Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-12
OPPOSE THE "SUNDAY BILLS"
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY BUREAU
HOLDS MASS MEETING.
Suggestion That Heed Be Given
Pleas of the Prohibitionists.
Views of Speakers.

A largely attended mass meeting was
held under the auspices of the Religious
Liberty Bureau of the Seventh Day Adj
ventists in the District of Columbia last
evening at National Rifles Armory The
measures pending in Congress known as
Sunday bills were severely arraigned and
several resolutions We're adopted protest
ing against their passage and urging that
more heed be given to the pleas of the
prohibitionists and their theories.
The resolutions set forth that Sunday is
a religious institution. and all legislation
in behalf of it's observance is religious
legislation: that religious legislation by
civil government is subversive of the
fundamental principles on which the
American government rests; that Con-
gress shall make no law respecting the
esta blishment of religion or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; that religion
and civil government occupy different
spheres and the church and the state
should always be separated; and that the
prohibition of the liquor traffic be eStab-
lshed in both state and nation, as its pub
lie sale is d most prolific source of crime
misery and pauperism. The resolutions
were read and adopted with enthusiasm.
Remarks by the Chairman.
In opening the meeting X. G. Russell,
chairman of the Religious Liberty Blu
reau, with headquarters at Takoma Park,
who was called to the chair as the pre-
siding officer said it should be source
of regret to every Christian patriot and
liberty-loving citizen of the Capital city
of this great nation that 1t becomes
necessity to call mass meeting to pro-
test against proposed religious legislation
This nation of which this city is the
capital" the speaker added. was found
ed the grand principle of civil and
religious liberty of total separation be-
tween the church and the state, as is ex-
pressed in the first amendment to the
United States Constitution. The proposed
legislation to secure Sunday law for
the District of Columbia. should 1t pass.
would be long step backward, and in
the end would result in all the evils that
must inevitably follow in the train of re-
ligious legislation. All must know who
have watched the development of this
movement that it is religious and rell-
giouS only.
Province of the State.
1.-THE state has no right to dictate to
any man which day he shall observe as
Sabbath or whether he shall observe any
day at all. The legitimate province OF
the state is to keep men civil. but not at
tempt to make them act religiously. The
District Commissioners and every con-
gresham should oppose every attempt by
the religio-politcal class of citizens, who
are seeking for that which in the end will
prove destructive to our government and
result in religious intolerance and per-
secution.
Following Mr.. Russell. w. A. Colcord,
secretary of the Religious Liberty Bureau,
gave synopsis of what he termed the
Objectionable measures. They were the
Hef1in bill. III. r. No. 1920, prohibiting
Sunday work on buildings in the District:
the Allen bill, II. r. No. 1897, providing a
protection of the Sabbath by prohibiting
manual or other work; the Penrose bill,
S. No 1919. forbidding banking. the hand
ling of money orders and registered let
ters i'm post offices upon the Sabbath. and
the johnson and Langley bills, S. 1910
and II. r. 15.239. forbidding the sale and
delivery of provisions on Sunday.
Others who spoke on the same subject.
denouncing the pending bills as danger
Gus to religious liberty, were Dr. A. G..
Daniels and G. E. Thompson. Miss Mar
garet A. Biz spoke of the medical tenn
perance department of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union.