The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-02-02
THE ELUE LAM SENTIMENT
DOWN AT AUSTIN.

The following from Sundays Dali
las News should be pasted in the hat
of every member of the th!rtyfirst
legislature:
1t must be apparent to every
thoughtful Texan that some of US are
in some things straining at gnats and
swallowing camels. In a recent issue
of the daily papers of the state there
appeared items showing that there
were eleven murder trials going on
at the same time. There were other
items showing that other trials for
| felonies were also being held. On
! the same day member of the legis-
lature offered bill to prohibit Sun
| day excursions. Nothing was done to
| improve the present method OF deal
| ing with the weightier matters Of the
! law. OF all the bills that have been
| ing recent years, no effort has been
made to repeal any of the blue laws
| already found in the code. 1t has
| been made easier for the murderer
| and for the robber and for other fell
ons by changing the laws, while 1t
has been made harder and harder
upon the perfectly orderly citizen
who seeks happiness in his own way
! by going fishing, playing baseball or
| taking an excursion on Sunday.
1t is submitted that the effort to
punish is being made at the wrong
place. 1t is apt to do more harm than
good.
If readers would follow the ad-
vice of the News they would send
their children to Sunday school and
they would attend services at some
church; but the News would certain
ly not attempt to compel anybody to
do this. It would stop at reasonable
persuasives and leave orderly people
free or course the News believes in
| obeying the laws, and in the enforce
ment of the laws, but it also believes
| that many of the laws we now have
should be repealed, and that some
| of the bills offered at Austin should
| be defeated.
One of the bills that needs to be
defeated is the one which seeks to
| prohibit Sunday excursions. No such
| law belongs in the code of any free
| ntry baG rjOht IN
say whether another man shall trav-
| ell on Sunday. Sunday is day of rec
reation for many law-abiding people,
and their liberty to seek happiness
should not be interfered with by
| those who regard the day as strictly
day of worship. Of course if the
former can be persuaded to worship,
| that is a proper thing to do. The bill
/ offered amounts, at bottom, simply
| to this, that one set of people want
! their peculiar religious opinions inn
| posed upon the rest of the commune
ty by force of law They want to take
, away from the man and woman
| WHO VOL Il all Tue Weeh even tue DdI q
| privilege of taking a breath of fresh
/ air on Sundays. Excursions are not
! only an innocent form of recreation,
/ but promote health, sociability and
( a love of nature, an appreciation of
! field and sky and scenery, and,
moreover, they are conducive to
neighborly feelings between locali-
ties, thus breaking down that mean,
! selfish spirit of exclusiveness which
comes of staying always in one
| place and not mixing with people.
Any sort of recreation that is not per
Sc crimanai or immoral Is neces-
sity to normally healthy human be-
ings, and instead of REFRESHING that
wholesome instinct it ought to be
fostered. If there Is anything In the
bill of rights which is supposed to
guarantee the pursuit of happiness,
each in his own way, provided one
does not entrench on the equal
rights of others, it ought to protect
the people from Sucn lHtOieTauCe ds
is threatened to be perpetrated by
legislation of this kind.
The News submits that it is time
to call a halt. 1t is time to repeal
some laws of this character rather
than to enact more of them. 1t Is
time TO leave off making conditions
CHESS for the man who has done no
wrong save to cross the views OF in
tolerants and fanatics 1t is time to
leave off straining at gnats. 1t is
time to leave more of the orderly
people and fewer of the murderers
to 60 free.