The evening times., 1897-02-11
THE PEOPLES FORUM
On the NewsbOy Question.
To the Editor of The iIaes.

o Une EulJOr OF Inc lines
The main issue inv oiyed In the trial Of
the ncwsE oys next Saturday morning, for
crying their newspapers, will doubtless
be the constitutionahty of the Commits
sioners' order
The Federal Constitution plainly says
Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof, or abridging the
freedom of speech or Of the press" Then
neither can our District Commissioners do
so while the Constitution is respected.
In so far as laws grant to orthodox
Christianity or it's religious days special
privileges that are denied to Seventh Day
Adventists, Jews, MOhammedans, Bud
dhists or other religions. and their Tellg-
ious days, they establish Christian or
thodoxy as against those other religions,
and prevent the ''fTee exercise of the
latter. Being, therefore, unconstitutional
and unjust, those processing TO 'dO unto
others DIS they wish others to do unto
Them should not invoke such laws.
To debar the poor, industrious newsbOy
from moderately using his voice in his
vocation, while changing church bells, re-
founding Salvation Army drums, vociferuGs
religious revival exhortation and shout
ing are rife, is certainly "abridging'' his
right OF "1ee Speech and for this second
reason unconstitutional.
Restricting the newspaper snatural, legiti-
mate, every day method OF circulation,
through newsboys civilly crying it, GER
tainly ''abrdges the freedom OF the press"
to circulate, and is, for this third reason,
unconstitutional
- T,sV ~Is.v,
claims that "alI men have equal rights
to life, liberty and the pursuit Of happi-
ness" Yet this unjust law virtually de-
nies the poor newsboys right TO life =
il he can't get the wherewith 10 sustain
it otherwise than by using his voice in his
legitimate vocation on the same day that
the opulent, weIl-paid minister gets his
living by using his voice. Thus il ignores
the very foundation principle OF our Ie-
public-"equal rights to all; special priv
ileges to none.
Another basic principle of our republic is
that the majority should rule. Only 20
900 600 out of our 100000 inhabi-
tants-less than one-third ARE commune
cant church members, and of these many
are not orthodox. Giving this less than
one-third special privileges at the ex-
pense of the other two-thirds is thoroughly
undemocratic. unrepublican, un-Amerioan.
Born of the inquisition, WITHDRAWING, cru
sading age, and utterly foreign tOthe spirit
of our free institutions and progressive age,
this unjust, seCtarian, despotic law should
promptly be declared unconstitutional by
our intelligent. progressive, broad-minded
Judges, and buried forever in deserved OBJ
livion. Hundreds OF years behind the
times, retroGressive and tyrannical, it is q
stencil in the nostrils OF a free, fair
minded, progressive people, and, ike any
other resurTected rotten corpse, should be
quickly, thoroughly and etcrnally buried.
Wholly undisturbed by the six da Us music
of the newsboys' voices, the few with alb
normally-develOped Sunday ears akin to
the Sunday conscience" may eventually
recover their normal hearing. However,
better provide public asylums for those who
can't endure the equal freedom OF others
than abridge that equal freedom. Truly
"the price of libertyfs eternal vigilance.
ID. Webster Groh.