Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-08-09
The Mayor and the sunday Press.

few words to our worthy Mayor concern
ing his own spirit and that which he has in
fused into his subordinates, the police, toward
the PnRss, beginning with its Sunday issue,
and growing from that into general hos
tility. 1twould seem that the aim Of the
PRrss is identical with the legitimate duty
fthe Mayor--the preservation Of order-but
We regret to observe, on tho official part,
spirit Of antsgonism TO the PREss. Such un-
dertakings against public journals are not
new. The result has not usually been profit
able to those who entered upon them, and
we have not the least idea that such an
Official contest with the Pass will at all
raise the average of the profits. That there
may be no mistake as to the premises, we
have been informed by the Mayor himself
that, although he did not intend to stop the
sale of our papers on the street. on Sunday,
he did intend to stop the newsboys from
crying them. The spirit with which this is
carried out by the police we saw in case
last Sunday, when two policemen ordered a
couple Of fnewsboyswho were standingqui
on the sidewalk near the corner of Fourth
and Vine, to clear out or move on, or in
some way drove them away They were
making no disturbance, not even crying their
papers at the time; hundreds Of persons were
congregated on those corners, as is usual
every Sunday morning, talking, smoking,
laughing and watching the well-dressed
women la privilege much used in that
locslity--cars were passing and stopping with
their gala loads carriages bound for a day of
leisure in the country, and politics, pleasure,
business and beauty, gave the central corners
their usual Sunday gay appearance, when
from all that crowded, busy scene, two
stalwart policemen picked out two small
baref6oted boys, with papers under their
arms, and ordered them 70 be OF. Then the
majesty Of the law was vindieated; then the
dignity of the city government was displayed
then the sanctity of the Sabbath was healed
and made whole; then society breathed freer,
for IT beheld that our city is governed right
eously.
This is specimen of the spirit of the city
government toward the Sunday papers.
We gave one also a few weeks ago, described
TO Us by an eye witness, in which our worthy,
but short-winded Mayor, gave chase to
nswsboy who profaned the air of the Sab
bath In his hearing by making it vibrate,
"Ere's the Sunday Enquirer ?" That this
spirit and the comments that we have made
upon 1t, has grown into general hostility to
the PRLss, we Judge from the nature OF it.
from the petty and unjustifable manifestation
of 1t last Sunday, and from the fact that our
newsboys have in several instances been or
dered out of the markets. We do not say that
they have been arrested or violently as
saulted, but means have been used 70 drive
them away, which small boys do not try to
resist The Mayor informs US that this is un-
warranted by him; but we suspect that it
grows out Of the interference which no has
ordered on Sunday. II is of course attempted
to excuse it by the preteuse of keeping order,
but there Is no more necessity for this inter
ference in the markets than in the streets at
any time. The newsboys are little fellows,
and though they may some times be annoying,
As hies are, yet it would be just as reason
able TO call the police to brush away the fies,
as to drive of the newsboys. And let any
person inquire into the cases of some of these
newsboysi he will find that little barefooted
urchin is taking home one, two, three, four
or six dollars week to his mother in some
tenement house; some of them supporting
widowed mothers and hel pless sisters, and, so
far as discharge Of duty and useful life
Is concerned, as much entitled to their share
of the Fourth-street sidewalk as any we'll
dressed citizen on his way to high-priced
church, or as the Mayor himself and all his
policemen.
The Mayor admits his instructions to stop
the boys from crying papers on Sunday, and
we suppose all this Lilliputian crusade has
grown out of that therefore, we propose to
look at the sense of that. He allows that pa
pers may be sold and distributed on Sunday,
but they must not be announced for sale in
loud voice. tits not the selling that breaks the
Sabbath, but the sound Of the human voice
announcing the transaction. Is God deaf,
that he can not hear an ordinary tone Is he
blind that he can not see2 How loud a tone
may be allowed? May boy hold out his
papers to passers, and say in an ordinary
voice, "Ere's the DAILY Press, one cent ?"
Or must he speak it with bated breath, as if
in fear of being overheard Really, the
Mayoral Sunday is reduced TO nice point.
But does the Mayor suppose that he is
going to eircumvent God by hushing the
transaction up in this way, and make him be-
lieve that Sunday is kept all right here, be-
cause the papers are sold on the sly? Is he
playing thimble-rigging game with God,
and making little joker of the Sunday
papers
II would be little absurd to suppose this,
though peShaps not improbable; but what
Gensible explanation does il admit Off Is it
that the cries of the newsboys disturb wor-
shippers on their way to church by distract
ing their thoughts from God and holy things?
We beg our readers to believe that we are
serious in this, however absurd it may seem,
for we suspect that it Is ont Of laws for pro
tsct,ng public worship that the Mayor
makes his authority for suppressing the
newsboys. What would be thought of
a person who, amid all the hustle of
our streets on Sunday morning, the throngs
Of men, most of them on pleasure bent, the
noisy street cars, carriages and omnibuses,
all freighted heavier than usual on Sunday
morning, 10 church, 10 the country, TO ex-