St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-18
ARE THE LAWS GOOD?
Sunday Laws as Opposed to the 0onstitu-
ton and the Declaration of
Independence.
The Pursuit of Happiness Allowed All and
Religious Tests Forever Alb
rogated.
Are the Ends of Justice Gained by
Making Felonfes Out of M1sde-
a meanorSs
Ofenses Against Put bile Morals--How
Perjury is Fostered in the
Courts.

line recent bold and somewhat denun-
ciatory veto of the mayor of Minneapolis of
the Sunday ordinance passed by the city
council smacks so strongly with the princi-
pies OF freedom that those people who have
been depressed with the fear that the
Goddess of Justice had folded her tent in
Minnesota, may have some reason to cling
to the hope that there still remains chance
TO establish and retain in the state such
laws for the protection of liberty as were
originally intended to exist all over this free
| government. When our government was
established under the Declaration of indie
pendence and the constitution, the latter
instrument carried with it the guaranty that
the people who lived under it should enjoy
certain inalmable rights, among which
were life liberty and the pursuit of hap
plness." Religious tests of every character
SO far as they related to or affected the en-
| Joyment OF these rights were forever abro-
gated and swept away. And so long as
the acts which lead to these enjoyments do
not impair or obstruct the equal
lignts OF others to the same
enJoyments, though attained bv
dlfferent sourceS-Such acts cannot be
legally prohibited. The man who asserts
that game of base ball is Injurious to pub
lie morals would be most properly denomi-
mated crank. So would he who insists
that wrestling match is Injurious to public
morals. In majority of the cases such a
person never saw either of the exhibitions;
ne never was at theater, and condemns
the latter with the same spirit and puri-
tanlcal air that he does the former. An eX-
animation into the cause of his objections to
tnese things will ordinarily reveal the fact
that he can see no good in them and does
not himself appreciate them-and therefore
they lnJure public morals. The fact that
they are all well patronized, when worthy
OF patronage, proves that they are sources
OF enjoyment to a large portion of every
community and invariably to that portion
OF the community outside of the orthodox
| church. Assuming that the public morals
| are no more injured by such exhibitions
| IMAM by political gatherings, where people
| nilhgle lndlscrlmlnately together, or by
| fourth OF July celebrations, or by exhibit
| tlons OF line cattle and sheep and horses at
public fairs, let us INQUIRE. by what right
can the legislative authority prohibit them?
Could they be prohibited on Monday? If
III SUCH proximity to public school or any
public or private institution as to materially
impair acquired rights, they might be-
fOr the same reasons they could be pro-
hlDlted on Sunday. and for no other. To
insist that they are bad On Sunday because
had on Sunday is bgotry. 1t is measur-
ing the morality of the acts by prejudi-
clal sense of the sanctity of certain day
OF the week over other days of the week
a sense that is attained but in one way
through belief in or out of respect for
certain religion which sets that day apart
for Its religious services. To the Hebrew.
the Mohammedan, the intidel and every
dlsbellever in the divinity of Christ there
Is no distinction, morally, between Sunday
and Monday. Shall this class of citizens
be deprived of the right to pursue happi-
ness because believers in certain religion
religlously believe the manner in which
they seek the enjoyment to be sinful? If
so, then the right to require the attend
ance OF every person to their church exists,
because, according to their views, it is sim
ful to neglect to keep holy the Sabbath
day. The deprivation of the right to en-
Joyment according to ones own taste, so
long as not interfering with the enjoyment
OF others. is no less against the spirit of
the constitution than the compulsory en-
torcement of law requiring religious OBJ
servances against ones conscience. A law
requiring the latter could be sustained with
as much reason as law preventing the
| former