Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-06-14

our neighbours house. But this is our
own house and IL is being systemati-
cally looted The Commentator
--l
REPLY TO CHIEF JUSTICE LORE.
Editor Every Evening; Some of us
have long since learned hat strange
things often occur when the issue Is
actually joined between righteousness
and unrighteousness, but the frequency
Of the observation does not lesson the
intensity Of regret when those who ought
to be on the hring line for righteousness
sake either strike their colors before O
gun is fired, or 60 squarely over 10 the
side Of the enemy. In violation OF the
Fourth Commandment, and with perfect
contempt for one of the statutes OF the
State Of Delaware, the Pennsylvania
Railroad Co. have begun TO run trains
down the Delaware railroad and its tribu-
taries on the Sabbath day. Such a pro-
cedure on the part Of q constituencies and
soulless corporation has aroused the
friends Of righteousness and good gov
ernment, and already plans have heen
formulated to stop this unlikely traffic,
II is in no sense refreshing or inspiring
in the face OF such a crisis, 10 tind the
Chief Justice OF Delaware on the side OF law
lessness For the Honorable Charles 3. Lore
we have nothing but the kindest personal
feelings but II he is correctly represented
and quoted in the Morning News of the
9th inst, the venerable Chief Justice has
done two things which, TO say the least,
are most deplorable. First, he has trailed
the banner Of the church OF his choice in
the dust, and second, he has forgotten the
purpose for which he was appointed in
his present honorable position.
However many unregenerate and un-
converted persons may have come into
her fold, the true Methodist Episcopal
Church is composed Of those who have
turned their backs upon oil sin, have
accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their
personal Saviour, and who prefer the
Methodist Episcopal to all other forms
OF church government. From the days
Of the formation Of the Holy Club,
in Oxford University, down to the
present moment true Methodists have
neither defended nor praoticed Sabbath
desecration. Read her Discipline and
study her General Conference utterances,
and you will quickly discover that Judge
Lore, though a member of our General
Conference, has trailed her banner in the
dust. We have never had a legal training,
indeed cannot claim the distinction of
being, in the language OF Senator Till
man OF South Carolina, a corn field
lawyer" but in some way or other we
have received the impression that whether
a law be misdemeanor or felony, II is
the solemn duty OF the Chief Justice TO
stand for It's enforcement. The law, in
the estimation Of the Chief Justice, may
be an unwise one, but with that he has
absolutely nothing 10 do; his business is
TO demand that il be carried out, and
leave the responsibility upon the people
who made tho law, Let me add by way
of parenthesis that this is the Chief
Justices vindication of himself in the
granting Of all licenses for the sale of in
toxioating beverages. Because of the
dreadful work Of the political corruptionist
Delaware has already attained an un-
enviable distinction among the common
wealths OF this nation, and il TO her
political degradation and iniamy there is
added the confessed impotence, by her
Chief Justice, to enforce her laws then
the little Diamond State will be o most
excellent place from which to migrate.
In his immortal psalm OF Life Mr..
Longiellow insists,
Olives Of great men all remind us,
We can make our lives sublime"
In connection with this splendid senti-
ment there is an incident. in the history
OF the judiciary OF Delaware, TO which
we would like TO direct the attention OF
the Chief Justice. More than a quarter
OF a century ago, while the writer was a
student at the Wilmington Conference
Academy, Robert G IngerFoll went 10 the
city Of Wilmington and delivered one of
his lectures against the Bible His re-
marks were vigorously applauded by his
audience Of inhdels, free-thinkers and
atheists, but we're in direct violstion of
the Third Commandment, and one Of the
laws OF Delaware The Chief Justice Of
Delaware, az that time, was the lamented
Comegys, a man who was rich in legal
learning, untainted BY anything like
higher criticism, and indomitable in his
purpose TO stand both for the law Of his
God, and the laws Of his State The
lecture Of lngersoll offered Judge Comegvs
an excellent opportunity TO talk about the
helplessness Of blu" law In the presence
OF nineteenth century development. and
10 win a great deal of applause from those
of exceedingly lax morals, but this great
lurlst called the attention OF the next
grand jury Of New Castle county TO the
fact that lngersoll's utterances were in
violation Of the law Of Delaware, and that
II the offence was repeated Ingersoll would
have 70 he indicted, and tried in that
court To the day OF his death Bob
Ingersoll directed his shafts OF ndicule at
Delaware, and at Judge Comegvs. but he
never could be persuaded 10 again come
into little Delaware and talk about Che
Mistakes Of Moses" an because the
honest incumbent of the chair now held
by Judge Lore believed that any law in
the Statute Book ought to be strictly
enforced. This incident, with Longfellow' 8
couplet. teaches its own lesson to every
honest inquirer after the truth.
What we have written up to the present
has been suggested by what the Morning
News has said about the attitude Of Chief
Justice Lore on this question Let Us
now notice his exact language as quoted
in the newspaper Il do not believe The
so-called blue laws can be enforced so as
to prevent the running OF Sunday trains