The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-31
THE GAMBLER SHALL NOT HAVE HIS
WAY.


The spirit In which the clergy Of the
city last Sunday treated the effort 20
have the law enforced against the gam
Tiers and Sunday bar-rooms is most graf.
flying TO those who have order and the
welfare Of the city at heart. In a large
proportion Of the churches the subject
was discussed. and IN each instance, the
minister spoke in the strongest terms
OF the duty C. all good citizens to Uphold
the hands Of the chef of Police in his
effort 10 compel obedience TO the laws.
Rev. Or. Landrum hit the rail sluarely
u on the head when he directed atten-
ton to the fact that the aim Of the
present movement is to compel gamblers
to cease their Iefarious trade and 10
make bar-keepers close their bars on
Sunday. Inferentially. he drew the dis
tinction between those two cases and
the alleged violations OF the general
statute against laboring at any calling
on Sunday. We find that many persons
are not familiar with the actual provi-
sions of the law IN respect to this, and
we therefore think 1t well to state
them.
The gambling denounced is expressly
prohibited by the law. Bars are expressly
forbidden TO open on Sunday. There is 10
gu sstion at all about these cases. The
gambling forbidden. IS not TO be permit
ted at all. and bars are not 10 be opened
at all on Sunday. These are special
provisions of the law for gambling ana
Sunday bar-kecping.
There is another general law which
declares that If any ono labor at his gen
erai business on Sunday. ne shall he fined
So Works of charity and necessity and
railroads are excepted. II is easy
to determine what are works Of
charity. but question is made
in regard to what are works of
necessity. The opinion Of .he city At
torney. which has been published, pro-
ceeds upon the following line. The courts
OF the other States have construed this
language. he says. and have held that
statutes Of this sort are designed for no
other purpose than securing TO the people
one day in seven as a day Of rest. they
are not designed to secure observance Of
Sunday as a religious day. for II that
were their purpose they would be Incon-
stituticnal and void
In determining. therefore. what arr
works of necessity as the words are used
In the statute. We must consider the
daily lives Of the people to be affected
by the statute. and determine what the
them to regard az matters of necessity
for their ordinary convenience and COM
fort
II this construction put upon the law
by the City Attorney is its sound ooL-
struction. then the city can continue TO
have the gambling dens suppressed. ana
the bar-rooms closed on sunday. with
out being forced 10 make an extreme
construction Of the word necessity.
The construction commcnds itself TO
The Times as sound. bot it shall not ar
que for it. because its own interests are
supposed to be involved and IT proposes
TO share the common lot, .hateyer it
may be. without a murmur Or complaint.
But. however this question may be de-
cided. The Times does not propose TO
relax In the slightest degree IN its demand
that the laws against gambling and sun
day bar-rooms SHAH be enforced. II the
gamblers are able 70 impose their Will
upon the authorities Of the city. and
cause them TO make our lives on Sunday
professionally restrained. The Times viii
submit TO what the authorities declare
to be the laws as all good ctiz ms should.
The citizen must endure his fate. but the
gamtler shall not have his way because
he can make that fate an unpleasant
one.