The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1881-06-01
THE SUNDAY Law ANNULLED.

On last Saturday the Supreme Court
rendered unconstitutional and void
Act No. "a of 1878, which authorizes
Police Juries to prevent the sale of iu-
toxicating liquors on Sundays, and
delegates to them the power to prose-
cute for any infraction thereof.
The decision was rendered on an
appeal from the District Court of this
Parish.
By it's decision, the Supreme Court
sustains the broad principle of local
self government and that Of religious
and individual freedom.
No matter what may be said to the
contrary, the religious desire to COM
pel the observance of the Sabbath has
been the main prop of the Sunday Law.
In sustaining the Supreme Court in
the decision it has rendered, we do not
wish to be as understood as favoring
disorder and indecent scenes among
tho good people who desire to follow
the dictates of their faith. We believe
that in view Of the fact that on the
Sabbath great majority of the people
of this country 60 to and from their
places of worship, the local police au
thorities should punish, severely, the
individuals guilty of improper conduct.
and, if need be, withdraw the license
which some keepers OF establishments
abuse, by permitting their customers
to misbe have and shock public decency.
| Every right thinking man will sus-
tain the demand upon the local author
tiles for very strict enforcement, on
Sunday, of the police regulations, but
when the demand goes so far as to
bring about the interference Of an out
side power, such as that of Police Ju-
ries, over constituted authorities of
chartered towns aud cities, then such
a demand and such interference must
be considered as oppressive and vio-
lative of the principles of local self
government and individual, if not re-
lgious freedom.
| We will not say, either, that the OPP
erations of the Sunday Law are not in
some respects advantageous to the
general welfare. 1t does throw imped-
iments in the way of drunkards and
carousers, who find it more or less in
convenient to get in at the back door.
But it has the disadvantage, too, of
preventing peaceable and we'll behaved
citizens from enjoying Sunday in what
they consider an innocent manner, for
the reason that they do not annoy in
any way those who prefer to keep it
: strictly holy. In word it Furnishes
the law,abiding and well-behaved
many to check the boisterous few.
This is not free government.
We doubt not that if the penalty of
death was dealt out to the man who
gets drunk, or CANDLES, or to the wo-
man who loses her virtue, vice would
hide its head so that it would scarcely
ever be seen at the surface of society.
Some will argue that the end to be
achieved justlfies the means, and that
dragon-headed vice should be fought
r with every weapon, no matter how
deadly.
The practice of this idea in the ex-
IRENE, is what is considered tyranny
> Therefore, the governments of to.
day, have endeavored to regulate and
control vice by furnishing, reasonably
those only, who are guilty of commit.
ing excuses injurious to the public
welfare.
Baton Rouge is city with cosmo
r politan population of nearly eigh
thousand. 1t is the Capital of the
State, and soon persons accustomed tt
, the freedom of the Crescent City anl
t the creole parishes, will visit us OF
Sunday along with the more obser
want people of Northern and Contra
Louisiana.
Of necessity, we must make ours F.,
cosmopolitan city.
t While doing 80, however, our City
Council must see to it that good orde
is maintained. Hence it behoovel
them to exercise their power in Thu
: direction, by enacting such regulation.
: as will permit the Executive officers tt
protect all classes of people in theil
worship, as we'll as in their quie
. amusements.-(B. R. Capitolian.
9 HE'LL IN THE New B1BLE.-The new
+ revised bible went off s'like hot cakes. ,
We attribute this "boom" in Bibles to
popular impression that the new bible
has no "hell" in it. We do not so reat
the extracts from the revised passa gel
which have found their NOV 4, r. ~, II;