Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-21
PdOTEST AGAINST
SUNDAY BASEBALL
Delegation of w. c. T. u. and
Clergy Appeal to the Police
Commission.

afternoon. received a delegation of repre-
sentatives of the w G. Il. L. and clergy,
whose purpose was To present objections
to Sunday baseball Rev. +. II. Dashlell
chairman of the Wilmington Conference
Claimants Fund, spoke for the delegation.
The commission took no action as de-
cislon in the case is pending in City Court.
Rev. Dashel said
We arc here to speak for the organized
moral sentiment of our cIty-aS repre-
scntcd hv the ministerial body and the
Womans Christian Temperance Union +
IN opposition To- baseball on the Sabbath
day. And we shall base what We have 10
say not on what might hc regarded as
sentiment but wholly upon the plain
letter of the law The Revised Code ot
rclawarc (19l5l, chapter 153, section 4,
saws
III any number Of persons shall as
Scmblc In game, play ar dance on the
Sabbath day, and shall engage or assist, ,
IN such game, play ar dance, every such
person shall lc fined four dollars. and on
failure to pay such fine and cost shall be
Imprisoned aS aforesaid.
We arc law abiding. We represent
Law abiding citizens. and we stand upon
the law. II there were no law covering
this matter we would not lc here. We
where laws are made. Mo minister. ur
other representative of moral sentiment
appears here asking vou gentlemen to
close the saloons uf the city There Is no
law cnahIing YOU to do that. But when
there Is law. only enacted and written
IN the Code If the State. We feel We have
2 right tu appear here in the interest of
ITS enforcement.
This Necessity, however. should never
hC torcrd upon us. There should bc no
such scenes as this Il goes without say
ing that. where law exists, il should be
enforced by tn, officer charged 10y the
people with that responsibility, without
the necessity of influence.
Various reasons are alleged rs to why
this particular law Is not enforced
1t IS an old Law Of hundred ycsrs
standing, having boon transferred to he
prcscnt code from the code Of 1852
This to the un' linking Is apparently
sufficient ground Tor dCrIding and touting
the law But the fact Of It> age ha not hing
against it thcr the reverse For hun
drcd wears IN spit ot continuous adverse
agitation. our Legislators have refused 10
disturb IT, Tins Is one of the strongest
poS~ihi arguments that the W-makcrs
of each generation have recognized ITS
necessity to the order and pcrpCtultv of
the state Then wisdom Is supported
withour stunt hy the evidence Of history
= That the significance of thc penalty
shows the uniuportanCc with which the
law WAS regarded hy those who made II
Not at all -Four dollars a hundred
Years ago meant rs much rs twenty-five
today But there arr various l,lnds and
degree OF penalty visited upon law
breakers When this law was made there
was moro respect for law than there seems
TO bc today The fact that man had been
guilty of breaking the law ostraciscd him
Society frowncd on him. And that acted
ss deterrent
but whatever may he alleged against
this law, Ii Is still Law This. we under
stand, Is admitted hv you gentlemen and
everybody els, involved. Even the news
papers IN bold headlines at he beginning
of this situation tatCd that Sunday
baseball was contrary TO Delaware law
hut the men having he matter in hand
eccl, red that they were nevcrt heicSs gong
10 put II through such attitude is clearly
both illega and defiant: Vet some OF the
mon assuming ii arc otherwise OF large
caibre.
We arc confronted hyan extraordinary
situation and plea Our country IS NJ war
and Sunday baseball IS necessity as
recreation for the shipbWlders and to
keep them away from whisky
Let US say nothing Of the strange IN
consistency OF the leaders of our great
shipbuIding program which all OF us are
doing our utmost 70 help rushing 10
Congress recently to oppose national pro
hibition-and on tho ground too hat 10
take whisky from the men would retard
shipbuiding. Let Us get down to funda-
mentals
u. Organized society is impossible
without law.
-. The State recognizes proper en-
forcement OF law, the necessity among the
People of a wholesome conscience toward
tod. We're this not true il would be re-
ouIred that 4 witness IN court place his
hand on the Bible and solemnlv swear 10 |
toll the truth. the whole truth and nothing |
but the truth. The greatest jurists Of the |
country today are lamenting the fading |
of the sanctlty OF It's oath in the public |
conscience. Conscience toward God is |
Indispensable to the life of the State
.. Therefore-and this j. the logical |
and pablc-nothing is patriotic
that breaks down the conscience Of
people.
When you break down the conscience
OF people YOU destroy their respect for
ncn respect Tor Divine
authority goes, respect for human
authority soon follows. Thus are under
mined the very foundations OF govern
ment.
This IS the very thing that has pre-
the awful world conflict now
raging. The German rulers from Frederick
the Great down, have taught their people
to disregard the sanctity Of law. except as
hat Law originated IN the will OF their
sovereign The conscience Of the nation
has been Systematically DESTROYED and to-
day they are turning themselves loose
upon civilization 10 fill the world with the
horror OF their diabollsm Are We 10 meet
lawlessness by teaching our people lesser
regard for the sanctions Of law II IS tho
great principle for which we plead
1T IS urged that public sentiment favors
Iaxity?
The contention is BY no means estab-
ished:
Il. Newspapers do not necessarily re-
feet it,
-. Politicians do not always read il
Witness their failure to cor ,
-ectly sense the rising prohibition senti
ment
We are told that 1000 were Al the
ball game. Let US not forget that there
were 100000 in this city who were NOT
here Thousands Of these read the news
hc next morning with sorrow. The