The Washington herald., 1908-02-20
RAPS SUNDAY LAWS
Judge Says Harsh Things
About Proposed Acts.
CALLS THEM UN.AMERICAN
{. {. HOlbrOOk, in Document Sent 10
Representative smith, Expresses
Str1nG Views on Measures Re-
garding sunday Observance-TnIks
About Bird of Freedom.


About Bird of Freedom.
I Representative Smith, chairman Of the
House District Committee. yesterday re-
ceived document from Hon. Charles c.
Holbrook, Of Alamosa, Colo. in which the
Honorable protests. with some vigor and
more words, against the enactment Of
Sunday laws for the District Of Columbia
The document. which comprises about
dozen typewriter pages, was trans
mitted 20 Mr. Smith through Representa-
tive Haggott. OF Colorado. who. however.
does not intimate that he stands sponsor
for the Hon Holbrooks emanations OF
wrath.
Hon. Holbrook, who appears 10 be now
in his seventeenth year on the nisi prius
bench of Colorado. begins his document
by setting forth the various bills Of
which he most causticaly disapproves.
His arraignment is directed against five
bills, two Of which are pending in the
Senate and the other three OF which are
now before the House All five OF the
bills have for their general object the
perfection Of a non-work -a-day Sunday.
Hon. Holbrook starts out his argument
against such legislation by writing thusly:
The enactment of such un-American, un-
Christian, tyraHnical. religious laws as
are proposed by these bills would IA
grantly violate the Constitution. and
tramDle in the dust the Declaration Of
Independence"
According 20 the Hon. Holbrook-s fig
ures. at present the number Of people
in the world who observe different days
OF rest and religious devotion are divided
about as follows:
! The first day. about so 10000
The sixth day. about 100000
The seventh daJ. about rs GO o00.
Recalls Old Noah.
When Noah went into the ark OBJ
serves the Honorable. there were eight
Seventh-day observers in all the earth:
in Elijah's day there were but 1900. and
in every age Of the world they have been
comparatively but few"
After citing several distinguished
churchmen Of different creeds for his au-
thority for saying that there is no basic
direction in the Bible for the "sanctihca-
tion Of Sunday the Honorable continues
and launches into his reasons for not al
lowing such bills as the ones mentioned
10 become law.
Concerning the bin which attempts "a
prohibit labor in the District on Sunday.
the Honorable says. besides other things.
that there are a few meddlesome. trou-
ble-making Sunday keepers in every COM
munity. who are so bent on making them
selves conscience for other people. that
they always succeed land frequently by
great exertion IN getting themselves
disturbed by people who do any work
on Sundays"
They have been known 10 leave their
sons PLAYING ~ baseball TO spy out a
Seveuth-day observer working on Sunday
Instead OF going 20 worship themselves
on Sunday. they have been known "a
walk around a tight board fence. incIos-
ing d garden, until they could find q
crack large enough 10 look through and
thus get themselves disturbed" by 6
Seventh-day keeper hOeing his garden OF
Sunday.
About Its ConStitutiOnality
After very briefly reviewing the other
proposed Sunday laws. the Honorable goes
on in this manner: The right Of every
person who hss~arrived at the age Of &C.
cOuntability. 70 worship God according q
the dictates Of his own conscience. re-
gardless OF the religious views OF others
and the privilege Of every such individual
10 refuse 10 worship God az all. so Ions
as he permits the evil tendencies within
10 forbid the entrance Of the Holy Spirit
are God given rights. which physica
force viii thwart only when directed BY
satanic influences"
After some review OF the history Of re
ligious settlement and influence in III,
colonies. the Honorable goes on: Not
withstanding these constitutional guaran
ties. which every official is sworn 10 sup
port. and which every loyal citizen is il
duty bound 10 support. within the presen
generation, an evil thought, formed II
iniquity and hypOcritically wearing III,
garb OF religion. has grown into a mighty
moving force IN favor Of overstepping
disregarding, and despising constitutions
limitations. and trampling under foot tn,
rights OF conscience and the liberty q TIT
individual i'm the matter II Sabbath keep
ing. by demanding the making and en-
forcement of laws and ordinances com
ptlluk NNe SducllucatloIs OF S4leSeO sane
tihcation. OF the first day of the week. al
a substitute for the Bible Sabbath.
Seeks COnceaIment.
And. when confronted with the objec-
tion that such religious laws and partia
union Of church and state would violat,
the guarantees OF religious liberty OF tn
fundamental law OF the land, the ad
vocates Of such tyranny and oppression
seek 10 conceal the religious purpose o
such laws. and then set UP the pretens'
of police regulations. by which is mcen
the right OF the government TO promot,
health and cleanliness and TO preserve anC
promote the public welfare. even at tn
expense Of private rights"
The Honorable then launches into dis.
sertation Upon the theory OF such A pro
vision coming under q police regulation,
and winds up by saying that he believe!
any law directed at curtailing the righ
OF the individual 20 work on any certain
designated day Of the week, is clearly un
constitutional.
The peroration Of the Honorable 1,
touching. The proud bird Of liberty.
he says ''triumphantly perched upon th'