The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-07-05
Little Gszrymandsring.

AT the instigation of the National j
Reform party and also the w. q. T. u.
senator Blair lately introduced bill |
% the senate TO prohibit the carrying
Of the mails and certain other govern
ment duties on Sunday. The plea upon
which both these parties ask such leg
a sacred day in the Christian religion.
Instead of getting the true protestant |
idea that religious legislation is entire
ly ignored bySour constitution they i'm
agine that majorities have the right to
legislate in religious matters as well as
in those that are purely civil. Then
assuming that preponderance or the
citizens are Christians they ask that
certain tenets of the Christian faith be
established by law. In fact these par
ties although avowing themselves OPP
posed to a union of church and state.
openly demand union of religion and
state. That is, they would not favor
legaliZing the doctrine of any one
branch of the Christian church; but
seek to enforce by legal penalties GER
| tain practices of a majority of these
churches. They argue that majority
of the churches observe Sunday as day
of rest and worship and the rights OF the
majority of Christians being pre-em1-
nent. Sunday should be established by
civil enactment.
The national reform party has from
the very incipiency of their movement
sought to have the constitution Sc
amended that Congress could leg
islate in favor of the Christian re-
ligion. Yielding to the demands OF
these parties Senator Blair asks Con-
gress to establish and fegaliZe Sunday
in the interests of the Christian rellg-
ion. But now, as the hare doubles ms
track to mislead the hound, the Sena
tor introduces another bill providing IN
one of its sections that mo State sinai
ever make or maintain any law respect
ing an establishment of religion or pro
hibiting the free exercise thereof
Let us illustrate. Smith and Jones
live in EmpOria. Smith is pastor or al
evangelical church. Jones Is prOprle
tor of a daily paper and has Away
been guilty of that act which the sou
of every national refurmer so lntensel!
; abhorS-ViZ., of issuing Sunday eol
ton. OF course, the Rev. Smith ma
3 demonstrated with him, but after eX
. hausting the terrors of the Lord h
! still appears incorrigible. The Rev
Mr.. Smith finally resolves to try tn
=. terrors of the civil law, and the cas-
: coming up for trial, the Rev. Smlt
p pleads that the statutes of Kansas pro
= hibit labor on Sunday, and for the con
StitutiOnality OF such law queues Sena
tor Blair's bill prohibiting all govern
4 ment work on Sunday.
Now appears Jones and pleads tina
as Sunday is purely religious institu
ton whether we go for its origin to ere
alton, Sinai, or the resurrection of tn
g Lord, it imposes no civil obligation o
f him, to the Rev. Mr.. Smith, OF an
:, other fellow being. He asks VIVA
does he owe to Smith that he shout
}, keep day holy to him? What civ
- right of Smiths is infringed by his a
4 tending to his own business? Has Nj
Smith any stronger claims upon n
= time on Sunday than Brown ma
n have on Mondayp lie denies the oil
a legation to observe it on account of II
r religious convictions of Smith, and SUI
mits that legislation to that effe
would be legally establishing Smith
religion. In defense of his position
IL cites Senator Blair's bill restraint
3 any state from religious legislation.
IL And now as he denies any civ
le claim in its favor and challenges pro
y that any circumstance OF event h
D. ever transpired in heaven or earth
II give it a civil significance, he rests t.
T. case. Whereupon the court dismiss
Z. the case and declares Senator Bla
OF guilty of just little gerrymande
IE ing. A. M.