The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-10-01
every week to be so kept, or whatever num-

every week to be so kept, or whatever num-
Der the majority may require. The Consti-
tuition especially exists to guard the rights
of the minority. The majority governs,
but it governs under the limitations of the
fundamental law-the contract on which
our political system rests. That contract
gives no power which Can be construed to
justify Sunday legislation.
1t is remnant Of the old doctrine Of
Church and State that we have quite out
grown. The Sunday laws are nearly every
where dead letter upon the statute book.
Their execution is optional with the minis
tiers Of the law.
They tend to demoralize the police and
weaken the respect for the law. There is
/, back door open which all enter who will.
The sworn minister of the law enters and
"smiles" as he breaks the law with the
rest; but he goes out and drags to Jail the
boy who has stolen piece ofginger-bread.
And this discrimination, which is notoli-
GUS wherever Sunday laws exist, is most
corrupting in its tendency to the police,
and dangerous menace to the citizen.
In the interest Of liberty, of good gov
eminent, of enlightened reason, of pure
religion and of The Sunday itself, sre call
for the repeal of The Sunday ordinance
and Of all la,os that attempt to impose upon
the people religious obserpanees. We have
tried these laws for two centuries and they
have been miserable failures. They will
always be failures, because we cannot
coerce the consciences of men, and human
nature rebels against the unwarrantable
assumption ofpower. even when professedly
welded in the interest of religion.
In this country we profess to leave re-
ligion to seek by its own gentle and potent
influences the way to the human heart, YET
we retain on the statute book the monstrous
and absurd assumptions which Puritanis,r
and Romanism alike claimed over thu
human mind. We have outlived thest
things. We cannot justify them to our
o selves much less to the new generation o
q thoughtful and cultivated intellects in thi.
country and Europe, who are seeking t
redeem the Sunday from superstitious OBJ
servance, and make it as Christ did himself
the servitor of mana day of rest. conse
!, Grated to love and gratitude and works 0
, charity and all beautiful and innocen
recreations.
. To him whose eyes are open to the reali
T ty of things, all days are holy. All tim
is to be consecrated to the service of CO.
and man. Drunkenness, dissipation ant
the wasteful expenditure of health and lif
and money in gambling are always crimes
= They are to be put down always and every
s. where, SO far as possible. They are no
worse on Sunday than on any other day Q
i. the week, and no Sunday law will diminis
them in the least. This ordinance is impc
tent for good, and brings no compensatin
results to balance its dangerous infractio
! of the fundamental principles of our gov
: eminent.
That all such laws have not long ago bee
repealed shows only the power of roote
prejudices, and the unrefecting submissio
to authority, on the part of the people. w
look upon them as wrong in principle. an
unwholesome in practice, and we earnestl
y urge the Common Council to reconsider it
- action.
h, The ordinance should be promptly re
, pealed, and an immediate movemen
initiated to secure the repeal of the Stat
= laws upon this subject.