Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-12-21
rnE srssAr law.


TnE SUNDAY LAW.
EDE1oz Pssr-Ix7xzxxsrxcrn.
I1e Chroniel< Is presenting 10 sdxiae
me C1fy Council what 60 DO abouf The
ehxofcemsnt OF the Sunday law. Il SAYS
s1e iaw mast not Be snforced, ,becauss IL
= onylnR business away from onr citv.
~ ORDER % give weight 10 is opinion %
sue snDlsct.pain& Are taken to iuteryieW
VARIOUS rersonaRes In the city fer their
epinsonA and u0w IL fxiumphanflr ex-
ciaims. -PnbIic sentiment Is against
.le closing Of business houses on Suu-
oay- Let the Council advise the polsce
NOS 70 enforce the law Upon What
foundation has II based is opinion and
aoyacef Let us see how it Is sustained
70 its pfeaises- In this city Of ours. ac
cofdln9 TO the vote east ct the resent
election, there are es leaat eleven thou
SAND people. According 10 the com
monty accepted proportion, there muss
oe - least two Thousand and two hun.
dred male voters. OF this TWENTY-FIVE
hundred. according TO Polk a Co.'S busi-
ness dlFectory. just Published, six nun
ofed and ninety ars engaged in busi
ness- vi this six hHndred and niness
business men, the Chronfcle has report
ea TIE opinions Of forty. OF this forty
leperfeos only twenty five were opposed
% the endorsement of the sunday Iaw.
IN this city are forty-one hotels and
restaurants, Of which ogiy four were in
serFieved and reported. OF twenty
lhree grocers, only -four were interviewed
and reported. OF thirtesn dealers iu
boots hnd shoes, not one interviev was
pubiished. OF the eleven clothing
houses, only one was interview
ed and reported. OF The ten drrgaists.
only two were interviewed. OF the ten
lumber deaierscniy twa we're Interview
50. VI nine furniture dealers, only one
interview was reported. OF nine dealers
10 meat, only one interview was re-
ported. OF nine dealers In hardware.
1niy Que interview was reported. OF
lne eight dry goods dealers, six were in
'efviewed. and only two of the six were
opposed to the enforcement Of the Sun-
lay law. OF the five bankers, Only one
interview was reported. OF the six
1eaiers In books not ene was interview
"a. VI tho four fouadry men. not one
was interviewed. OF the four commis-
hon merchants. two we're interviewed.
lsither one being opposed to the Law.
)f the two bazaars, one Interview was
iad, and declared az not opposed to the
av. The Chief Justice OF the Terri
ory was interviewed. and declared in
avor OF the merit and constitutionality
u the law. Two other Judges were in |
eryiewed: one declared ia favor. the
,ther against the law. The other pub |
ished interviews, amounting to eleven.
sere With spectators and real estate |
iealers. Some Of whom were for, and |
,thers against this Law.
Query--lg 40 the majority Of go. or |
20, or 11.000? DO any 40 men repre-
ent the business interests and pros- |
,erity of Seattle? Do the % men inter- |
Fiewed by the Chroaicie, who expressed |
themselves against the enforcement Of |
he Sunday law, mould the public |
opinion of this city, Have EMPLOYEES |
Iay rights which Should be respected BY |
aw makers and Law enforcers as against |
RS! In other words. have ii 900 people |
my rights IN regard TO this law which |
8 men are bound to respect?
Whsnce comes this avalanche Of popu- |
ar sentiment, voicing itself through the |
olumns OF the Chr0aicie, demanding |
he reinforcement of law beth Ter |
itorial and mnnicipal! Behold! Twen-
y-nvs OF the ll.00o have spoken. Lsi |
nem be obeyed!
But are there not others whe want the |
aw repealed? Yes. There are at least |
z saloon keepers who would vete, with |
'nt few exceptions, for its repeal. They |
re the ones the law was iHtended most |
specially 70 regulate. They are the |
NEE most anxious for the laws repeal. |
hat Is the reason the reporter otsitted |
o question them upon the subject. 1t
sas Ia their behalf that the agitation |
vas instituted. So II was necessary TO |
.et what would be supposed to be IN
'reJudieed testimony, 70 lend sincerity /
Ind dignity to their cause. But is this |
estimony IN their behalf unpreiudicedf /
-sook at the signatures to the Business
Mems" Club roll of last July, aud see il /
many OF these men were not applauders |
II the famous stterances of the young |
nan who said that the prosperity of
very city on this coast was founded
lpon whisky, prostitution and gambling. |
Sat, however this may be. would sag /
sest that - names could hardly move
be City Council TO repeal an ordinance
Hhich must affect in some way the en-
ire population of the city.
But are We losing trade by enforcing
bis Law Does the closing of stores IN
seattle ON Sunday drive trade away |
IS II a fact that loggers and railroad
nen. and farmers go to Tacoma on
suHday to buy goods? II so, how do
hey get there Do they co by steam
boat, the oars, or do they walk 2 The |
larIner. railroad hand or logger that |
,ould, without losing time from his
week dav work, spend Sunday 10 Scot |
lie, would, by the way the steamboats, |
run, be compelled 10 lose one or two |
seek days In order to spend Sunday in |
Tacoma, besides having 10 spend the |
price OF a days labor in order to get |
here. do not believe that those men |
are 10 snraeed at the merchants of Sc |
sttie, because OF the policy Of the City |
Council, that they viii lose both time |
and money Ia order to deal somewhere |
slse.
Aside from this phase OF the subject, |
sre the business muu the only ones 10 |
DO considered in this question Are |
they the only ones for whom law is 70 |
be enforced or disreparded IL money |
making the sole object OF legislation |
Are not the social interests and moral |
of community paramount TO |
money getting : Are not the business |
men constantly called upon to spend |
money for tue protection of society and |
The upbuild,ng of morality? ? Then |
Why should they wish to conduct their |
business on plan that would counter
net in its effect she purpose for which |
they contributed their means? Why |
should newspaper. il net backed by |
the liquor interests, offer money a. an |
inducement 90 silence the voice of me- |
rality and OF conscience in city Of |
eleven thousand people Must city
purchase prosperity at the price Of law |
lessness and debauchery Have the |
citizens and business men Of Seattle
sunk 90 low in she scale OF intellectual
capacity as 90 be bronght TO the ex-
tremity of soliciting trade through the
avenues of drunkenness and iicentious
ness 7 Let Us test this matter thor
oughly, and see IL the leayon by which
We are to rise must be human rotten
ness. q. l.. BOWMAN.
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