vehicle passes along the
same route every six minutes, as was in
tended by the company on the day the ar
rest was made, if it disturbs the public
along the line, amounts to breach of the
peace of the Sabbath, as ordained and es-
tablished by the act of 1894, and that un-
der the circumstances an arrest was prop
er; that at no time during the (Sabbath)
day may religious exercises be disturbed
| by the running of railway cars" &c.
This, 1 may say, is the decision in a
nutshell. 1t compels the observance Of
the first day of the week, whether such
observance be done conscientiously or 9th.
erwise; it says to every citizen of this
commonwealth, if you are not able to pro
vide yourself with private conveyance
you shall not ride through the streets OF
Sunday. 1t says this is community o
| Christians of a particular stamp, and if any
one does not observe their Sabbath, he il
liable to arrest, fine, and imprisonment L
this the liberty of conscience of which on
Constitution so loudly boasts 1t say
Art. 8, Sec. 3 "That all men have nat
ural and indefeasible right to worship al
mighty God according to the dictates Q
their own consciences; that no man can, Q
r right, be compelled to attend, erect, or sur
t port, any place of worship, or to maintai
: any ministry against his consent; that n
l human authority can, in any case whatey
3 er, control or interfere with the rights {
t conscience; and that no preference sha
ever be given, by law, to any religious e.
tablishments or modes of worship
G Suppose that when the Jews assembl
: in their synagogues, to worship Almight
: God according to the dictates of their ow
: consciences, upon the seventh day of tn
: week, tour Saturday } which is the Sabbat
r of the Lord their God, in which they al
b commanded to do no work, neither the,
It their sons, their daughters, their men-se
e wants, their maid-seryants, their cattle, nj
t, the stranger that is within their gates, tn
|. their peace is disturbed by the running
e all kinds of vehicles, and they complain
y the Mayor, is it likely he would send
y posse of police to arrest the persons col
IS planned against And should they be {
L rested, is it likely that Christian Jud
% on the Supreme bench would decide th
is the grievances must be removed2 \