The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-07-15
Sunday Law Tyyarny-Ccnseuuence or q

lowing Close upon the resolutions of the New
YORK Police Board, threatens to give to the Sun
Cay law question an importance which may
carry it into the domain of politics If the
fanatics who are pushing the patience Of the
people to extTemities, by their endeavors to null
tply the absurd restrictions which have been
imposed upon them by bigoted ensctments, do
rot take care they will provoke reaction that
will sweep away every vestige of Sunday legisla-
ton Let isques!i0c Of the rational enjoy ens
of the Sabbath be made political one, serving
az q stepping stone to office, and they will soon
find themselves poweriess to compel the most re-
stricted compliance with their notions. It is to
avoid the rush from one extreme to another that
We counsel moderation. If the Sabbatarians do
not desire to see the licease which pre-
walls ON the Continent Of Europe initiated
here, they will do well to consent to the relaxa.
tons of the laws in regard to Sunday travelling
and Sunday enioymeurs which it has been
thought proper to adopt in England.
There can be nothing more cruel or unjust
than the Obseryances which thesc men seek to
impose upon the working classes In nine cases
cut of ten the advocates of stringent Sabbath laws
are persons whose own practices in connection
with that day will not bear scrutiny. We're We
to inquire into their domestic habits we would
find that to them the Sunday is day Of greater
sensual enjoyment than any other. They may
not leave home, for their absence from ii the
other six days Of the week gives them zest for
its quiet luxuries; but they live sumptuously
and spare their servants none of the servile work
from which the Sabbath is supposed to proc0re
an exemption. We should not quarrel with
them for their seltindulgence if their hard
ness did not put it out of the power of the
persons in their employment to obtain
such Sabbath recreation as their limited leisure
places within their reach. They tell then tia.
they shall have NO facilities for travel on that
DAY, and that they shall even be denied the
means Of refreshment which an effort to get into
name, under such circumstances, are the poor
toiling multitude, out Of whose sweat these hy-
pocrites accumulate riches, to get breath Of
fresh all? Laboring from early morning until
late at night, they only return to their homes
to inhale the impure atmosphere of a crowded
tenement house, where not only their physica,
but mental faculties are deteriorated and weaken
ed. How monstrous perversion of truth it is
to contend that any influence which can with
draw for few hours the poor laboring man and
bis family from these impure associations can
conduce to their moral degradation. 1t is only
tine occasional ventilation in the open air and
amongst the green trees of the hardships and
hopelessness of his daily struggles that can lend
to the overworked and sickly mechanic the cour-
age to bear his chain to the end.
If these Sabbatsrian gentlemen, who drive
their sumptuous equipages to church and then
return to the Fifth avenue to gorge themselves
upon turtle and champagne, were only reason
able and Christian like in their notions we think
that we could suggest compromise, by which
the comforts and preudces of all classes might
be reconciled. If they will engage to close their
stores and factories at four, or at latest at five
P. NJ, on five days in the week, and then pay off
their work people at one o'clock on the Satur-
day, we will undertake for the latter that they
will cheerfuly submit to all the fancful restric-
tons which they may desire to impose on their
Sunday enjoymerts. We do not anticipate
ton; but until it is adopted we maintain that it
is tyranny of the most inhuman kind not
only to deprive people of the possibility of
getting an hours recreation and pure air
during the week, but to seek, by the en-
forcement Of obsolete laws, to debar them
from obtaining it on the Sunday. If persevered
in we are not sure but that common justice de-
mands that movement shall be set on foot to
compel employers Of every kind to abridge the
hours Of labor
First, however, it will be well to test the CUES
ton whether the laws really justify the stretch
of authority contemplated by the resolutions of
the Police Commissioners. We are quite salts
fed that they do not Under the licensing
clause it is certainly competent for them to close
every store where Intoxicating drinks are sold on
the Sunday. But tina. this clause gives them
the power to shut up every reEeshment saloon
in the city, or to put an extnguisher on the IN
uccent amusements Of the gardens frequented
by our German fellow citizens, we do pos be-
heye There are no Sunday enactments on our
statute books which afford, as in Pennsylvania
legal excuse for such course, and we there
fore cannot but regard the proceedings of the
Police Commissioners and Superintendent Pills
bury as being usurpation Of the most tyranni-
cal and dangerous kind. Whilst we would coun-
sci resistance to all such Illegal and unconstitu-
tional efforts, we would recommend no man to
oppose force to the authority of the Commission
ers. An appeal to the courts WILL we are salts
fed, in every instance nullfy their acts; and the
only general action that is required to bring the
matter to prompt decision is, perhaps, a sub
scription to aid those who may be too poor to
bring their grievances before the higher tri-
bunals.
TEE GALWAY LIsR Or SfyAAERa-O latest utelirencA
nem England, amongst other things contains information