Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-02-08
SUNDAY LAW
Discussed Before Legal Affairs
Committee.
The Committee On judiciary Consider
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The committees are ia full blast To speal
eoEioquiaiiy. Their rooms are CROWDS
Amos; to ssEocstion as the big heay:nal
such a. that before tie legzl sFxirs Tues
day afternoon on tina. bill prohibiting su.
day ercursions. On their table rested il
conspicuous view that mammoth petition oi
over 1900 signature for the bill and quite 4
number vsrt p,ean. to advocate IL. Thers
vas. too, a gsosly number to earnes,l,
oppose it. MI yrsncis DEMO Of Bango,
vas the hfst speaker and he urged the pas.
sage Of the measure. He believed that /,
is necessary TO the health Of cur working
people tina, they should not be- eompelles!
10 work on the Sabbath, that they nseaet!
the rest and quiet that came from an order
~ sunday. Said he knew of 9rgnkenness
On these Sunday sIcnr.ions
Rev. Mr.. Wharf Of Bangor also favored
the law, and bc cited the feelings of cot
tagers living along the shores against innn-
dating them rith exeur-ioBists on Sunday.
II. u. Tuck. Senator Allan. and quite a
Day Aasentists spoke. The latter strongly
opposed The bill. IL was, they argued, a
snioo os ehureh and STATE that was de,ri-
mental 10 the best interests Of the com
mRhiiy AMI an infringement on the iiber-
ties Of the people. One witness said that
the isboring men were only too glad TO get
work on the Sunday excursion trains. One
Of them intimated that il there was need Of
S.It.r bnv bas H.. kk.st.
had better seek the canse rather than at
tempt to legislsie in their behalf. Another
thought the pastors should have more faith
In the power of religion than to attempt to
legislate religion for the people.
Representatives Of the boats running
Sundays in Portland harbor and in casco
Bay spoke against the bill Manager Dan.
leIs Of the line to Hsrpswcli sail that he
knew Of no rowdysm on the Sunday ex-
curslous over that line. A large number
Of the exeursioni.ts were families that took
along babies and baby carriages and their
baskets of lunches to eat on the shore and
to enjoy what their weekly work kept them
from on any other day.
Hon. J. =. Bass of Bangor spoke against
the bill. He said the class Of excursion
lists from Bangor were respectable people
ard rowdyism on these excursions.
Rev. J. 8. Williamson, pastor of the
Congregationalist church in Augusta spoke
favor OF the bill. He said that he had more
liberal views than many on the observance
Of Sunday but he did dislike to see despised
that which had made New England charac-
ter what it was He spoke of the workmen
engaged in such pursuits that they were
compelled to work on Sunday or incur the
dspleasure of their employers. The law
should throw protecting arm about them.
He also referred to the drunkenness that he
bad seen on these excursions and intimated
that the reason some others had not seen it
was because they did not wish to.
Chas. +. Wing. ESD, Of Auburn spoke
against the bill He didn't believe in any
such law. He thought there better be law
requiring the ministers to occupy their pull
pits every Sunday in the year
Gen. Boynton of Augusta spoke in oppo-
sition to any such law as this bill proposed.
His speech was Il vigorous one as well a.
eloquent. The question. he thought. was,
IL II or Is il not wrong to go on an excar-
sionP He thought il was not wrong.
Though he didnt himself patronize Sunday
excursions he knew many that did He be-
lieved he had right to do so and so did
they. Jesus Christ took excursions in the
fields on the Sabbath day. Why not legis-
late the old Jewish Sabbath? He never
had heard of Isaac and Jacob observing the
Sabbath His conscience rebelled at such
a law rs the one proposed. The spirit that
would enforce against the public will in, he
thought. the mistaken belief that il was for
the public good, he hkened to the spirit that
aetnHted the iDqtisition rts
Hon II NJ, Heath spoke for the meas
ure. He said that under the present law
the trains that are being run Sundays are
violating the law and every one that rides
on them is violating it. Not dollar of
damage could legally be recovered from
the railroads for any injury person might
receive from riding on those Sunday trains.
He thought the necessary trains should be
legal zed and others done away with. lie
differed with many but he wished we could
have the old New England Sunday.
Speeches were now limited TO three min
utes, Rev. Dir. Randall in even less than
this time put the matter in nutshell. 1t
wasn't question of church and State.
Precedent already existed on our statute
books. He thought some additional legis-
lation was needed and some amendments to
the old laws. II the committee saw that
the moral sentiment of the community de-
msnded it, he hoped they would grant it.
Others speakers were heard before the hear
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