New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-20
THE NEW LABOR QUESTION.

It's the same OLD story. Anu the saine Oiu
party "a telling It. Using the same old bugaboos
for the same old purpose. In Its essence the
Sunday closing law Is simple and necessary
provision in the interest Of laborng men and
their families. 1t insures to the men who work
in barrooms and saloons. and who have unusual
" long working hours on six days OF the week,
the same exemption from toll on the seventh
that Is enjoyed by the statesmen In grocery and
drygoods and other mercantile establishments;
the same proportion Of leisure and rest that
milk-seer provision dealers, mechanics trades
men and workingmen Of all sorts are secured
by the operation Of just, wholesome and equal
laws And though among It's supporters are
many who advocate II on the ground that sa-
looms and bars should be closed on Sunday in
the interest Of morality, and many others who
uphold II as Sabbatarians from strictly re-
ligious point Of view, II must be remembered
that the law which enjoins cessation from labor
one day In seven Is founded upon the physical
requirements OF man, and arises out OF purely
economic considerations. Whenever, according
", the representatives, Of the brewers and dis
ters, who. having large financial interests at
stake, are uncommonly hot about Sunday closing,
assert that the law Is an attempt to legislate
morality into q community, or compel religious
observance by law, the plain answer is that
neither morality nor religion, but simply the
right Of the laboring man to one days rest in
seven. was the compelling cause. us 1t Is the
sustaining force, Of the enactment.
But the Democratic press Is apparently very
much exercised lest the enforcement Of the Sun
day-closng law-whIch It should be remembered,
has been in existence In pretty much the same
form I'm which 1t now stands almost from time
immemorial. the only question now raised being
as TO whether II should be enforced Ike all other
laws-will make an end OF personal liberty. i'm
peril free institutions and make slaves Of all Of
u.s. These laws" said THE New-York World
Yesterday, "are in fragrant violation OF the f,lnda-
mental idea Of our system. They are tyran-
"nical in an intolerable degree. They Interfere
"unbearably with personal liberty. They invade
land tramplc upon the personal rights Of every
citizen" So laws which require keepers Of bar
rooms and saloons TO give the same one days
rest in seven TO their employees that milk sellers
and grOcers and all other tradesmen and en-
ployers of labor give 10 theirs Is "a fragrant viola
ton Of the fundamental idea Of our system,
Indeed. Then rhe fundamental idea OF our sys-
tenn has been hagrantly violated great many
years without our ever knowing It. If. more
over this law Is such hagrant violation Of the
fundamental idea of our system. why did David
Il. Hill advise It's enactment. why did n Demo
cratic Legislature pass it. and why did Governor
Flower sign It? And why did not 1.-THE World"
cry ont against the passage Of the law instead
Of waiting until conscientious officials began to
enforce It? Is IL the fundamental idea OF our
system that law Of any kind should not be en-
II hat tn1 90 al 4.
that the orderly and proper enforcement Of law
violates? What kind of a system must 1t he thau
Is so founded!
In It's zeal for the wealthy brewers and dis
tillers who are the chief, II not the only. suffer
ers from the enforcement OF laws TO the passage
Of which they consented, "The World INDUCES
In the most ridiculous nonsense about the effect
Of law enforcement. as If 1t would result in for
bidding the cooking Of hot dinners on Sunday
or making II penal offence for gentleman 80
give wine 10 his guests with their dinner on the
FIRST day Of the week" SO forty years ago.
when a question was up In which the laboring
men Of the country were most profoundly in
tercste1. and the Democratic party, regulating
as II now does the binding force Of laws Of is
own enactment. undertook TO deal deadly blow
ut the rights VI laboring men by the extension
OF the system Of slavery. they resorte1 TO this
same sort Of bugaboo. Then they said that who
ever voted against the extension Of slavery into
the Territories favored mIscegenation And to
the intelligent laborlng man, who knew that out
side Of all questions Of morality or religion the
issue concerned his right 10 earn a living with.
out being put In competition with slave labor
and so was personal and pat. they said. with
aua N In tor
marry a Niger. them" These Democratic dema-
gogucs and the newspapers which do their work
take the laborlng men for fools now ms they did
then. They talked TO them then about the fool
sbness OF letting moral or religious consldcrn.
lions influence their political action ON the