Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-03-17
NEW YORK SUNDAY LAW.


New York city Is divided In senti-
mont ON the Sunday saloon question
The religious elements which, however,
are not united on that and other Inn
portant questions, generally regard the
Sunday traffic In lntoxIcants as a great
public evil. A few prominent divines,
as wen as some Of their followers Join
with people on the other side OF the
dispute, ana manifest strong regard
for the wishes and appotltes OF persons
who patronize places where liquor Is
soil.
one recent argument offered by the
advocates OF open sunday saloons Is
that "Under democratic forms Of gov
eminent a law is not permanently en-
forceable by elected authorities, where
a large number Of persons In the local
ity 10 rot consider the act forbidden
as Immoral ia Itself and are unwilling
to yield obedience TO the law
New York ls a cosmopolitan city, All
kinds OF people from great many ma
lions are congregated there, They
have their peculiar customs, desires
and habits. They have rights as citl-
2ens. These should all be considered
But there is one principle that ought to
be recognized in all democratic govern
monts, and that Is that the win Of tho
majority should prevail. Suppose
there Ia u considerable number Of cltI-
GERS favorable to Sunday llquor-sellng
II they are I'm the minority their per-
sonal wishes should not overcome ma
jorlty rule, The fact that New York
has a Sunday closing law would 90 to
show that the majority has decided
against the open Sunday saloon. II
that is true, the proper thing for the
minority to do is TO acQuiesce and con-
form to the law, and while the law
stands unrepealed II should be enforced
and officers who neglect or refuse to
perform their duty should be Inn
peached and deposed,
There are, no doubt, many respect
able and well meaning persons who
have contracted the habit Of drinking
lntoxlcants In a moderate way, who do
not indulge TO excess, and to whom an
occasional dram has become an lmagin'
ary II not real necessity They re-
gard the Sunday closing movement as
oppressive and an infringement upon
their liberties. Many Of them viii
either defy the law or seek to evade IT,
and dealers in the liquids thus In de-
mand will be ready to supply II and
risk prosecution These facts are held
by some OF the New York advocates
OF the open saloon as sufficient to war
rant the removal Of the laws restric-
tons. lpt, after all, It has not been
ehown that the majority Of the citizens
desire the repeal of the statutes and
ordinances that make Sunday liquor
selling unlawful. and until such a
change Of sentiment Is effected, the
argument is against the saloons and
their supporters.
We have not mentioned, In this con-
nectlon. the religious sentiment which
is opposed to the Sunday liquor traffic
as promoting the disturbance OF the
sabbath peace and Of religious worship
and OF that rest which is neediul on
the day observed In Christendom for
that purpose. Some regard should
certainly be paid to their objections,
and particularly 80 II they are endors-
ed by a sufficient number Of persons
unconnected with religious societies, to
constitute majority Of the community
In which the dispute arises.
The officers OF the law have no right
to take any sides on the question of
the laws enforcement Their duty Is
simply 10 execute, not 10 oppose or adj
yocate its provisions, Their opinions
as to ts ACCESSIBILITY have nothing to
30 with tho subject If the law says
intoxican's shall not be sold on sun
day executive officers have no option
in the matter but are required to en-
force the law, impartIally and to the
extent OF the power entrusted to them
This apples to every spot In the United
States This is popular government
and while the wishes, desires and me-
cefsites Of every class Of people are to
be wisely considered II Is the rule Of
the majority that must prevail or our
system OF government will be farce