The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-06-12
Sunday Law in ST Landry.
A Forcible Statement oft Advantages
Experience the Best Argument.

j | -
n A Forcible Statement Of its Advantages
!, Experience the Best Argument.
Lake Charles Echo.
The following extracts from an edi
torial 10 last weeks st. Landry Demo
crat, entitled "Onr New Police Jur,
and the Sunday Law, furnish one o
: the most powerful arguments ",
9 have seen in favor Of q Sunday Law
. for all the parishes. The same edi
torial states that this law was frs
3 adopted by the Police Jury of st
y Landry in 1877, and that in order t.
test the sense of the new Police Jur,
of St. Landry on that question one o
. its members, who was strongly il
favor Of the law, introduced a motion
, to repeal it at the first meeting of tn.
new Police Jury on the Goth nlt. The
motion was promptly tabled by vote
OF eight to one, and not satisfied Will
this emphatic endorsement of the law
the Police Jury unanimously adopted
the following resolution:
On motion of Mr.. Sylvester, it was re
solved unanimously, that the District
Attorney be instructed to have the Sun.
day law rigidly enforced throughout the
parish against all persons, who directly
violate tie same.
The St. Landry Democrat comments
as follows on the above action Of its
new Police Jury, and on the practi-
cal operation Of the Sunday law in
St. Landry for nearly four years pre-
viously:
"By this unequivocal endorsement
of the Sunday law the Police Jury
have deserved and will receive the
thanks Of every good man, of every
lover of law, order and morality, and
of every taxpayer in St. Landry.
Nearly four years have elapsed since
the Police Jury adopted Sunday
law for our parish. The longer it has
STOOD on the statute book the more
popular has it become with the peo-
pie and in our opinion to-day, no
man could carry St. Landry in a pop
ular election, who would openly and
publicly proclaim his opposition to
this law. ...
No man living amongst us, but that
has vivid recollection of the state Of
things existing in our parish previous
to its adoption in 1877. Then, every
town and village was crowded with
drunken men on Sunday, whooping,
shouting, yelling, fighting and render,
ing things generally hideous." BY
night our jails were filed with vio-
lators of municipal orninaLces, who
the next morning appeared before the
Mayor, and ninestiInes out of ten, be-
ing unable to pay their Jail fees, they
had to be charged to the taxpayers.
If such was the picture presented in
the towns, what was to be seen on
our public thoroughfares in the conn-
try I Let any one answer who was
III the habit Of traversing them of 4
Sunday evening. They were flied
with drunken men running horse
races, firing off their pistols and
wboopipg and yelling and screaming
to the great annoyance and danger Of
| the peaceful traveller. Now we see
no more of this. People from the
country and town alike do the shop
ping on Saturdays they formerly did
OH Sundays. II they happen to get
drunk, as night comes on they 90
home, and by Monday morning tile
effect of the debauch is ever, and
they are able to 60 to work. Sunday,
instead OF being as formerly the most
| noisy, tumultuous and boisterous of
all the days Of the week, has become
the most quiet and peaceful
Places Of busines are closed, and
Sunday becomes veritable day Of
rest. There is nothing pulitanical in
this. 1t does not smack of the blue
laws of Connecticut, which Indicated
with the most minute precision what
should and what should not be done
on Sunday. On the contrary, our
law provides alone for closing of
places of business oD Sunday, and
then leaves the individual to spend
the day as he pleases. If Of pious
turn of mind, he may go to church
and spend the day in prayer and sup
plication; if not, he may go fishing or
hunting, or do any thing else he
pleases. The day is his own, and
there is no power save his conscience,
interposed to tell him what he shall
do, OF how or where he shall spend it.
In our opinion no law on the statate
book has been productive of more
good than this Sunday ordinance of
our Police Jury. 1t has elevated the
wards of the parish it has been one
of the most potent adiuncts of the en-
forcement of law and order in our
midst it has made us better in spite
of ourselves, and finally it has saved
the taxpayers Of the parish annually
thousands Of dollars in lessening the |
expenses of crimina! prosecutions
alone"
We commend the above utterances
Of our contemporary to the thought /
full consideration Of all our readers.
1t must be remembered that the |
French Creole and Catholic element
is very strong in St. Landry, and that
this element is generally opposed to
secular Sunday laws. Yet tho actual
operation Of the law has been so
beneficial to all classes, and to all
portions of the empire parish, that
to-day, after four years of experience
it is recognized as so great blessing
no office seeker dares to dennuDee it.
Note the Democrats expression-' it
has made us better in spite Of our
selves" That is precisely why the
law is needed all over the State. 1t
will make our people better in spite
of themselves. 1t will reduce taxa
ton, lessen crime, elevate private
and public morals, give everybody /
necessary physical and mental rest /
one day in the week, and generally |
do more real, practical good to the
masses of our people than any other |