The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-15

ponent whom it is claimed interests no one.
 It is very inconsistent in the gentlemen of the Pastors union to talk about special pleading when everyone knows that they are making their whole fight against Sun day movies and, practically, nothing else.
 Sunday newspapers, Sunday street cars Sunday hire of horses and of automobiles Sunday sales of fruit cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, candy, soda water, and many other unnecessary things, have all been carried on for so many years and these worthy gentlemen who are now so exer- cised in mind over the Sunday movies made no protest loud enough for the pub lie to hear. Nor was there any fervent outcry about the amusement park at East Lake being open on Sunday with the usual diversions
 The proposed law which Dr. Dickinson and his associates favor ardently, per mits movies to run on Sunday if they are run for nothing. If 1t is immoral to run moves on Sunday for pay, 1t Is just as immoral to run them free of charge. The Pastors union seems to think that if the movie proprietors get nickels and dimes for it, why 1t is all wrong. But free, they consider it all right. Why so? What makes the difference? Is the money everything?
 
 a lot of stuff about prohibition. Now, 1 think that 1t is Dr. Dickinson and not pr. Eaves who is trying vainly to becloud the issue Prohibition issues, like
 "The flowers that bloom in the spring,
 tra la,
 Have nothing to do with the case"
 Dr. Dickinson and his associates will find that the line of division on the ques- ton of Sunday movies is quite different from that on the prohibition question
 So we are to have an American Sunday. Why, Dr. Dickinson surprises mel I thought we were having an American Sunday in Birmingham now. But If not, what is an American Sunday? Are Chi cago, New York and Boston American cities? Sunday is not observed there as the Pastors union would desire. There are possibly as many different kinds of American Sunday as there are of Amer ican cities.
 I observe that pr. Dickinson states this proposed law" puts all on equality before the law" This is certainly a very inac- cuate statement. law which allows some businesses to operate for gain oh Sunday but denies the privilege to others is on just the same basis in that respect as our present laws. lived for a short time in Charlotte, N. c. They had and strictly enforced Sunday laws. You could not buy ice cream or candy or tobacco or soda water, books or magazines on Sunday It was pretty strict. But you could hire a horse for pleasure drive on Sunday. You could buy newspapers from the newsboys, the street cars operated as usual. So after all they were not strictly consistent. Nor have ever heard of any Sunday law that is. All allow some men to work for gain and deny that privilege n oYlU q the general public, as the powers that be understand and express it. And now we come down to the very root of the mat ter The question is not whether the movie operators desire to open on Sunday or whether the Pastors union desires them to close. But does the public de- sire the movies open on Sunday for their pleasure? think that the attendance at the movies on Sunday answers that ques- ton in the affirmative. But if the Pas tors union still thinks that they know the peoples minds better than the people themselves know them, let us have this referendum that these gentlemen predict so confidently will close the movies As it would cost the city considerable sum, I think it would be fair thing if both sides put up an amount to defray the ex- pense, the loser, of course, to pay the costs and the winning side to have their money returned.
 It is of course, absurd to clam that the Pastors union is interested in this question purely from a political stand point. In spite of their disclaimer, we all realize that it is almost entirely sec- tartan matter with them and that they are endeavoring to force Protestant and Catholic, Jew and Gentle to bow to the rule of the Pastors union in things re- Iigious The Pastors union does not rep resent a majority of the Christian people nor eve nof the Protestants alone. Nor, | if they did, would that fact give them l any special privilege. This government was not founded to advocate or to oppose | Christianity or any other form of religious belief, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were men who had very liberal views on matters of religion and these three had no slight part in founding this nation. They and many others recognized that a theocracy is as 1 fatal to liberty as an aristocracy. And now as in the past, Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty"
 1 A. E. LEISHMAN. | February 13, 1916. Ensley. Ala