The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-15
THE VOTE WAS 59 TO 17
Baseball, Football, Tennis Golf Under Ban.
Callahan of Morgan Made Hall Bill More Sweeping by Substitute, Which Was Adopted-Money-
 lending Bill Postponed.

A sweeping bill prohibiting the playing of baseball football, tennis and golf on Sunday passed the House of Representa- tives yesterday afternoon by an over whelming vote.
 For the milder Hall bill prohibiting the playing of baseball on Sunday where an admission fee is charged, the House sub- stituted the more drastic measure pre- pared by MT. Callahan of Morgan with its inhibition against Sunday golf, foot ball and tennis as well as Sunday base ball.
 The fight on Sunday baseball was led by MT. Callahan. He had not particularly Identified himself with either side of the uuestion, but when the matter came up yesterday afternoon he assumed the leadership in the fight for the bill, pre- senting the substitute and making the principal and longest speech of the after noon.
 Opponents Had No Showing.
 The opponents of the measure had but scant showing. One or two of them made arguments against the measure, but with the full realization that their efforts were futile and helpless
 A number of amendments, apparently intended to ridicule the bill, were aimed at the measure, but they accomplished nothing but few minutes delay. The bill was passed after an amendment plac- ing the ban on croquet and ping pong had been declared out of order.
 The bill came up at o'clock in the afternoon as special order. The fact that 1t would come up at that hour had been published and the gallery was well crowded with interested spectators.
 MT. Hall of Montgomery, the author of the measure was absent. but Messrs Lusk of Marshall and Wilkerson of Au- tauga saw to it that the bill came up in its proper place.
 MT. Arlington of Montgomery imme- niately offered an amendment providing that in counties of more than 5000 in- habitants the law should not become operativsszzntii aA election was held The amendment was voted down.
 Callahan's Substitute.
 Mir. Callahan of Morgan, then present. sd his substitute, it being an entirely new bill. The substitute forbade the playing of football and baseball on Sun day where people resort.
 In pseaking to his substitute MT. Calla- han said he appreciated the fact that morals could not be legislated into people. The question. he said, was not legislat- ing morals Into peoebe. but it was legis- lating for the public good. He read section of the code in reference to the observance of Sunday which he said had been the law of the State for fifty years II do not advocate" said MT. Calla- han. the return to the old blue laws but we would have been a better people if we had kept some of those blue laws on the statute books. The people who trample on the laws of God are on the downward path
 He declared that a man was not all lowed to work in his field on Sunday. yet he might go out and play baseball all day Sunday with a bowling mob. The time had come, MT. Callahan said, to put a check on the great evil of Sunday base ball.
 Blackburn Adds Tennis.
 MT. Blackburn of Jefferson, offered an amendment to add the word tennis to baseball wherever 1t occurred in the bill MT. Kelly of Choctaw, said he con- cured in every word which had been ut tered by MT. Callahan. He said he had never seen but two games of baseball and in one of them a man had his arm broken and in the other a fellow got his leg broken. It was no more harm, he said. for a man to go hunting on Sun day than to play baseball, yet hunting was forbidden.
 MT. Arlington of Montgomery, offered an amendment to the bill declaring that mo man shaI work his maid or his man servant, nor his ass nor his neighbors." MT. CallanAn uecIareO that, as ne ndO predicted, the opponents of the bill were attempting to poke fun at 1t. It was no laughing matter, MT. Callahan said.
 The Arlington amendment was ruled out of order.
 Mir. Blackburn spoke for his amend- ment forbidding the playing of tennis. An object lesson for the need of the amendment he said might be found in Montgomery. He had seen, while drlv- ing Sunday afternoon, a tennis court in full operation, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Fotball. he said. was played on Sunday only by school boys. but ten his was played hv grown men.
 Waddell Puts in Golf.
 MT. Waddell of Russell offered an amendment adding golf to the prohibitions of the bill.
 Mir. Blackburn endorsed the suggestion. There was more complaint about the game of golf on Sunday than of baseball. he said
 Mir. Haley of Jefferson said that he had been in favor of the bill from the out set He was more in favor of it than ever since golf had been put in it. Golf, he said. was played on Sunday by a class of men who were able to take exercise on other days of the week. The people of West End near Birmingham had been greatly annoyed by Sunday golf on the links near the town and an attempt had been made to extend the limits of West End so as to take in the golf links and stop Sunday golf by municipal action. This bill would now put an end to Sun day golf playing.
 The golf amendment was adopted.
 MT. Kelly of Choctaw proposed an amendment to include croquet and ping pong, but it was ruled out of order
 MT. Hoffman of Mobile, wanted the bill so amended that it's provisions should not apply to parks where they had ample police protection. but the amendment was lost
 The Vote in Detail.
 The vote on the bill as amended was as follows:
 ~-~- Ayes Messrs. Arnold, Ballard, Bank head, Blackburn. Callahan, Cook. Crum, Edwards Elliott. Fletcher Frazier. Full ton, Glover. Gray, Haley. HandleY. lick