The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-12-23
Uncle John Returns.

from town and grateful rest Ior tle
readers of the Enterprise, i am nome
again, refreshed by my travels and as
ready as ever to find fault with some
things that have observed.
During my last trip | confined my
wanderings entirely to the state OF omO.
find that the Buckeye state is good
enough for me. She gave us Mckinley
for president and majority for him OF
$4,000 votes (mOre or less according TO
which way you happened to bet). she
also gave us Grant, Sherman, (both
Tecumsch and Long John,) Sheridan,
Hayes, Garfield and good many others,
also Mark Hanna, the way Mark
Hanna is the latest meteor that has
struck the earth,) who regulates the
prices of wheat and silver. But then
someone has to do it, why not MarkT
But find myself digressing. | thought
of critizing one thing which saw in
nv travels, and that is the habitual vlo'
Iation Of law on the part ola certain class
of merchants, known as restaurant keep
ers, | would not press this upon your at
tentiOn had | not observed the same
thing in your town, Mr.. Editor. have
not the statute before me, but the law
provides for the keeping open on Sunday
of hotels and boarding houses and other
places where their principal business is
to feed and lodge people. A proper con-
struction of this law would include only
hotels and boarding houses. Even such
hotels as have a bar are prohibited
by law from opening such barOr selling
ANYTHING therefrOm on Sunday. Never
theless find in almost every town, per-
sons who coin money every Sunday
selling tobacco, cigars, candy, gun, S"ft
drinks. etc., to the suffering public nm
der the convenient cover Of arestanrant
sign over the door. The extent of their
accommodations for the hungry
public is often only lunch count
er and a few eatables, but these are
of minor Importance and at best only sec
ondary to the principal business Of sell
ing the other goods mentioned above. In
such places you seldom find any accom-
modations for lodging peOple;no, yon tin'
no apology for the keeping open "f ''r
place Sunday except the lunch counter
and this lunch counter is like charity.
in the sense that it covers multitude
Of sins. Young men and boys who
habitua!ly stroll about town on Sunday
are attracted to these places, not because
they need to 90 there for something to
eat, for they have plenty at home, butbe-
cause they find chronic lOafers there who
tell vulgar stories and make fun for the
crowd and where they can squander
their pennies and nickles in slotmachines
or in throwing dice for cigars, etc.
All this is very demoralizing to the
youth. and all such places should be
promptly closed on Sundays, or else SUI
pressed by the authorities; but, II sucl
places are permit to run regardless I'll
Sunday and in violation Of the evlleh'
intent of the statute, why should "thel
business places be 80 unjustly discTim
mated againstp GrOcers, for instance
sell tobaccOs, candy, cigars, gum, frllt'
and nuts; why should the law discrlm
mate against themp Do they not aia'
feed their hungry customers with crack
ers and cheesep Does not this occur al
most every business day in the week II
every grocery store In the state! "h!
not, then, under cover OF this gTea
necessity" provide for the opening o
groceries on Sunday. 30 that they ma!
feed the famlshing public on cracker
and cheese and Incidentally Of course
sell said famishing public some OF tn
other necessaries Of life, such as tobacco
cigars and candyp
This great state oi Ohio, in her ''Bii
{ Rights" guarantees equal an
act Justice to all." then let the stat
upress these lake" restaurants, o
,pel them to obey the law. q
rrange matters that all her citizen
D carry on their regular business o.
y Nv and other days alike. Farmers
nd MICS, laborers, teachers In publ
'CNA and most tradesmen are require
lOos work on the first day Ot tn
ceaS Doctors, preachers, druggist
'eK' men are noI included, becau'
Im hoee' of their work requires theI
9 nasuI oft on Sunday. There are als
aVlehO ptiOus, such as Jews an
iher e1oo Adventists, whose peculif
sventh Da. Wa enable them to work O
snglous VAC ,ot on Saturday. The la
unday but 1 ,n,ions for all these classe
as mace "a" vOr unwisely do not a
whether "l0 claim is simply thi
rue; all l do as an individual THU
While u" nv" ure of any state has al
hat the 'es ate as TO what may
business to 'esisl N Sunday, or who nj,
may not w uOp Us ness on that day, "
or may ho' '" ~ on the statute boOl
as long aS d Ia" - 'th, let such lAgi
OF the eolhui'""o~ .. ms for its enfrc
latuTe pio'luo "a a lie first Opportnni
ment, or else selze " ,aI
70 accOhlp'9' ''' UNCLE JOHN.