The record-union., 1891-02-16
SUNDAY LAW AND PUBLIC MORALS
Rev. Mr.. SilcoX Presents His Views on
the Sunday Law Bill.


the Sunday Law Bill.
EDS. RECoRD-UNIoN Your fairness in
giving so much space to both sides of the
Sunday question emboldens me to
crave room for few statements. The
proposed law is before the committees on
Public Morals" The fact that both
houses appoint a Committee on Public
Morals is proof that both the Senate and
Assembly consider it their duty to legis-
late in behalf of public morals. The un-
derlying principle of this is, the State. to
a certain extent, is responsible for the
public morals; the family is responsible,
the church is responsible, so also is the
State. These three institutions of society
are separately and together responsible
for the public morals. The State acknowl-
edges its responsibility by legislation.
w. E. Gladstone says the business of civil
government is to make right-doing easy
and wrong-doing difficult.
The queStiOnibefOre the two houses re-
solves itself into this: Will the passage of
the proposed Sunday law improve public
morals; will it tend TO make wrong doing
more difficult. and right-doing more
easy? The one question to consider is
this: Will public order, public morals,
and the good name of the State be SUBJ
served by this bill? The men and women
who are trying to educate the young in
good morals believe it will aid them, and
therefore ask for its passage. Mrs. Judge
Mayhem, speaking before the committee
the other evening, reminded them that
she spoke for 5000 wives and mothers of
the State who had petitioned for it,
These mothers, as she said, are trying to
rear their boys and girls TO honorable
manhood and virtuous womanhood, and
their work is made more difficult by the
fact that there is no Sunday law to help
them. The family asks aid from the State
in order to rear strong moral men and
women for the State.
That something is needed to check pub
lie immortality is patent to everyone who
has studied the condition of things in
California. In your issue Of yesterday
read with interest an able letter of Clara
FoltZ on Prison Reform" With that
letter and your editorial on the subject, I
am in hearty accord. The argument of
this lady is that the parole system will
lessen crime and improve public morals.
Her letter shows that something must be
done to check the criminality of this
State. She tells us that while population
in California in ten years has increased
only about so per cent, the criminal class
has nearly doubled.
Is it nota significant fact that for the last
eight years, during which time California
has had no Sunday law, the increase of
crime has doubled the increase of popu!a-
ton? Special measures have been taken
to increase the tide of population thither-
ward. Should not some special measure
be adopted to increase the public morals
and lessen public crime? Look ,on this
and then on that. Clara FoltZ SAYS Cali
fornia has won 1.-The unenviable distinc-
ton of having the largest percentage OF
criminals of any State in the Union' IT
has also the unenviable distinction of be-
ing the only State in the Union without
any Sunday law. These facts stand in
the relation of cause and effect They
act and react on each ether The fact that
the 100 per cent. increase of crime against
80 per cent. increase of population, has
been during the last ten years, and that il
was eight years ago the Sunday laws were
repealed, shows that the increase of crime
parallels the years of no Sunday laws.
These things challenge the attention OF
all citizens and statesmen who have the
welfare of the State at heart
The fact that the law-abiding, church.
going citizens of the State and the Chris
tian women ofthe State ask for the passage
of this bill, has aroused opposition from
a certain few who pretend to feel that re-
hgious liberty is imperilled. They fear a
return of the "fagot' and the rack" and
'.martyrdom'' for religious opinions.
All this rant and cant about religious
liberty being in peril cuts no figure what
ever in this discussion. They might as
well say that that free-thinker, Louis
Blanc, pleading before the Chamber of