Glasgow weekly times., 1859-02-24
Missouri LegiSlature-XXtl
General Assembly.
DEBATE ON THE SUNDAY LAW.

On the 3rd, the following debate occurred
on the Bill 10 give the County Court of St.
Cape Girardeau he right TO authorize The
selling of liquor on Sunday.
Mr.. kribben halls from St. Louis-is o
foreigner-a national democrat with anti
slavery, anti Sunday, Red Republican pro-
clivities.
Mr.. Letcher represents Saline county
is an American by birth, an American in
principle, opposed 10 Red Republicanism,
and all other isms:
Mr. Kribben was constrained 10 say, in
explanation OF his vote, that the discussion
upon the measure has assumed q singular
aspect; indeed, he must say, rery singular
aspect. If this House Of Representatives.
is opposed to such law a, the one upon its
passage, where is lis consistency? Why
not apply these strict puri,anical notions
to the whole State, without excepting St.
Louis, where they are not enforced, and
why not enact and enforce the Milne liquor
law st once oil over the State? 1t would
be better 20 do this, for then the people
would know what we were about, and a.
dapt their contempt aad disregard for such
laws 10 a well defined state of facts. They
would also have some chance 10 make an
issue upon the question, and send men here
to represen, them truly. As 10 the effect
Of the law, it was plqin that it would moi
merely legalize and regulate what will be
done with or without extending 10 the peo-
pie Of Cape Girardeau the privilege asked.
Every member OF the floor knew very well
that liquor would be drank on Sunday,
whether its sale wa, forbidden or permitted.
The law when turned against the exercise
Of men'f own private judgments as 10 what
and where they shall eat and drink, was
poweress, else there was no truth in the
history of the country. He had been aston
ished 10 see members voting agains, the law
whom he had also seen on Sundays skulk-
ing into beer house. and low doggelies in
This city, and there gnzzling beer and other
liquors, in violation of the laws OF The State.
He was surprised that such men were how
afraid TO vote in favor of this proposition
Yves it because they did not want to meet
their constituents on the contemplate Sum
day question, and boldly advocate that which
they practiced? When the operations of
these Sunday liquor laws was SO bad as to
make even Representatives law breakers
and forgetful Of their open-handed manli-
ness, he thought the necessity for abolish
ing such laws very clearly Demonstrated
He argued that such a license as that sought
TO be instituted BY the bill would be pro-
motive Of morality and 'obriely. Look at
the police reports of St. Louis under the op.
eratons OF n similar law-cotnpare them
with those Of other times, and it would be
lonnd that very desirable results had been
attained. The amount of drunkenness had
decreased handsome per cent, and the
dimunition should be attributed to no other
cause than the workings of law which put
no unnatural and forced restrictions upon
mems habits.
He regarded the Sabbath or Sunday law
as mere police regulation, and a misera-
bic regulation II was, too, TO say the least
Of it, if they were TO judge Of it from the
opinion Of the Supreme Court on the sub
ject. He locked upon Sunday as day of
rest and recreation. and denied that, OH re-
ligious grounds, there was any reason 10
prefer one day of the week over another
for such purpose. Those who thought
Saturday or any olher day the proper one
to be observed, were left to their own con-
sciences as 10 observing it. The Jews, for
instance, and large portion OF the Baptist
denomination who agreed with them as TO
when Sunday comes, were not forced 10 re-
frain from engaging in their ordinary occu-
pations on their Sunday by our laws, which
showed, he thought, that our law does NOT
pretend 10 make out Of Sunday anything
more than police regulation. This was
further evident from the impossibiiiy of all
sects agreeing upon any particular manner
Of ..keeping the Sabbath holy" as it was
called. The Presbyterian might think that
8 pYoper obseryanee Of the Lords day con.