The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-28

the times in which we live. "Thus," to use
once more the words of the writer we have
already quoted, twill the portion of time
allotted to this service be found the most
fruitful in its influence on mind and heart.
Thus will the minister be encouraged to pur-
sue much wider range of preaching, while
still within the strictest line of his profession.
Thus will the unspeakable weakness-with
some eminent exceptions-of our Sunday
School literature be replaced by works of
highest art and broadest culture"
The History and Principle of the sun
day Liquor Law.
WE referred briefly yesterday to the admirable
manner in which the Sunday Liquor law
worked on the first day on which it went into
force. Several indignant gentlemen have
written to us to express their deep indignation
at the ''outrage" and the injustice done to the
tavern-keepers and themselves, by debarring
them from the pleasure of the flowing bowl
for twenty-four hours. They repeat the in
sinuation that the law is invalid because of its
not being passed, and express an opinion that
it is forgery perpetrated by the friends of
the State. To these two objections-frst, its
injustice, and then its illegality-we will
briefly refer. Let us look at the
last first. The history of the bill
is clear. 1t was reported to the
State Senate from the committee on March
IA. 1t passed its second reading April q 1t
came to the House April 5, and was sent back
to the Senate with the concurrence of the
House April 10. By referring to the appro-
pirate dates of the Legislative Record, these
facts can be verified. Of its passage through
the Senate there can be no question. We
have the yeas and nays. On the evening of the
9th of April the bill passed second, third,
and final reading, without call for a vote, in
the House. This fact does not appear in the
Record, but it is evidently an accidental omis-
sion, as the journal of the House (its official
! register) contains the fact and the law
is properly printed among the laws
| passed. The yeas and nays of the evening
session of the 9th of April show that
| every member OF the House from Philadel-
| phia, except Messrs. Marks and Worrall, was
in his seat, so that as neither party called for
a vote, or made any amendment, or made any
attempt at opposition, it is useless to try to
make political capital out of it's passage. Nor
can it be urged that the bill was pushed
through under hasty rush of Legislative
business. 1t was offered by Senator Bigham
March l, was passed April 8, and not signed
by the Governor until April II. During all
this time not protest from a member, Demo-
nraf or RaT IA YoaHa nd
tion was offered to it by any of our citizens.
So much for its history.
The charge that it is unjust needs but a
few words. We do not propose to discuss the
morality of the bill, although its principles
will well bear inspection. We will look only
at its justice. By what right does the keeper
of bar receive one-sixth greater benefit
than the keeper of a shoestore? By what
principle Of justice should tavern keeper
have one-sixth more time to sell than milli-
ner? Yet this is the right they are claiming
The law compels all places of business to close
on the Sabbath. If wholesale or retail cloth
ing store was to keep open on the Sabbath
its owner would be liable to fine and imprison-
ment. Why, then, should a bar be more
tolerated than tailor's benchH Why should
liquor be more favored than cloth or confec-
tionery or books Each is a business; each
ought to be subjected to the same laws as the
other, for each has the same object of gain. 1t
would rather be grossly unjust to all other
trades to allow the liquor dealers to be
opened, than it is unjust to the liquor dealers
to compel them to conform to the laws which
| govern all other businesses. This is the
plain, unvarnished logic of the case, and if
morality did not demand the rigid enforce
ment of the law, equity to other trades
would. We deem the act both just and
needed, and that it is an improvement the
report OF the police force yesterday attested.