The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-22
SHOWSLACK OFLOGIC
REV. DR.. VANCE'S STATE
MENT ON SUNDAY LIQUOR.
Cry for Open Day, He Says, Comes from
Saloon Men and Not from
Drinkers.

Personal Liberty n the Drink Prob
lem" was the subject Of a sermon by the
Rev. DR.. James /. Vance, pastor Of the
North Reformed Church. last night, in
which the clergyman again criticised the
Mayor and Common Council for their OFF,
cial action favorable to the sale of liquor
Sunday and attributing the origin of the
; demand for Sunday selling in this city to
the foreign element of the Newark popufa-
ton and to the saloon-keepers, not the
customers, He showed up the logical
weakness of the political proposition.
He declared that to close the saloons on
Sunday was not an ab~ridgement OF per-
sonal liberty, as every man was free to
buy a Sunday supply on Saturday just the
same as he buys a supply Of groceries.
DR.. Vance said in part:
Wherever Christianity has gone 1t has
made men free. Christ is the great
emancipation. But 1t is possible to abuse
this freedom. 1t is abused when 1t is
used as a cloak Of righteousness, a gar
ment with which to make one immune
from the obligation to do right.
Against this prostitution of liberty the
text breaches the Christian doctrine Of
freedom. 1t is the liberty to live as the
servants Of God. No man is free to dis
obey God or to violate Gods law, and no
government can confer the right to do
wrong.
We are living in a day and place when
this doctrine Of liberty needs to be pro-
claimed, for a theory Of personal liberty
has been advocated which not only puts
the city in conflict with the State, but
which, In the name of freedom, would
abrogate the law of God.
The Bishops law is in the interest OF
the enforcement of the law against the
Sunday sale of intoxicants. Its most
drastic feature is that requiring the re-
moval of the screens from the saloon
windows on Sunday. The law has proven
such a success that the saloons feel the
need Of relief. They miss the Sunday re-
ceipts. This has given us the Mayors
recent message and that marvellous aero
batic performance in municipal legisiaton,
by which the City Council attempted 10
jump a State law and assure a thirsty
public of its desire to do all in its power
TO end the suffer1ngs of a prolonged dry
spell. In his message the Mayor unuerI
takes to expound his doctrine OF personal
liberty and the drink question.
He says: There Is no moral question
involved in drinking on Sunday. II It pc
wrong on the first day of the week IL ~
wrong on all other days of the week, and
sc it he wrong in the licensed saloon II Is
wrong liz the club and the home, lne
dlctation of outside authority Win Ine
Individual as to his habits and customs
the interference with his personal rights,
is not alone productive of evasion, sub
terfuge and other mischief, but is intoier-
able oppression"
I SUPPOSE nc fair-minded man will take
issue with this statement, but what mas
all this to do with the sale OF Intoxicating
drinks on Sunday There is no law IN the
State of New Jersey that forbids the IN
dividual Thinking on Sunday or any otner
day. The Bishops law does not. IL may
he true there is no moral question 1nVolVeu
in drinking on Sunday. but it is not true
n selling ling on Sunday. The sunday law
deals not with drinking. but with selling
f-+oyioopfc Having qXnDnnded his VIEWS
as to the private rights of the individual
TO drink when he pleases, what does the
iasisisti6 doF fo% 4oSS he u abe ind indiv idpsd' to
is no suclR legislation. He urges the re-
peal of TIL law forbidding to sell; snaa aS;
law because it violates personal 1perty IN
forbidding a thing 1t does not FORBID. Inc
Mayors prense and conclusion ran TO
that because the United States Is a free
government therefore 1t Will rain In the
neighborhood of Cape Cod.
Thus the real issue has been twisted. a
man does not need to buy intoX1eantS on
Sunday In order to drink them on sunday
any more than he must buy a beefsteak
on Sunday in order to eat 1t on sunday.
He can buy on Saturday.
This cry for an open saloon on the
Lords day does not come so much from
drinks. The hostility to the Bishops, law
is from the traffic. The cry of the saloon
keeper is heard in the land. Let us be
honest as to the real issue; not. IS 1t a
violation of personal liberty to prohibit the
Individual from drinking on Sunday, but
is il to prohibit the sale of intoxicants on
Sunday? Is the suppression of the Sunday
saloon tyranny? That is the issue. Let us
discuss it not as fanatics, but as fair
minded Americans.
It is no more %tyrannical to prevent the
sale of liquors on Sunday than to prevent
the sale of calico or vegetables. One can
purchase his supplies for Sunday con-
sumption on Saturday. He will not have
any more purchasing power Sunday morn
ing than he has Saturday night.
The case Is all the stronger against the
saloon when we bear in mind that the
saloon has no rights in the eyes of the