Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-09-14

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Everybody returned veil pleased with
their pleasant excursion.
Your correspondent is indebted to
VIM. H. Grout, G. p. A, c. Z. Healy, E.
A, ]. F. Tennen, T: Ag't, B. Q. Tennen,
Asst Elk. Agent, for favors. H.
The Sunday Question in Politics.
The observance of Sunday as day of
rest and religious worship is older than
the Republic. The colonies provided by
law that secular labor should cease on
that day. and the States have gone SO
far in imitation As to enact that the day
shall be devoted to rest. Sunday laws
have been in operation in Ohio for the
past half century and now the question
of their abolition is presented as p0lit-
ical issue by the beer brewers and their
Democratic allies. 1t is cOntended that
such laws are in the interest of the
churches, and that their enforcement is
an Infringement upon the personal
rights of the citizen. There is nothing
tenabie in this argument, as was shown
by Senator Sherman in his recent Co.
lumbus speech. No law can be made in
contravention of the Constitution of
Ohio, and, as the Senator pointed out,
that instrument does not establish Chris
tianity, nor any sect or branch of the
Christian or any other faith.amOng the
people, but declare that every man has
a natural and indefeasible right to wOr-
ship God according to the dictates of his
conscience. This accords the very larg
est liberty to the citizen. He may deny
al gods, all worship. and all faith, and
there is no restaaint upon his belief. 1t
is therefore apparent that there is
no infringement upon individual liberty
in this direction. The law simply deals
with Sunday as day of rest. In this
respect it is a sanitary measure, and is
intended for the good of all, whether
they be Jews or Gentiles, saints or sin
ners, churchmen or infdels. Wisdom re-
quires, Mr.. Sherman remarks, that a
man should refrain from labor at least
one day in tho seven, and the advant-
ages Of having the day of rest SO fixed
as to happen at regular recurring inter-
walls, are too obvious to be overlooked.
Butlthe brewers desire to overturn all
enactments making Sunday a day of
rest, and demand that the vocation of
the beer-seller shall be piled on that day
as on all others of the week. In this
they are sustained by the mass of the
Democracy. But why should any dis
elimination be made in their favor?
Senator Sherman says: "Other trades
and occupations generally observe the
law. Why should not the liquor-seller ?
Why should a farmer be forbidden to
sell his crops or his cattle, or mer-
chant from selling his wares and mer-
chandise on Sunday, and yet the saloon
keeper be allowed to ply his vocation on
that day? Such discrimination is
manifestly unjust. He declares tnat the
principle of the Smith bill has been the
law of Ohio for more than fifty years,
and that it must be enforced against the
liquor-sellers or otherwise all restraint
upon other avocations should be remOv-
ed. 1t would be infamous, he contends
for the law to deny the mechanic, the
artisan, the trader, or the laborer to earn
his daily bread on Sunday, and not to
allow with impunity the open exposure
and sale of liq uors on Sunday as well as
week day or night. In concluding his
remarks upon this particular topic Mr..
Sherman said:
"The only justification of legal Sun
day, when ordinary labor is suspended,
is the physical need of mankind of day
Of rest. A Sunday, or day of rest, is
not only the law OF the Bible, but it is
the law Of all nations and creeds that
have ever made great advancement in
civilization. 1t is SO ingrafted into the
habits and customs, the law, religion,
and poetry Of our civilization that its
open, constant desecration would be
revolution. When that comes, if it ever
does, it ought to come from the laborsr,
who needs the bread he can honestly