Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-23
OBJECT AND PURPOSES OF THE AMER
ICAN SABBATH UNION.
The Views of Correspondent on What
Will Soon be Very Prominent
Question.


ment of more efectual one-one tha
can be enforced. But so far all such effort
have fallen far short of the mark
There is, however. a movement on foo
at present, whose champions profess deter
mination to keep moving until its purpost
is fully accomplished. The American
Sabbath Union, whose headquarters is il
New York City, have assumed the task O
securing a Sunday law for California. Ell
liot F. Shepard of the New York Mail ano
Express, who has shown more inconsist
ency in his reIigio- political business career
than any other man in the country, i:
President of the Union.
The Pacific Coast Department of this
New York concern is under the immediate
supervision of Rev. Edward Thomson, who
boasts that the Union has never lost a
campaign. He publishes small monthly
document at Los Angeles, from which we
gather some idea of the Sunday law pro.
gramme. He and his co-operators have
been busy all summer endeavoring to man.
ufacture public sentiment, and to per-
suade candidates for the Legislature to
pledge support to a Sunday bill at the
next session-of course profering church
support at the polls in return. This plan
was actually laid out by Mr.. Thomson
early in the season.
In the aforesaid monthly document for
October there is the following bit of in
formation. The reader will bear in mind,
of course, that this was before the elec-
ton:
''Ip some of the counties of this State
one or the other of the two great parties is
so strongly intrenched that no effort can
overcome the regular majority. But in
the doubtful counties we are working
strongly to elect the best man, regardless
of party. We feel morally sure at this
date of some noble and pure men in the
next Legislature. One man has been
selected by the American Sabbath Union
to prepare and introduce bill for Sun
day law, and plans are already laid to
bring immense influence to bear upon that
body to secure its passage Some of the
ablest thinkers of the country will be
present TO argue the question at Sacra-
mento. We may not succeed this time,
but our union has determined to keep on
with the campaign till the victory is
ours"
1t should be particularly remembered
that it is foreign religious institution
that has thus fastened itself upon the State
for the avowed purpose of controlling its
Legislature in the interest of the Sabbath
Unions own ends. Mark the language:
"Our union has determined to keep on
with the campaign till the victory is
ours" But the query may arise, What
particular object has this union, an East
ern institution, in securing Sunday law
in California? We will see.
The American Sabbath Union was
formed for the purpose of securing ma
tional Sunday law. California stands
somewhat in the way. 1t is the only
State in the Federal Union that has no
Sunday law. There are three or four
Territories without Sunday laws, but Cali
fornia is the only State so situated and it
las been shown several times over that
Sunday is as well observed here as in
those States where such laws exist-and
much better than in many localities in
such States. So long as California oecu-
pies this conspicuous position of at least
average good behavior without Sunday
law, it is a standing menace to the Sabbath
Unions pet scheme of a national Sunday
law With all the States unanimous on
the subject of this class legislation, the ad-
yocates of national law would have a
grand opportunity to make a showing of
popular demand upon Congress.
The showing that all the States had
Sunday laws upon their statute books
would add strength to the plea already
made that the States are powerless to
fully enforce these laws, or make them as
stringent as their champions desire, be-
cause the general Government disregards
them If Congress would enact a national
law, compelling the observance of Sunday
in all branches of its service and in the
Territories, then the State laws could be
made more stringent and be more rigidly
enforced.
But we are not at the end of the string
yet There is still another door to open
before we see fully the Importance to the
Sabbath Union of its proposed victory
over California. This American Sabbath
Union was organized at the instigation of
what is known as the National Reform AS
sociation, headquarters at Philadelphia,
which numbers among It's adherents some
of the most influential mea of the coun-
try, men of every profession, and officials
in high standing One avowed object of
this Association is stated in the following
language of Article H. of its Constitution:
"The object of this society shall be to
secure such an amendment to the
Constitution of the United States as~will
declare the nations allegiance to Jesus
Christ, and its acceptance of the moral
laws of the Christian religion, and so indi-
cate that this is q Christian nation, and
place all the Christian laws, institutions
and usages of our Government on an un-
deniable legal basis in the fundamental
law of the land"
The Association had been in existence
almost quarter of century; although
the movement was steadily gaining ground
it did not approach the goal fast enough
TO satisfy lis leaders nor its supporters.
They were impatient to see their great
work triumph They were getting old
and might die off before seeing the fruit of
their labor. So they induced the general
bodies of few leading Christian denomi-
nations to send delegates to a meeting in
New York city, whose deliberations cul-
minated in the new organization of the
American Sabbath Union. The object of
the new organization (which is simply an
auxiliary to the National Reform Associa-
tom was more popular, namely, the pro-
curing of a national Sunday law. This,
though not realized by many who have
fallen into its wake, was designed by the
National Reform Association as stepping
stone to its constitutional amendments.
that would make of this republic an out
and.out church-and-St Government.
Here we see glimpse Of the train of
circumstances and designs that have led
up to the urgent necessity for a Sunday
law in California, and why it is that an
Association outside Of the confines of our
own State is more solicious in regard to
the matter than are the people of Califor-
MIA. But while we are opening up to
public view the schemes which lie back of
this work, we might go step further and
answer a question which may be logically
anticipated, namely, Whence sprang the
National Reform Association, and what
the occasion for its demand for such an
amendment to the National Constitution
as it proposes?
The answer is short: That association,
for over twentv wears was conduetad ayd