Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-03-12

they endeavor to obey. How do these
God fearing. home loving, law abiding
folks like the sacrilegious spectacle of
the Republican sinners running the
house of representatives, restaurant
and barroom included, wide open, full
blast on Sunday, March 1, A. D. 1903?
A howl goes up because it is possible to
get drink in New York, Philadelphia
or Chicago on Sunday, even by sneak
nations capitol, in full view of all
passersby, the house of representatives
saloon dispensed liquid refreshments
to all who had the price and the appe-
tite on the first Lords day in March.
There was no sort of excuse for
session of the house on Sunday. All
the business necessary for the conduct
of public affairs could have been easily
transacted in two hours, and let it not
be forgotten that. over the protests of
the Democrats, the Republicans forced
the house to take a recess from 7:30 p.
day, March l, when all necessary busi-
ness could have been transacted from
1880 p. m. to midnight.
Again. it must be remembered that
the Republicans forced three weeks
adjournment of the house at Christ
mas and wasted the time. If they had
remained in session then, they would
have had plenty of time at the close
without outraging the moral sentiment
of America by Haunting their impiety
in the face of the public by holding a
session on Sunday, and yet the Repuh-
licans claim monopoly on purity,
sweetness, light, virtue, intelligence,
patriotism and righteousness! Really
they are whited sepulchers and care
no more for morality and the cognate
virtues than did the pirate crews of
Captain Kidd.
The supreme court of the United
States has solemnly declared this to be
a Christian nation, and yet here are
these Republican leaders openly and
defiantly trampling on one of the fun
damental principles of that religion!
Let it not be forgotten that Demo
Gratis unanimously opposed this un-
called for insult to the religious senti-
ment of the country. When Hon. Sc
reno E. Payne. chairman of the ways
and means committee and ex officlo
leader of the Republicans, moved on
Saturday night that 'the house take a
recess to IL o'clock noon on Sunday"
Hon. James D. Richardson of Tennes-
see, Democratic floor leader, moved
that Monday be substituted for Sum-
day." On roll call the Democrats voted
for the Richardson proposition for Mon
day. while the Republicans lined up
solidly for Paynes proposition for Sun
day desecration. OF course the Repub-
licans prevailed by brute force, for aft
or stealing seat for Undertaken Wag
oner Of st. Louis they had clear ma
jority of forty-six over all. They could
do as they pleased, and as a matter of
history they deliberately chose to vio-
late the Sabbath day and to outrage
the Christian sentiment of America.
Grand Larceny.
The ousting Of James ]. Butler of st.
Louis from his seat and the seating Of
the contemplate Wagner was grand
larceny. Indeed it was much worse
than that, for it struck at the very
roots of constitutional government
The constitution provides that quo
rum of each house is necessary to
transact business and quorum con-
sists, under the constitution, of ma
jority. Yet, while it required 129 men,
bers on Feb. 20 to make quorum.
Butler was bounced with only a
hundred and sixty odd present, and
that, too. when Democrats were shout
ing mo quorump' and demanding the
yeas and nays--a constitutional right.
That Hon. John Dalzell of Pennsylva-
MIA should have lent himself as speaker
pro tenn. to such a stupendous and un-
precedented outrage. like the peace of
God. passeth all understanding. for Mr..
Dalzell is not an obscure political thug.
He is one of the accredited leaders Of
q great party, one of its ablest mem
bers. Speaker Henderson, whether by
accident or design, was out of the chair
when the dlsgracefuI job was done.
and. unfortunately for Mr.. Dalzell's
reputation. he did it. He would ele
vate himself immeasurably If upon re-
Election he should proclaim that he was
wrong and should request all who shall
hereafter occupy the chair not to fol
low his ruling as precedent That
would be something like the Dalzell of
whom people like to think. He owes
1t to his own fame to do that very
thing. and he likewise owes it to the
cause of good government. He may
have made the ruling inadvertently.
he may have been ratified; but. what
ever the reason of ruling both out
rageous and unconstitutional, he can
not afford to let it stand. Mr. Reed
has been much abused for his high
aever dreamed of doing anything like
that. 1t was case of out-Reeding
Reed. of out Heroding Herod.
Let it not be concluded that only
Democrats condemn this revolutionary
proceeding. ahe Washington Post is
tiOt a pNpCi. A. 40 hhNC-
pendent and leans heavily toward the
Republicans. 1t defends the admins
tration and all things Republican
where 1t can do so without making an
ass of itself Concerning the stealing
of Buffers seat it says editorially:
We think that nearly every honest and
unbiased person will sympa thize with the
indignation of the house Democrats over
the despotic, not to say brutal, manner
In which the Republican majority has
disregarded decency and justice In the
case of the Butler Wagner contest
These contests have always been more or
less sorrowfui and scandalous, and the
Post has invariably protested against
them, no matter what form they took;
but in this instance every evil possibility
has been brought into an unlovely promi-
nence.
Mr.. Butler was elected to the Fifty
seventh congress from the Twelfth dis
trict of Missouri. He came to Washing
ton with all the legal and proper creden-
tials and that should have been enough
II his adversary had. or thought he had,
legitimate grounds for a challenge, he
should have submitted his case to the
local courts. where all the facts were
accessible and where credible witnesses
were easily within reach. Instead of that
he appealed to partisan tribunal 100