The record-union., 1897-01-21
WORKING FOR SUNDAY LAWS.
Conference Of the State Sabbath ASSO-
citation.
1T Wants a Law to Prohibit rIanual
Labor, Amusements, ETC.,
on Sunday.

The California State Sabbath Asso-
citation held a conference and mass
meeting yesterday in the First Baptist
Church ON Ninth street with the object
of obtaining such legislation as would
place again ON the statute book the old
Sunday law which was repealed in
1883.
The conference was held in the after
noon and was attended by most of the
pastors of the evangelical churches in
this city, and by Revs. DR.. NJ. c. Briggs
and r. S. Cantine of San Jose and II.
A. Ketchum of Berkeley.
Judge Mayo occupied the chair, and
Rev. NJ. D. Buck acted as Secretary.
Rev. M. c. Briggs explained to the
conference the object of the meeting,
and outlined the work to be accom-
pliShed. He explained that the object
of the California State Sabbath Asso-
citation was to make a civil observance
of one day in seven obligatory ON every
person, and to make this day the same
In all parts of the State.
DR.. Cantine, who was the next speak
er, thought there ought to be State
pride enough in California for it's peo
pie to be decent, and to be American.
California was the only State in the
Union of any prominence that had no
Sunday law.
1t would, however, be impossible to
get a Sunday law passed without
strong effort He had paid his first visit
to the Legislature that morning, and
had come to the conclusion that there
was nothing to be obtained in the de-
sired direction, unless the people de-
lnanded it from their representatives
and worked hard for it
He had met the Chairman of the
Committee on Morals of the Assembly
and had asked him as to the outlook for
a Sunday law. The Chairman told him
that he would never favor any such
measure and challenged him to point
out any State in the Union where such
law was in force. He would scarcely
believe the doctor that no less than
forty-three States had such laws on
their statute books.
The speaker stated that he had dis
covered that this Committee on Nor
ais was appointed for the express pur-
pose of seeing that no laws were en-
acted that would be offensive to the
gamblers. thugs and other bad elements
of Sam Francisco, and that, in the ses-
sion of 1895 the Chairman of that COM
mittee was a saloon-keeper.
They would have TO depend on the
influence of bhe people and of the press
especially the press. There was a
strong underlying current Of opinion
among the people in favor of a Sunday
law, and the efforts of the association
must be directed to crystalline this cur
rent into an organized and we'll direct
ed campaign in favor of the law.
Rev. DR.. Banks said that two years
ago he had, with some fellow workers,
tried to meet with this same Commit
tee on Morals. but whenever they tried
to meet with them, in accordance with
previous appointment, the committee
was either off at a dance or gone to San
Francisco or at the theater or some
where else-anywhere except in their
committee room.
Rev DR. Briggs stated that the re-
peal Of the old law was brought about
by one Of those sleek men who were an
xious to have the law abolished, and
who went about it promising to have a
better bill introduced and passed, which
should make the Sabbath better observ-
ed than before.
1t was needless to say this promise
had never been kept, and never would
be, if the bad elements could prevent
st. His opinion was that they must en-
list the services of the press, which was
generally, if not always, in favor of
any good movement and that he (the
speaker had always found the Record
Union one of the most helpful papers
IN this regard, when he was in Sacra-
mento, and he believed it was still SO.
He then related Horace Greeley's ex-
periences among European workmen,
where there was no Sabbath observance
and where the degradation and misery
of the people are SO great as to be be-
yond description, and so great that 1t
would take generations to lift them up.
Assenblyman Melick, who was pres
ent, was called upon to give some prac-
fical hints on how to best secure the en-
actment of the desired law, and stated
that il would be useless TO have the bill
sent ito the Committee on Morals or on
Labor and Capital, as either Of these
committees would report adversely on
the measure. If, however, it could be
referred to the Committee on Judiciary,
of which Judge Waymire was Chair
man, there was good chance of secur-
ing a favorable report.
Rev. H. a. ketchum stated that he
had in his possession petitions with over
5000 signatures on them in favor of
the enactment OF the law, and wanted
the pastors of Sacramento TO secure as
many more as they could. He read the
petition, which is as follows:
ITO the Senate and Assembly of the
Legislature of California: We. the un-
dersigned residents Of California, re-
spectfully ask your honorable body to
enact a Sabbath law that will prohibit
all unnecessary secular labor and busi-
ness and all public sports and amuse-
ments inconsistent with the proper OBJ
servance of the day. and that at the