Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-07-21
No Sunday Law Needed.

Air Clementsoh. in his article pub
lished in las; weeks Herald III reply
to ..Dr. Gratis attack upon Con
gresham Babcock, stated that Mir.
Crafts Is a medalesome crank and "a
considered BY the hest people 81
Washington III confirmation 81 Mr.
Clementson's statements we give be-
low an editorial from the Washington
Post Of February y, 1898.
1t will be observed by reference to
our report Of the hearing before the
House Subcommittee, on Friday last.
that the only persons who appeared
to advocate the bin were few profess
sional busy bodies. while a somewhat
larger number Of philosophical per
sons unselfishlY gave their time to
comba measure which has for its
object a tyrannical interference with
the rights of individuals To these
latter the community owe Il debt Of
thanks. The bill in question contem-
plates an intolerable oppression, and
vet the great mass OF the population
have left to accident their protection
against lis sinister and odious pur-
pose.
The chief champion of the bill was
the Rev Wilbur +. Crafts, who seems
to be unablet to find legitimate employ
ment in his pretended occupation. aud
who. therefore, serves as superinten-
dent of what he calls Reform Bureau
at salary, of course-and mani
tests his activity by meddlng impert-
inently in other peoples business.
We have had this Crafts with us in
the character of an irritant for some
years past. Upon what authority he
proceeds, and now far he represents
the wishes and opinions of any con
siderable element Of society. we do
not pretend to say. All We know
about him is that he undertakes to
regulate the morals of the District
and to annoy and bore nearly every
body in it with his offensive impor-
tunities. Speaking to the sub-comit-
tee, on Friday, he tried to produce
the impression, if he did not actually
assert, that he plead the cause of GER
tain labor organizations-the FEEDER
alton. the Knights, and the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers but
no representative of any OF those
orders was present to ratIfy his pre-
tensions, and in our belief none would
have done so had he been present
The labor organizations do not need
Crafts to voice their sentiments or to
advocate their rights they have fall
control over their own affairs.
They can see to il that their
members have one day Of rest ont of
every seven. We do not believe that
these organizations ever commissioned
Crafts to speak for them 1t is our
conviction that they would infinitely
prefer to he left free to spend the
Sabbath according to their individual
preferences.
Crafts and his coadiu:ors have been
conducting their abominable propa-
ganda fora very long and weary time.
They represent nobody save a handful
OF fanatics who wish to revive the
customs Of the dark ages and to force
the world to adopt their intolerant
aud narrow principles, In the pros
ecntion Of their pestiferous enterprise
they have resorted 10 every form Of
SANDER and mendacity. They have
pictured Washington a. an immoral
city, where vice runs riot where the
Sabbath is habtuallv dcsecratcd. and
where for lack Of SUNDAY laws to 80
formulated BY themselves, Of course
our youth are systematically cor
rupted and debased The facts are,
as shown by the statistics Of the
police department that in Washing
ION, sunday is the most orderly day
Of the whole week. that ours is al
moral and weil-behaved community
that the thing we need least 81 All is q
new law still further regulating the
observance If the sabbath. They
complain yociferou-lv ot the profane
noise which. On the Sabbath. disturb.
the pion a. their devotians while the
truth Is that the church bell, furnish