The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-13
HoLIER THAN TOPEKA.
Ottawa Won't Allow a Sunday A. o.
U. W. Picnic in Forest Park

! - W. ElCn1G IN r crest Kark-
Ottawa. May 13.-The most talked of
| subject in Ottawa the last two days is
/ the refusal of the city council to per-
init the A o. L. W. of Kansas City TO
( hold picnic in Forest park on June s.
The formal request was read and re-
I ferred to the committee on parks, who
{ submitted a majority report that il be
] not granted. Communications protest
( ing against the granting the request
/ were read from the park commission
/ ers, the w. c. T. L, the Pastors assO-
/ citation. and the Epworth League.
Councilman Atkinson moved the
adoption of the report of the commit
! tee on parks. He took the ground that
! the request was extraordinary. Every
/ body admitted that the sanctity of the
! Sabbath should be regarded-that il
was sin to violate it-and for people
/ Of other cities to ask US to permit them
to commit sin was extraordinary. OF
/ taWa has moral reputation that is far
and near, and it should not be narred
/ IatOrs.
| Rev. Mr.. Cox supported the motion.
The Sabbath is a civil as well as
! Christian institution, but the rights of
the people must be based on law. This
I1gnt TO be protected by the law. We
/ looked to the gentlemen of the council
for that protection. A city has a char
/ acter to sustain as we'll as has an indi-
/ ViduaL He believed that the council
would protect that character.
Mr.. J. W Bum said that he had
brought his family here lately largely
on OtaWa'S reputation as a Christian
and moral city. He was jealous of her
/ good name and hoped the council would
not put a stain on it.
Mr.. Willis spoke of the wide extent
of his observation, and declared that
/ he had never known a place with a
reputation as city of homes equal to
I those OF Ottawa Its police court and
force were never particularly busy. It's
proper maintenance of Sabbath order
is great step in regulating the good
vol
seemingly innocent one, but to grant it
! would be to establish a precedent that
| might work infinite injury.
Mr. James Guy opposed the petition.
He took the broad ground that there
/ was no need of trains of any character
/ Sunday.
Prof. Ward endorsed all that had been
/ said It was best to let well enough
| alone. He believed the question would
/ be settled tonight for all time to come.
Deacon Reed spoke against granting
/ the petition. Our beautiful park is a
wide advertisement for Ottawa, and we
| should not spoil it by granting any
/ such request.
Mayor DObson stated the history of
the call for a special meeting. He
and the committee on parks had been
| in q Quandary. The request came sim
! ply for the use Of the park for an avow-
/ eddy respectable people. The business
! center was CanVaSSed. and out of 25 or
30 representative business men seen. 70
/ per cent had said:''Yes, let them Gomez
The meeting was called to afford a gen
eraI expression of sentiment.
Councilman Stannard said that the
men interviewed were certainly repre-
sentative, but he thought they had
/ said yes" unthOughtedly, without due
! consideration; number had come to
him to reconsider their first expression
! faVOring the request.
Mr. In Stache- was opposed to Sun
/ day excursions If we let this one in
on the next ones. He did not think
/ our citizens wanted to indOrse that
/ kind OF sabbath keeping.
Councilman Nettleton spoke of the
/ character OF the y. O. L. w. It needed
/ no defense, he Opined. It's members
! were not thieves, thugs or pillaZers.
| All they ask in this matter was the
! privilege of enjoying a day in the park
the beauty Of Which had attracted
| them
Judge Robb opposed the request We
| have six days for la Dor and the pursuit
of pleasure, the seventh is the Lords
no man has right to take that for
/ pleasure As a Christian nation we
have no right to violate the Christian
GOV. PIP. Elder understood the propo-
SltlOn to be to absolutely exclude all
Sunday excursions. He did not believe
! in being too radical and exclusive. It
/ was well to draw the line on bad char
| acters. Such could not come on an
occasion of this cha=acter-in fact.
( moral city like OttaWa-they have
/ more congenial resorts to which they
so. And he saw no more harm in fam
lies of respectable people going on a
! Sunday excursion to a park than there
| was in Christian people hitchine up
their horses Sunday afternoon and
! driving their families out into the
country. He was in favor of eXercis-
| irg discrimina ton.
Rev. S. S. Martin spoke as a member
| of the wOrkmens Orga nization and pro-
j tested against the Sunday excursion
| idea. He did not believe in the Sunday
! excursion idea for his brethren. Peo-
| pie can and do go eVeryw here on week
DAYS there is no necessity to take Sun
day for it.
Rev. Mr.. Baker brought out the con-
| the Sabbath as a day of rest and wor-
/ ship. and declared that the day had al
| ready been shOrn of too many of its
/ holy prerOgativeS. He emphaticaIIy
( opposed the recognition of petitions for
| the privilege of violating it.
Mayor DobsoE announced that the
| discussion would close.
on vote of the adoption of the ma
| iority report of the committee. the re-
I port was adopted.
/ In voting no" Councilman NettIe-
/ ton explained that in point of fact the
order of A. o. L. w. was constitution
ally as much opposed to Sunday excur-
sions as was any gentleman in the room
no lodge could lawfully indulge in one
| without special permission OF the grand
master workman
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR ADJOURN.
Topeka Given the Meeting of 1895
officers Appointed
Junction City, May 13-The Grand