Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-27
SUNDAY clOS|NGLAWS
+ 4
Arguments Made for and
Against Legislation.
"a s.
FIVE-MINUTE SPEECHES
BUTCHERS ASSOCIATION PLEADS
FOR DAY OF REST.
Preachers Association and Others
Favor Pending Bill-Those
in Opposition.
FIVE-MINUTE SPEECHES

in Opposition.
| All records of hearings before the board
of District Commissioners were broken this
morning when the advocates and opponents
of Sunday closing laws in the District were
present in the board room at IL O'Clock to
present their views to the Commissioners.
The big board room was crowded to the
doors. The table at which the members of
the board sit was moved back several feet
in order to allow several additional rows of
chairs to be placed in position. All the
District offices were ransacked for the nee
| essary chairs. The hearing was upon sew
| eral bills now pending In both branches of
Congress. One set of these bills requires
| all places Of business In the District to be
closed Sunday and are very stringent, while
| the second set is somewhat more liberal, the
| bills being entitled ITO further protect the
| first day Of the week as day of rest In the
| District of Columbia
| At the hearing this morning were scores
| OF preachers, merchants, orthodox Jews,
| Germans, other foreign-born citizens and
| representatives of laboring organizations.
| The several speakers were very earnest in
| their remarks and it become necessary for
| Commissioner Macfarland, as president of
| the board, to request that there should be
| no demonstrations Of approval or disap-
prevail. At the conclusion of the hearing
| at 1870 o'clock, that time limit having been
| fixed by ruling of the board Mr.. Macfar-
| land said the Commissioners would consider
| the matter carefully and would be glad to
| peruse anything that might be submitted In
| writing.
| The Commissioners made a rule at the be-
| ginning Of the hearing that no speech
| should be made of more than five minutes
| duration 1t was also decided that the adj
vocates and opponents of the bills should
| alternate in addressing the board. AS the
| first advocate of Sunday closing occupied
| twelve minutes time, the point was made
| that the first opponent should be granted
| the same time, and was allowed by the
Commissioners After that, however, the
| five minute rule was adhered to as far as
| possible
The Opening Addresses.
| The first speaker was James A. Hoffman,
representing the Retail Butchers Associa-
| ton. This association was instrumental in
| having one of the bills introduced in Con-
| gross, and Mr.. Hoffman said the butchers
| had been successful in having Sunday laws
| enacted In other cities. They knew they
| We're right. Butchers are now compelled to
| keep open Sunday morning because their
| competitors do so.
| He said the Sunday laws would work no
| hardship to any one but would be relief
| to many who now suffer because of having
| to work up to u o'clock on Sunday after
| having labored eighteen or twenty hours
on Saturday Nature of man, he declared,
| rebels against working seven days and de-
mands day of rest The man who works
every week day. including Sunday is not a
good husband or father, a good citizen
! because he has no time to read up on pub
lie affairs and knows little or nothing of
| what is going on about him.
General William Birney was the first to
| be heard in opposition to the bills. He oc-
| cupied his time in reading what he termed
| a compromise bill, which was sarcastic in
tone and evidently drawn up for the purpose
| of showing the ridiculous state of affairs
| that might be brought about if abstinence
from work were strictly enforced on Sun
day General Birney said if Gods COM
mand was that no man should work on
| Sunday the Commissioners should not al
low the policemen or f1remen TO work that
day.
Gen. Birney's bill called for the arrest of
| everybody doing the slightest suggestion Of
work on Sunday, including hotel keepers,
&c The bill provided. however, that 1t
should be sufficient defense for a violation
of the law for the offender to show he had
| rested for space of time equal to Sunday
earlier In the week. He said one Of the
Sills provided Tor the further protection Of
sunday as day Of rest. Gen. Birney de-
! clared the preachers were the hardest
! worked people on that day.
Preachers Association Represented.
The Methodist Preachers Meeting of the
city was one Of the first organizations to
| request the hearing. and Rev. Lucien
| Clarke of that body was next heard He
said the Sunday closing movement was not
| church movement, but came from clerks
who desire an opportunity for rest and an
observance of the Sabbath. Mr.. Clarke de-
clared the preachers are in favor of the bill
| which does not except cigar dealers and
news dealers, apothecaries, &c. but We're
willing to accept an amendment such as
had been suggested by Commissioner Ross to
exempt certain classes. He said the preach
ers realized these exemptions are necessary
in order to place public sentiment on the
side of the BILL He said he understood
there are no less than 500 grocers who keep
open Sunday morning, employing at least
1000 clerks.
]. S. Washburn, representing the Seventh
Day Adventists, spoke against the bills. He
said he opposed the measures because they
are violations of the religious liberty prom
ised the people Of the United States in the
Constitution: He said the proposed laws
measures are purely religious in character
he declared: are being urged by religious
people. and the hearing had been asked for
Of the bills shows it is designed for the
protection Of the day and not the man. He
regarded 1t ridiculous to say that any
man in the United States is compelled to
work on Sunday against his will. or at any
other time for that matter. A man whose
religious scruples are not strong enough to
make him risk the losing of his place If he
does not desire to work on Sunday has no
religion worth protecting. Any one who
wants to rest religiously on Sunday can do
SO. he declared and should not fear to lose
his place.
George B.ESquiers. representing the Re-
tail Clerks Association, next favored the
Sunday closing laws. He said an effort to
secure closing agreement among the mer-
chants had been unsuccessful and the only
hope of the clerks was in congressional leg
| islation. ~ ~
w. A. Croffut, representing the Secular
League, read humorous document he had
prepared purporting to be report from
the superintendent Of police next Septem-
Der the workings of the Sunday laws
if they were enacted. The document was
not concluded, as the time limit allotted the
speaker expired before he reached the
finish. Mr.. fCroffut declared the preachers
would lose their jobs If they did not work
on Sunday, the organists would do like
wise, as would also the coachmen who are
compelled to drive people to church
Arguments For and Against.
Louis Kressin. an orthodox Hebrew, said
he would be deprived of his religioss liberty
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