Evening star., 1897-01-14
A Committee Protests Against Sunday
Newspaper Order.
COMMISSIONERS LISTEN TOARGUMENrS
Dr.. Kent Thinks the Order a DAN
gerous Precedent.
I N o T II E r ITIE 8

The strongest protest that has vet been
made against the order Of the Commission
ers forbidding the crying Of newspapers
on Sunday was presented to the Commis-
sioners this morning by the committee ap-
pointed at the Willard Hall meeting.
Although the Commissioners had already
acted finally in this matter, and had given
public hearing upon the subject, they
agreed to give the friends of the newsboys
another opportunity to present their case.
And so when the hour set for the hearing
| arrived, the Commissioners were all pres
ent, and no time was lost in getting under
| way. Mr.. Simon Wolf, who presided at the
Willard Hall meeting, opened the discus
sion. He preceded his remarks by an in
Quiry as to the influence that prompted the
Commissioners to make the change. Presi-
dent Ross replied that 1t had been stated
several times and widely published. The
Commissioners had received very many
protests against being annoyed by the cry
ing of newspapers on Sunday. Some of
them based their complaints on being dis
turbed while at their religious observance,
while others objected to being disturbed in
| their slumbers. The Commissioners took
the ground that they would not interfere
| with the legitimate sale of newspapers on
| Sunday. but only decided that the day
should be one of absolute rest and quiet.
Mr.. kent's Appeal.
| Mr.. Wolf then called attention to the fact
| that the order was not made because of a
| public nuisance. but in accordance with
| the wishes of few who were disturbed.
Other nuisances were taken care of by the
| police, when their attention was called to
| them. The Commissioners would have q
| big job on their hands If every one In the
| city who was disturbed by one thing or an
| other undertook to regulate them by orders
| He introduced Rev. DR.. Kent, who said:
| AT mass meeting held in Willard Hall
1 <Lo - .
committee to appear before your honor
| able body and respectfully ask at your
| hands a recall Of the order recently issued
| by you forbidding the newsboys Of this city
| to cry their papers on Sunday.
| I'VE beg to urge this upon you, first, In
| the interest of those neWsboyS who wish to
| sell their papers, and, second, in the inter-
| est of the reading public who wish to buy.
TT cannot be doubted, we think, that the
order prohibiting the crying Of papers will
| very materially lessen the sales. There are
many who would gladly buy ii they hap
pened to see or hear the newsboy who will
| the street or at the window to secure the
| chance. If the newsboy is not allowed TO
| make his presence known in the neighbor-
| hood in the usual way he will certainly
| lose a very large part of his custom.
| This Is a very serious matter to him,
| for Sunday is his principal harvest day.
| His profit on each paper Is twice as great
| as on other days. and he sells twice or
| three times as Hldny. IL uepIlNC VI
| any part Of this income is to lessen that
| which is already Inadequate to his needs
| and increase the pressure which Is forcing
so many into beggary and thieving.
| 'If it be said that this order does moi
prevent him from ringing each door bel
and seeking a customer, 1t may surely Dc
| affirmed that this IS something which the
citizen will not long permit II the Del
can be rung by one boy 1T may be ten, fo1
no one has any means of knowing whether
| another has been there before him. The
| average citizen. therefore, would prefer tc
| dispense with his paper, or take the chance
of getting it in some other way, rather
! than expose himself to the annoyance OF sc
| many successive attacks on his bell.
| ut is fully granted that the public has q
clear right to protect itself against unnec-
| essary or unjustifiable noises, but it may
we'll be questioned whether 1t has the right
| to single out one of the least offensive and
| disturbing ard discriminate SO clearly
against the interests and business OF those
| who cause 1t. If there is any right which
| society should guard with peculiar sacred
| ness it is the right to earn ones living. l
| do not say the right to get 1t. say the
right to earn it, and any restriction upon
| an honorable calling which makes the
| returns from that calling inadequate to self
| support and to the maintenance of those de-
| pendent on the Garner is serious inter
| ference with his rights. I am sure that the
gentlemen Of the District commission dc
+! not desire to sacrifice the rights and inter.
ests of any class-even the humblest-may
not say especially Of the humblest-merely
/ to promote the quiet and comfort even OF
| the highest and best. If there is any truth
whatever In the claims made for our gov
| ernment and civilization, the highest and
| best must be those who are most deeply
| concerned for the welfare and happiness
| Of others, and not those who are chiefly
| intent on securing and protecting theiI
own.
II have failed to find any one in the circle
of my acquaintance who has been seriously
| disturbed by the newsboys' cries. The only
| person with whom have talked who SEEM
| ed to feel that the public had a genuine
| grievance against them, and that the gen.
| tlemen who demanded suppression of
| their cries were public benefactors, was the
man who keeps the general news depot on
| 14th street. and whose principal business
| is the sale of out-of-town papers. The
| Quieting of the newsboys' voices means
custom for him, and SO he thought their
| cries extremely annoying and reprehensible
on Sunday. Gentlemen. Washington cannot
| afford to go on record as sustaining this
| order. There Is no public demand for 1t.
There is no public need on which such de-
mand could be justly based. The feeling
| prompting the few at whose instance or
| request the order was issued had undoubt-
| edly basis in notions of Sunday observ-
| ance which are utterly impracticable in
modern civilization. This order can only be
Justified and sustained by sentiment
which goes very much farther. 1 am sure,
| than you are willing to go; q sentiment
! which must result, If carried into effect. in
| practical reversal Of the Sunday legisla-
| tion of Our Puritan forefathers. I have no
fear. gentlemen, that anything of this kind
| Is before us, and do not conjure this up
as fogy. I only wish to say that the
path on which you have entered in passing
| this order concerning the newsboys is one
| which logically leads you where you cannot
| afford to follow
| We beg, therefore, you will return to
| the law as 1t was, which gives the church
! services all the protection they need with
| out seriously infringing the rights of the
papers, the newsboys or the reading pub
lie. l
Mrs. LOgan's Letter.
Mr.. Wolf continued the discussion nv
reading the following letter from Mrs
Logan. who was prevented by illness from
being present:
| Gentlemen: II a modus vivendi could he
| arrived at by which the newsboy could be
made to roar as gently as any sucklins
| dove. as Shakespeare says, and still be
| not deprived the privilege of crying their
| wares on Sunday, that arrangement would
probably satisfy all concerned. Their cry
Is their only capital-their advertising col
| umn and their perambulatory store. They
| earn three times as much by selling the
Sunday papers as by selling the weekly
papers. If you had been at the newsboys
| meeting. gentlemen, you would have seer
one boy-and q big boy too-hreak dowr