New Britain herald., 1917-04-11
HOLCOMB PUTS LID
 DOWN ON SABBATH Governor VetoeS Martin Measure
 As Being Too Commercial WOULD BE DEMORALIZING

Governor Believes Enactment of Such
 Law Would Belle Connecticut's
 Reputation For Being Land of
 Steady Habits.
 Hartford. April 11.-Calling it "an act to commercialize the Sabbath, Governor Holcomb today vetoed the local option bill as applied to Sunday observance, introduced by MT. Martin of Orange and passed by both branches of the general assembly. The chief executive objected to the bill on several grounds and one of these is expressed in the following language:
 ''This local option bill would be an offense. It would be a demoralizing object lesson to the youth of our state and baneful legacy to posterity. Such legislation would belle our rep utation of being the land of steady habits."
 The Veto Message.
 The veto message was as follows:
 ''To the honorable assembly:
 Chapter 119 of the public acts of
 
 and proper amateur athletic sports to be engaged on Sunday afternoons un- der proper regulations ito secure the reasonable comfort, peace and quiet of other citizens but 1t provided that no game or sport should be permitted in any tournament, or for any admis- sion fee or price. That act provided for a liberalized but not for com mercfaliZcd Sabbath.
 Charter 121 of the pubEc acts of 1917 entitled An act to authorize home rule in certain towns is man. ifestly intended to remove the restric- tions in the 1913 act, and the more appropriate title for this 1917 act would be 'an act to commentaries the Sabbath.
 Section therefore is sufficiently broad to allow all kinds of sports, professional as well as amateur viz: Baseball. football, basketball, polo. etc, and under it theaters, circuses, boxing matches and other like enter tainments could be authorized, as the provisions of section that Such sports, amusements, and entertain ments shall be in harmony with the character of the day and not incon- sistent with it's due observance, con-
 
 the rest conferred by section 3. 1t is obvious that if the Sunday license and privileges possible and contem- plated under the act arc desirable, they should not be limited to towns exceeding 10000 in population.
 'rhere is no justification in confer ring upon Milford and denying to West Hartford and twenty other towns having less than 10000 resi- dents each, but having. as appears by the last census. a greater population than Milford. Such discrimination conflicts with the equal rights declar- ation in our state constitution and with the provision therein that no man or set of men are entitled to ex- elusive public emoluments or priv ileges from the community.
 Many. and I believe the majority. of the citizens of Connecticut, still believe in a Christian Sabbath and to them wide open Sabbath author ized by this local option bill would be an offense. It would be a demoralfz- ing object lesson to the youth of our ity. Such legislation would belle our reputation of being the land of steady l habits.
 "There is another side to this pro- posed law which appears to have been overlooked. You cannot have profess sional athletics and entertainments l without having paid participants and !! attendants, thus compelling men to work on the Sabbath. The whole tendency of modern legislation is to assure to every workman one days rest in each week and this proposed law runs counter to that policy. 1T do not believe that 8 majority of i the people of this state are in favor of commercialized Sabbath and I hope one will not be legalized. 1T am therefore of the opinion that ! this bill ought not to become a law and therefore respectfully return it l without my approval for your fur l ther consideration.
 l (signed)
 l MARCUS HOLCOMB, Governor" 1 The message was receved by the house which set next week Thursday l at noon for it's consideration. l RI0TING IN BULGARIA