Evening star., 1898-02-25

was born of the hate Of the church people
for opposing sects, the most odious kind of
hate of which man is capable.
Il suppose" said Gen. Birney that
these people have designed this bill out of
their sense Of Christian Il 2. God save me
from having any of their christian love df-
rected toward met
H. C. Kirk in Opposition.
Mr.. Hiland C. Kirk. president of the secu-
lar League. opposed the bill. He said the
members of this league are fully as moral
as any churchgoing people in this city In
fact he said, secularism means the promo
tion Of morality here and now He said
this was dangerous bill. 1t was the OPEN
ing wedge In movement to bring religion
into affairs of state. The bill looks harm
less, he said, but is sinister in purpose.
w. A. CrOffut in Opposition.
Mr.. w. A. Croffut opposed the hill. He
said the impression has been sent broadcast
over this country recently that Washington
is turbulent city on Sunday. People are
told that Washington is a bad city, and the
persons who are responsible for this i'm
preston are now engaged in an effort to
bring light and gladness into this benighted
community.
Who oppose this bill?" asked Mr. Crof-
tut. All the Jews of the country. all the
Seventh-day observers, all the spiritualists,
and, 1 believe. three-fourths of the Chris
tians and the labor unions.
WHO favor this bill? Chiefly clergymen,
the men who of all others do the principal
part of their work on Sunday. 1t seems
strange that they should want other men
to rest on the day that they have to work.
l do not see any blacksmiths or carpen-
ters or other workingmen here in favor
of this bill"
He said he had talked yesterday with
officials Of the labor unions. and they op-
posed the bill. They said that some en-
tire unions had to labor on Sunday.
Geo. Il. Whccler's Reasons.
Elder Geo. B. Wheeler of the Seventh
Day Adventists opposed the bill. He said
the church bells make a noise on Sunday
and disturb the day of rest. Unless the
bill should discriminate between religious
noise and a secular noise, the churches and
the drum corps of the Salvation Army
would come unteer this bill.
He said that law in Tennessee, similar
to this one. had caused the arrest of 120
persons, the conviction of 78, who suffered
fines and imprisonment.
Mr.. Wheeler quoted some recent utter
ances of Mr.. Crafts on Sabbath breaking.
'The point of 1t was, said Mr.. Wheeler,
that although there is not word of Scrip
turc from beginning to end to support 1t,
Mr.. Crafts denounced the people who do
not observe his Sabbath as traitors to God
and their religion. He did that at meet
ing where resolution of sympathy for the
Seventh Day Adventist martyrs of Tennes-
see was voted down.
Rev. MIR. Lewis Views.
Rev. Mr.. Lewis of the Seventh. Day Bap-
lists opposed the bill, not for what it means
here, he said, but for what it may mean in
the future. He opposed the bill, he said, in
behalf Of Christianity itself
Gen. Birney said that this bill applies to
little children under fourteen years of
age who may engage in innocent pastimes
on Sunday. 1t applies to the boys in the
Catholic colleges, who are permitted to
play base ball in their college grounds
Sunday afternoons. He claimed that the
Catholics are against this kind Of bill.
The bill applies to livery stables and ho-
get a punctilious judge on the bench that
bill could be enforced against the hotel
keepers.
Mrs. Ellis FayOrs the Bill.
Mrs. NJ D. Ellis of the Worlds w. c. T.
L. favored the bill. She said that she rep
resented ar organization largely composed
Of mothers, and in behalf of them she
asked for this bill. She wanted Sunday
preserved so that greed could not be per-
mitted to enslave workmen so that they
were deprived of their day Of rest She
had petitions, she said, from all sections
OF the country in favor of the Sunday rest
bill. -
Mr.. Gordon CONT overted Gen. Birney's
statement that Congress had not legislated
m behalf OF Sunday for the District He
quoted an act of the Forty-third Congress
providing that the Police shall enforce the
Sunday laws of the District.
Mr.. Crafts followed Mr.. Gordon In fur
tier elaboration OF that point. He said
that Congress had made four Sunday laws.
1t is only desired ow to replace one pro-
vtding enforcement which had dropped out
by lack OF the mayors signature years ago
Mr.. Crafts went on to say that this move
ment was not altogether a religious one
The Churchman'S League is composed OF
business men.
Il am pushing many reforms said Mr..
Crafts, reforms IN divorce, purity, tenn
perance and gambling, and they are not
supported wholly by minister's.
Mr.. Crafts took issue with Mr.. Croffut on
the statement that labor unions oppose this
bill. He said that workingmen advocate
the bill, and he does not believe Mr. Croffut
could find one labor union in the country
opposing the bill. The locomotive engineers
are enthusiastic in Its favor.
In conclusion, he said his chief motive in
advocating this law was not to promote any
theological view. but to protect the work.
ilgman by suspending his work one day in
the week.
In response to a question, Mr.. Crafts said
that he deyotes the greater part of his sal
ary to his work Of reform: that he had
given up a salary of "a, $50 year as min
Is. er &c accept half as much as superinten-
dent of the reform bureau and he does not
take more than one years salary out of
three for himself.