The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-08
SUNDAY MASS MEETING
BASEBALL BILL AND OTHER LEGIS-
LATIvE TOPICS DISCUSSED.
Speak-New Churches Put Under
Way Yesterday.

| ing the proposal to Iegislate in favor of
| Sunday baseball in indianapolis, the anti
cigarette bill and the bills regulating wine
rooms and quart shops. Incidentally. some
| of the speakers digressed and talked on
local politics.
Rev. Mr.. Hunter. at the close of the meet
| ing, took occasion TO say something relative
TO the nonenforcement of the laws i'm this
| city. He declared that so long Christian
| people do not rise up and demand the en-
forcement of the laws the authorities cam
not be altogether blamed. Law, he said,
was supposed to represent the sentiment of
the people. If the mayor has not been
elected on a platform of law enforcement
| 1t IS but natural for the officials to regard
it as an expression of the will of the peo-
ple A municipal campaign will soon be
| on, he declared. and he added that word
had gone out that the town shall not be
| fenced In" for the next two years. At
| least, he said that was the word given by
| the Republican party, which saying
| that there should be a nominal enforcement
| OF the laws. but no such tightness was
| maintained during the Denny administra-
| ton. He said that he did not believe the
| majority of men who voted with the party
| two years ago would vote for a man who
| does not stand on a platform pledging him
| 10 enforce the law. Or. Hunter said that,
much as he would regret To turn his back
| date for mayor who was elected on weak
| platform He intimated that ii might be-
come necessary for a citizens ticket to be
| when this declaration was made
DIR. Hunter called the meeting to order
| at ) o'clock yesterday afternoon with a ref
| erence to the called meeting of the minis
| tiers of the city two weeks ago, when a COM
mittee was appointed to present a protest
| against Sunday baseball and to give it's sup
| port 10 the age-Of-conSent, Wineroom and
anti-cigarette bills. The meeting of the
| afternoon, he said, to hear something
from those who had given a great deal Of
thought TO these questions. He thought
that 1t was fitting that DR.. Lucas should be
asked TO speak against Sunday ball, as he
was something OF a baseball crank and
could not be regarded as prejudiced against
the game.
Il have heard him root equal to any one
on the grounds when the game was coming
our way. said DR.. Hunter. This created
something OF a sensation among the three
hundred or so present many of whom were
women.
DIR. LUCAS ON BASEBALL.
THE American Sunday said Dr. Lucas
rs one of the pillars of our progress No
men want to do business on that day ex-
cept those in quest OF money The men
who want to conduct baseball on Sunday
do it from mercenary spirit. The claim
of philanthropy and of regard for the
happiness and rights of workingmen is a
show of phariseeism that is disgusting to
but the first step TO a 'wide-open' Sunday"
III Specldl privileges were granted to base
ball, he said, IL would not be long until the
saloons and theaters would be demanding
the same rights and the barkeeDers and
theatrical men would have TO work whether
they wanted to or not He spoke of the
TACT that many railroad men are already
compelled TO work against their will. He
| regarded this as Il dangerous step by en-
plS,yers; who were breaking down the moral
and removing the restraining influence of
home and family ties. He did not want to
compel people to go tC church, but believed
that those who wanted to go should not be
deprived of the privilege by being compelled
to follow their ocationS.
You say that baseball men are not CON-
PEELED TO work on Sunday. How do you
| know? / know men in the profession who
are good men. conscientious men. 1t is not
voluntary with such men to work. There
are thousands of men compelled to work
on Sunday-they must do it to hold their
positions. 1t is the only occupation they
have and they look at their wives and chill
dren and trust God to hold those responsible
who compel them to violate their con-
OF amusement. So much the worse. You
are a bad imitation of Nero. who found en-
confiagration of Rome"
DR.. Lucas declared himself in ia
city as free from Objectionable fea-
lures in future as it has been
in the past. and he warned Messrs. Colt
Brush and Watkins that if they wanted to
change the character of attendance they
had but to begin Sunday ball He said that
ne had been informed the receipts of In
dianapolis were larger than those of a city
twice as large which tolerated Sunday ball
AS the game has been conducted in this
could be patronized by ministers, who were
compelled by popular sentiment to abstain
from theaters card-playing, horse races
and fairs. If Sunday ball became a fact
he said il would no longer be game that
any decent Christian could attend.
| IF preacher were to appear at Sun
day game" said he, 1.-The very men who
are advocating this cause would point the
niger on Scorn a. nl ON biS mas
men cannot invoke the blessing of Cod
DR.. Lucas was frequently interrupted by
applause.
MR.. REYNOLDS'S HOUSE MANNERS.
e. B. Reynolds. of Wayne county, also
spoke on the same subject. He is member
of the Legislature. Yesterday he forgot
that he was not in the House and began
his address by saying Mr. Speaker" The
words were scarcely out of his mouth when
he realized his mistake, amid some confu-
sion. DR.. Hunter covered his embarrass-
ment promptly by recognizing him the
gentleman from Wayne This amusing
incident called for a round of applause;
apols any other city. and for that mat
ter on any day of the week or any hour in
the day. He had not been able TO see that
it had added anything to the social. ma
terial or moral welfare OF the State. with all
due Difference TO DIR. Lucas. who looks
like n baseball player anyhow" Mr..
Reynolds put il. Dr. Lucas smiled and the
audience laughed He was opposed TO base
ball on Sunday because the day was of di-
vine ordination, but he did not assume that
opposition to it could be predicated on that
line so long the moral spirit remains az it
is to-day, when people prefer a progressive
euchre party to a prayer meeting. To grant
Sunday ball TO indianapolis he regarded as
being but an opening wedge to extend il to
every county in the State. for if 1t "A
good thing for Indianapolis il would be for
other towns. 1t would get to Wayne coun-
ty. for Wayne county knows n good thing
when she sees ii. and don't allow any good
thing TO lay around lose. Mr.. Reynolds
closed his remarks with the declaration that
if nobody else voted against the bill i'm the
whole General Assembly he was one man
that would There was more applause at
this remark
CAPTAIN RITTER ON WINE ROOMS.
Eli +. Ritter the next speaker. He
was introduced as a man who had been be-
fore the public somewhat prominently the
last two or three weeks and the words Of
commendation for his course that were
spoken by DIR. Hunter were received with
a good deal of applause. Captain Ritter
spoke of the winerooms and quart shops
There is and has been plenty of law against
the quart shops, he said. and 1t has been
frequently demonstrated that they could
be absolutely prohibited. He said the claim
had been made that there was no law
against the winerooms by some OF the pa-
obi f.l IN h.