Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-02-08
From the State House.
BosroN. Tuesday. Feb. I. 1871.

Boston, Tuesday, Feb Z 1871.
There was a full house to-day, spectators
crowding the galleries and filing the space be-
hind the members seats. 1t was known that
there would be some good closing speeches on
the subject of the law concerning Sunday, and
which the BostoniaDs interested in their mag
nificent free public library think prevents their
using that institution on the Lords day. In
response to the request of the city council of
Boston, bill was submitted to the house simply
declaring that the old law on the statute book
shall not be construed to prevent cities or towns
from opening their free libraries if they desired
to do so. The house was very vrtuous and
voted by thirty-four majority that such a
wicked thing could not be allowed. Perish the
thought
The discussion has taken a wide range and
incidentally novels and novel readers have been
consigned to perdition by Jealous opponents
of the bill. One gentleman singled out as eX-
amples of vicious reading, Harper's Magazine
and Oliver Optics books. For the credit of the
country it should be stated that it was Boston
member who came to this sage conclusion.
slltuhOis III OppOellOh SlJhC VI tuN llC'io"
ure as ian entering wedge" that would lead up
to fearful results. Mr.. Train, who gave mani
testify reluctant vote against the bill, spoke to-
day on the subject. He commended that the law
was practically obsolete, il otherwise, people
who rode on the sabbath would be liable to ar
rest. The number of prosecutions under
this ancient law of our Puritan fathers
was to-day infinitely small. 1t is strictly
in violation of this law in question, to do things
which are part of the daily life OF large major
ity of our citizens. But no one thinks of prose-
cutting them. He thought the amount Of good
which would be accomplished by the proposed
declaration of the meaning Of the law
ought not to weigh down the pain which would
be inflicted upon the consciences of those who
| opposed it. Mr.. Train was alone among the OPP
| pOnents in taking this secular and polite view
of the situation, and his speech, like that Of Mr.
| Washburn, was couched in excellent style.
| Rev. DR.. Putnam, one of the most respected
| clergymen in RoXbury, and still one of the most
| useful, eloquent and vigorous workers in the
| ministry where he has done good work for
forty years, closed the debate. He advocated
| the bill, he said, for conscience sake, in behalf
| of the great fundamental principle Of Christian
| liberty, which was moral liberty,-one mans
| conscience must not be allowed 10 invade the
| rights of another man. Conscience was given
to regulate and control our own actions, and not
TO interfere with or control the action or conduct
| of other men so far as they kept within the
| bounds of peace and order. He would not COM
pei any one TO visit the public library on the
Sabbath if they did not wish to. What he de-
manded was that he should be left free to use
that library in conformity with his own con-
science All paid taxes 10 support the library,
but while some claimed that it should not be open-
ed for conscience sake he claimed that should be
opened as a matter Of right, and the conscience
that would prevent person from enjoying the
greatest facilities for improvement at command
must be a bad conscience and false conscience.
The plea against opening the library was the
same old plea of intolerance, and the spirit
which animated it was the same as that which
kindled the fire at Smithfeld; it went as far as
public sentiment would allow it. 1t was the
same raVenous and mufderous tiger, only pubic
sentiment had cut out its claws and pulled out
its teeth; but il kept mumbling with its old
toothleSs jaws, and scratching well as ii could
with its stumps, trying to bring the blood. As
a Christian man, he repudiated that interpreta-
ton of conscience which claimed the right to in
terfere with things that did not disturb our
peace. He wished st. Paul were present that he
might denounce in his scorching language now,
as he did when alive, the same spirit Of intol-
GRANGE.
He would not grant the privilege of opening
the libraries reluctantly, but eagerly and gladly,
in order to give In the course of the year an OPP
| p0rtunity for thousands to enjoy privileges
| of destroying the sanctity of the Sabbath it
| would enhance it. He agreed with the other
1 side that the best way of sanctifying the Sab
| bath was by the worship of God in his temples
| but not more than one-third of the people would
| do this, and therefore some other WaV must be
devised for reaching the other two-thirds with
i good influences. There must be intermediate
| steps in the upward course in order that
| the weak and halt might climb up slowly and
| labOrious, for whatever raised and refined the
| intellect was help upwards towards the church
| and heaven. The great white throne had
| many steps, some Of them very low, but all
| above the level of the depths beneath. In con-
| Guiding his remarks DIR. Putnam said he sus-
| tanned the bill IN behalf of true liberty, in be-
| half of the true rights of conscience in behalf
of intellectual culture, and in behalf of the ele-
walton of man. He defended the bill in the in
| terests of the Christian religion, of morality,
| and the salvation of man.
At the close of his remarks the vote was first
taken ON the amendment of Mr.. McKim of West
RoXbury, which added the libraries of churches
to the Others anamed in the bill, and also con-
tanned the provision that they should be opened
for the promotion Of religion and morality The
amendment was adopted, and the yeas and nays
having been ordered were then taken on the
main bill which was rejected by a vote Of 95 yeas
to 1919 nays, as follows:
| YEAs-Messrs J g Adams VIII Anderson. F p Ar.
mold w Arnold, ii Babbitt, J Baldwin, X
Baker, Ii j Barker, L Barnard, Barton, AW Beard,
Bill, w Bonney r Bower, l. . Bowman, p
| Brdgeman, Brown, W A Brown, I Burr, Car
| penter, E Chase J IL Church, B d Cogswel, W
| Coggswell, Colby is Cotton, HI Curtis II Cush-
man, q DAVE, Dowse, j Drynan, II Durham j
0 Faon, II Fearing, A Fiske, Z Fitzgerald,
D II Fowler, Franklin, L Gardner, r + Gardner,
t Gates Il A Goodrich, II Goodspeed, C H Guild,
o Hewes, L Haywood Hill, Z Il Hovey, D How.
ara, G Ii Howe, ) Howe, NJ Lincoln, n Lincoln,
Magoun, A Mckenzie, W r Melden, G " Nor
menter, w Phillips, n. Pierce Poor, A T
Pratt, L Pratt, Putnam, Quigley, l. Reade, S
Sisson, II Smith, II A Stiles, Swasey, j X
| Tarbox, q Towne D w Tucker S j futile, G ii
Vibbert, G Wacott, E Wheeler, C L Woodbury..
NAYs-H Adams C l. Allen, 5 Allen a J
Bailey, J | Baker, W Barker, Jr, D n Barrett, j /
| Bates, a Besse, G BriscOe, L X Blake, w Z
Blunt. A Boomer, II Brimhall, F P Brown, w a
Brown, G B Burlington, J Billiard, T Barnap
| d Burr, S Galley, NJ Carney, d Chamberin L ii
| Chisholm, J NJ Cooley, B II Corlis, }. Ii Cornell, c
! a Corser, II Cotton, L Crane, . Crane J q Cur
rier, Cushman, r 5 Daniels, Davis, w L
! Davis, L G Eames, s 5 Eastman, S p Everett, G O
Fairbanks, J Flagg Flood, T Floyd, J Fol-
SON. Q Fuller. g " Gates, g p Glover, g Going,
Harris, A Haskell, Haskins, Hayward, Z
award Hayward, S bolt 7 Holway, ) W Hop
rd, Ii Hutchinson, james, n NJ Jerneean- II
'a ans + Lewis, W Lewis, q ii Lincoln, &
eek, Merrill, G Metcaf, G & Moore W
Ean, Neal, Nelson, j Newell, G G
5, q Peabody Pear 4 Po, rsrkHT99sr55,
ke, Prescott, c L Putnam, NJ L Ricbard
Ross G Rufin, ] E Sanford, p Sam.
Seribner. Severance, j g smith. q Z
tn, w spooner, F D Stedman. G r Taft
pson, Thompson, Z 1irrell, r Tor
Train, w TwomblY, W Wales, &
iWalworth, II Washburn, q Webb
e Wight, Wright CT Wyer.
I'LL of Waltham, for years presideu
ollege, and previous TO that servic
Nntioch college, voted with the mi
Il senators who hardly cared h
IN this troublesome question ar
DIN l. 49, l. - 1 L.