Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1871-08-03
pa!1ilp ARGUS.
xhe sunday Question.
From the Cincinnati Gazette.

and some other cities at the present time,
one party favOrinR and the other opposing
the rspeal of what are known as the Sunday
Laws Tina far the former has been most
active and aggressive. Reports OF the sew
eIal meetings held end resolutions adopted,
undsr ths auspices of this pArley, have been
printed in the Gazette, and our readers are,
therefore fairly advised OF ell that has been
done, and ell that is proposed in that direc-
ton, As they are also OF the grounds upon
which the Ant-SAbbath movement 10 con
Quoted.
The opposition to Sabbath laws, We may |
remark ct the outset, lie conducted mainly |
by those Who are interested, directly or ind |
rectly, in the profits resulting from the re-
tail trAfho in lager beer and other intoxicat-
ing beverages. There 10 . large class of
people in our midst who believe that one OF
the chief ends of mao is to buy and drink
beer, aud that therefore, the traffic in It
should be free, and that &C the Sunday laws
interfere with this unrestricted traffic, those |
laws should be repealed. Ifthere is an OPP |
position to the Sunday laws from any other |
class Of people, we are not aware of it. |
These saloon keepers draw to their support
men who are not engaged in that business, |
suoh as politicians who seek what 10 called
the German vote; inHdels who desire to ex-
puugs from the statute book every Law rec
ognizing religion, directly or indirectly, pre-
cisely Is the same party sought to exclude
the Bible from the public schools not be-
cause Of anything contained in the book it.
self, bat because it is the standard of the
Christian religion.
The anti-Sunday war, then, 10 TO be re-
gsrded as war against Christianity, and
thus that system Of religion which has for
its object the elevation of mankind is placed
on level with that practice which is direct
ly responsible for four-6flhs of the crimes
committed 10 this city and in this country.
This is the spectacle now presented. 1t is
not political question. though politics are
at the bottom of the agitation; but We pro-
pose 10 consider it from different stand
point.
In the frat place, then, We hold, and it
will not be denied, that men who sell iutox-
icating liquors are not on an equal footing
with citizens engaged in lawful callinVs.
The organic law Of Jhs State recognizes In.
temperance as az evil, and empowers
the Legislature to provide BY law
against evils resulting from the sale
of Intoxicating liquors. The prop
ositiou to license the sale of iutoxIoa-
ting liquors was voted down by the people
OF the State on the ground, Is is we'll known.
that the business Is IMMORAL, and 10 license
the trAthc would be 70 recognize immorAh
~, precisely as il is now conrended that TO
license gam bIinR houses aud houses of proe-
titu,ion, even for the purpose of regulating
them, is objectionable because It would
legahze practices opposed to public NOR
Atty.
Under this constitutional provision, laws
have been enacted prohibiting the sale of
Intoxicating liquors ct retail, at any time. or
10 any place within the State of Ohio. and
these avs are so full and complete that if
sustained by public sentiment, there is no
day OF the week nor hour Of the day in
which Intoxicating drinks could be sold
The saloon keepers, therefore, who now
propose TO have tree trade in liquor on Sun
day, in order that they may make money,
and that the people may have az oppor,u.
nifty to get drunk and who undertake to
dictate laws, are hAbltual law breakers, their
property liable to confsnation and their
bodies to imprisonment.
Ii is not TO be denied that intemperanc4
IS an evil, and that the Total suppression OF
the trAtho ia intoxIeAilng liquors would be
the greatest blessing that could be conferred
upon our race. This, however, we do not
anticipate. We do not believe that men
can be made moral or religious or temper
ate by legislation. 1t ioes not follow. how
ever, that the business, which is attended
with so many evil results, should no. be re-
gulssed by law, nor is il reasonable that
these laws should be dictated BY those who
for the sake of gain, engage in a business
the Constitution of Ohio, adopted By vote |
Of the people OF the State, aud which the
laws OF the State, passed in pursuance there.
OF, prohibit.
ct the snti-Sundsy movement originated
with aud Is sustained " the saloon keepers
and II is now represented being indorsed /
by the whole German population Of this clty. .
VI this, however, we have no evidence, and /
we do not believe it. there are thousands
OF German citizens who see the fatal in
huence OF intemperance upon their race. |
and would be glad 70 see = reform move |
ment IN that direction. But the contest Is
made 10 appear IS directed against Sunday |
laws, and It IS argued that these laws are |
opposed to the freedom Of the citizen that |
therefore they are unconstitutional, and that
the Germans, because they love liberty, are |
IN favor of their repeal, and this demand |
Is sustained By the Cincinnati C6HsmerciaI I
Having Seen the origin OF the movement
and the ccupatIon OF lIs main supporters.
we shall now give attention TO the areu-
ment OF our contemporary. The Supreme
Court decided that the observance of the
sabbath can be legally enforced only rs q
police or municipal regulation but il en-
forced Its observance, and its reasons for
enforcing it did not effect the motives of the
trainers Ct the Law, Tor did it amount 70 any,
thing more than an outside opinion of The I
Judge. This is very fully set forth BY Ru
fus King in his argument In she case of the
Cincinnati Board Of Education, pages 324
and 325.
That our system of government, of which
Sunday laws are apart, was founded on mo
rslty and a religious sentiment cannot be
successfully denied. But for this moral and
religious sentiment the Sunday laws would
not have been enacted. No one can read q
history Of Legislation in this country without
reaching this conclusion. Daniel Webster
said: "Our ancestors established this sys-
tenn ofgovernment on morality ana reli-
gious sentiment. Moral habits, they be-
lievs, cannot safely be trusted to any other
foundation than religious principles, nor
government be secure which is not support
ed BY moral habits" This is as true of
Ohio as it was of the Government of the
United States. In the Constitution of Ohio,
adopted in 1851, it is declared that "religiou,
morality and knowledge" are essential TO
good government The bill OF rights, adopt
ed IN 1902, embodied the same principle -
mere II Was declared that religion, mo
rali'y and knowledge" we're essentially
necessary to good go 'erument and the han
piness Of mankind" Article 3 of the ordi-
nance of 1887 contains the same declare
ton. Again, Congress, October I2,I77s.
passed the following:
WHEREAS, True religion and good NOR
ais are the only solid foundations of public
liberty and happiness:
ResolUed, That it be and il is hereby
earnestly recommended to the several States
to take the most effsctual measures for the