Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-05-14
PUBLIC OPINION ON
SUNDAY OBSERVANCE.

the columns OF your paper, concern
ing q strict observance of the Sabbath.
Now while l should like to see the
Sunday oil that it shonld be, l am not
inclined to believe, that the enforce
ment of laws, that are an tiquated,
and are relics of Puritiancal past can
accomplish much in the way of a
better observance of the Sabbath day.
In the first place our good friend says
that he is an American citizen, |
wonder if he has defined the true
meaningl of American citizenship or
is it possible that lie considers those
who are citizens by adoption not en-
titled to the same rights as those OF
our citizens who happened to be born
upon our soil. 1 trust that no man
worthy of the name of an American
would sanction sentiments of that
kind and yet, according to the state
ments of our worthy friend, he would
send all foreigners, who dared to pro-
test against the enforcement of the
obnoxious blue laws, back to their
former abode. Now 1 take it that il
| the welfare of our city were to de-
pend solely upon those who were born
| upon the soil, as q city we would not
amount to much, we would still have
cottage row, while the oyster business
would be our chief industry. Again
-. ,aoo-. f,;a,I ,oaroa RI ha n
sticklor for the enforcement of such
laws as we have, whether they be tue
| obnoxious blue laws of a past age oil
other wise, to him it matters naugh
whether they be a benefit to the
| people CT not. The fact tnat such laws
are on our statute books, is, in his
opinion. sufficient reason for the en-
forcement Of said laws, and the ques-
tion as to VIII ether they would be OF
benefit to the people rs q whole, Oh
an injury, does notaa enter at all. We
have some obnoxious laws, handed
down to us from a former age, and in
| order to have q proper observance oil
i biiO OhpDttbh, btO OhhOtCOihOhp vi ooiti
laws are necessary. When, therefore.
any citizen protests against the en-
forcement of the blue laws, they are
kindly invited to betake themselves to
{ the land from whence they came.
| Again our jealous friend states that
our country has become great through
re In uo T rnuct toHo iccua with him
ON this point and beg to inform him
( that America today owes more to its
people than it does to its laws. Ii,
however, the time comes when the
| plain people of this land Of ours shall
Use in their might and place upon
| our statute books, fair and just laws,
that.will apply to every citizen ire
spective of wealth or position in So
ciety, then and then only can the
American people make the broad claim
that we owe our greatness to the laws
by which we are governed.
Has our friend ever been present
in our Legislative assemblies and wit
messed the manner in which the laws
of our land are made? Is it not o
fact that nine per cent. of all the laws
| enacted during the last session wert
| in the interest of the corporations ;
| and I would like to ask where the
people came In, or has the thought
| ev er occurred to our friend of how
easy it is to send a poor criminal tc
prison, and how hard it is 10 send q
| real one who is backed by wealth and
| so-called social standing. So much
for the justice Of our laws as whole
Now let us analyze the so-oalled blue
laws, and see how they are to be ap-
piled in the present issue, according
to our friend it is a crime for a man
to purchase a loaf of bread, n pound
of meat, q pair of suspenders OF to
buy a drink on Sunday, all of those
articles are necessaries of life, yet
to purchase the same on the Sabbath
is n crime, and the religious repose
of certain church goers is disturbed.
Now why don't they stop the trolley
cars, the railroad cars, the Copper
Works, the Guggenlieim Works, the
coal docks, or in fact ali tho works oil
the various corporations, who in their
greed to amass millions actually comr
pei their employees to disregard the
Sabbath altogether by compelling
them to work on Sunday? Surely
the enforcement of the blue laws
should apply to them as we'll as to the
common people, but, however. we
don't hear any protests against the
corporations. Isuppose they are ex-
empt from a strict observance of the
laws governing the Sabbath day.
Now in conclusion 1 will say that
our population is chiefly composed OF
the bone and sinew of down trodden