St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1906-01-12
SUNDAY LEGISLATION.
Here Is A Claim That II Is Not
Desired And Reasons Why.

Since there are two sides TO th'
question: ''Do we need Sunday
legislation p and as THE REVIEW
takes the affirmative. kindly permi
me to show briefly the negative
side of this important question.
The two eternal principles o
Liberty and Equal Rights are the
foundation upon which Our govern
ment was laid; and which are some
times apparently overlooked by
those who favor religious legis
lation.
The Declaration of independence
says: I'VE hold these truths to b,
self-evident, that all men are ere
ated equal: that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain inalien
able rights; that among these ar,
life, liberty and the pursuit oI
happiness"
Ordinary labor or harmless,
amusements are not criminal il
themselves: therefore any citizen b.
according to the basic principles oI
this nation has the right to engag,
in them whenever it may, in his
Judgment, contribute most to hi,
own happiness-provided of course,
that in so doing he does not in
fringe OIL the right of any other.
Sunday laws are wrong and should
have no place on statute books,
They are class legislation, made IN
the interests of a supposed majority
and deal only with questions which
should be left entirely between the
soul and its Creator. And, farther,
il the state has the right to define
one religious duty, II may with
equal propriety define and enforce
every religious obligation, even to
the forms of worship, the endow-
ment of the church, and the sup.
port of the clergy.
Liberty does not include the righ,
to infringe upon the rights OF an
other: but does include a recogni-
ton Of that other eternal principle
Equal Rights.
Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to
Il. W. Gilmer, dated June 7, 1910,
says:-"Our legislatures are not
sufficiently apprized of the rightful
limits of their power: that their
office is 10 declare and enforce only
our natural rights aud duties and
to take none OF them from us.
Article -, Amendments to the
Constitution, says:-"No state
shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges
or immunitics OF citizens of the
United States, nor shall any state
deprive any person OF life, liberty
or property without due process OF
law, nor deny any person within
its jurisdiction the equal protection
Of the laws" But this principle
is violated by enforcing Sunday
laws-for there are those who
rs conscientiously observe Sunday,
and there are many others who do
not regard any day; yet many OF
both classes are good citizens aud
entitled to the protection guaranteed
in this article.
Among all the religious per-
secutions with which almost every
page OF modern history is stained =.
no victim ever suffered but for the
violation of what government de
nominated the law of God. To
prevent a similar train OF evils in
this country the Constitution has
wisely withheld from our govern.
ment the power of defining the Iii.
vine law ~, 5. Senate repor, on
Sunday Mails, 1920.
President Mckinley in his first
inaugural address said;-"The
great essential to our happiness Is
that we adhere to the principles
upon which the government was
established and insist upon their
faithful observance. Equality of
Rights must prevail"
Jesus Christ, the founder OF these
eternal principles, said;-"My
Kingdom is not of this world" aud
III any man hear my words aud
believe not Judge him not" also.
Render unto Caesar, lthe civil
governmenD, the things that are
God s. thus showing that Church
aud State should forever he kept
separate,
II II is a quiet Sunday" that is
sought, certainly the first thing To
do would he To stop the ringing OF
the church bells on that day, but
since that would be an absurdity,
Is II not just as unreasonable 10 pro-
hlbit labor and amuSements which
do not make q tithe of the noise
that the church bells dop
We are certainly driven to this
conclusion unless in some way we
can distinguish between religious
and secular noise. But this is
merely one of the Inconsistencies
of religious legislation,
We have laws protecting vor-
shipping congregations from real
disturbance on all days of the
week and not merely from the
mental disturbance that comes from
a knowledge that someone is enjoy
ing right that We desire to abridge.
Al Mn.IHn n.InnN