The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-07-31
mIsToBy OF rms SUNDAY Law

HISTORY or PIE SUNDAY LAW.
The Hebrew. who o5:c-ge Sstrr lay
As &c S.bI a-b, are Ios required in Ia
Dor to observe the Christian Sur day.
II response to irquiry tor the Sunday
law the text il rel reduced;
Art. 1873. Auy person WHO shall
hereafter labor or compel, free or
oblige his employees, workmen or aD
!! pientices 10 abor on Sunday, 81 al be
iT ed not less tIaa ten nor more thar
| fifty dollars.
Art. 1si. The preceding article shall
net apply TO household duties, works
of necessity or charity. nor to necessary
work on farms or Plantations in order
to prevent the loss o any crop; nor the
running of steamboats, ami other water
crafts, rail cars, wagon trains, common
carriers, nor 30 delivery of goods by
them, nor the receiving or storing of
said goods by the parties or their
agents, to whom. said goods are deliv-
cred; nor to stages carrying Unitej
States mail or passengers; nor to foun-
dres, sugar mills, or herders who have
herd of stock actually gathered and
under herd; nor to persons travelling I;
/ nor to ferTymen or keepers of toll
bridges, keepers of hotels, boarding
| houses ard restaurants sn1 their SER
vaDt,; nor to keepers Of livery stables
and their servants; nor to any person
who coDscientiOusly believes that the
| seventh or any other day of the week
! ought to be observed as the Sabbath,
and who actually refrains from business
aud labor on that day for secular Iea-
sons.
Art. 1876. Aoy person who shall run,
or be engaged in running, any horse
race, or who shall permit or allow the
use of any nine or ten pin alley, or who
shall be engaged in match shooting, or
any species of gaming, for money or
| other consideration, within the limits
of any city or town on Sunday, shall
, be liUed not less than twenty nor more
than fifty dollars.
Art. 1876, as amended. Any mer-
chant, grocer, or dealer in wares or
merchandise, or trader in any lawful
business whatsoever, who shall barter
or sell on Sunday, shall be fined not
less than twenty nor more than fifty
dollars; provided, this article shall not
apply to markets or dealers IN provis.
| ions as to sales made by them before
8 0'clocl; A. NJ.
Art. 49, The preceding article shall!
not apply to the sale Of drugs and med
iciues GU Sunday.
We give the votes of Senator's at
different stages OF the Senate bill No.
20, which was bill 10 adopt the Penal
Code which contains the new Sunday
law.
The present Sunday law is the
House amendment to the bill. The
Senate refused to disagree to the
House amendment by the following
vote:
Yeas Brown, Davenport, Edwards,
Ford, Guy, Hobby, Holman, Houston,
Lane, McCuiloch, Patton, Stewart,
ShlnnOn-13.
Nays-Blasslngame, Buchanan, Bur
nett, BurtOn,i Duncan, Gooch, Grace,
L,ir, Mccormick, Moore, Ripetoe,
Storey, Swain, Terrell, Tilson-l5
Senator Terrell at once asked leave
to change his vote, stating that his
attention had been withdrawn from
the pending business by his constitu.
ents, and he supposed the vote wal
being taken on ordering the previous
question. Leave was refused and he
Immediately moved to reconsider the
vote Just taken. His motion was lost
by the following vote:
Yeas-Brown, Davenport, Edwards,
Ford, Guy, Hobby. Holman, Houston,
Lane, Martin, Patton, Stewart, Shan
non, Terrell II.
Nays Blassingame, Buchanan,
Burnett. Burton, Duncan, Gooch,
Grace, Lair, Mccormick, McCulloch,
Moore, Ripetoe, Storey, Swan, Tilson
10.
The whole bill was then deferred tC
free confererc, committee of the two
houses, and afterwards on the:eighteentf
of February, 1879, Senator Edwards
from, the conference committee,
made a report recommending that arti
1876 should read as follows, VIZ: 'Arti
Gle 1S6. Any merchant, grocer or deal
er ia wares and merchandise, or trade
in any lawful business whatsoever, WHIT
shall sell or barter on Sunday between
the hours of 0 o'clock A. NJ. and .
o'clock P. NJ, shall be fined not lee
than one nor more than fifty dollars.
CThis was the law in force substantial
ly for the past eight years.
Afterwards, on the nineteenth o
February, 1879, final vote was take
in the Senate on the report of Senate
Edwards, which was lost by the follow
ing vote, viz:
Yeas-Senstors Brown, Davenport
Edwards, Ford, Hobby, Houston, Lane
LedbeIter, Patton. Stewart, Shannon
Storey, Terrell-13.
Nays-Senators Buchanan, Burnett
Q Burton, Duncan, Gooch, Grace, Homal
Lair, McCulloch, Moore, Ripeto
, | SWAN, 1llsOn-1S.
, 1t being tie vote, and the Pres
dent of the Senate not in the chair, IL
report recommending that the form
Sunday law be retained was lost. TIL
was the last test vote on which Il
! yeas and nays were called. The ye'
!, in this vote sre the Senators who ia
a ored retaining the old Sunday law as
compromise; the nays are the Senate
who voted for the present Sunday Law
Just before this vote was taken, Sen
tor Terrell made his speech against q
present Sunday law, and made sosn
). was the only spec. -'~''
psIu,I THRY talI-Ssf cnFt,nS-