The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-08-15

ing of any store or business house on
Sunday for the sale of any goods
whatever except drugs or undertake
ing goods. l thought it was a good
law and in keeping with the divine
law and undertook to enforce it. Just
as is the case with any other law,
there has been some violation of it.
At no time have l had the co-opera-
ton of even a majority of the other
members of the board and this has
made enforcement more difficult.
Finally the ordinance has been amend
ed so as to permit the selling of ice
crea mand soft drinks from / to 6
p. m. 1t is certainly evident that the
sale of these items will make it far
more difficult to enforce the law
against the sale of other goods. This
arrangement works a hardship on the
officers of the town as well as the
clerks in the stores, and at best is a
compromise with wrong. 1t would
be far easier to enforce a rigid Sun
day law than a compromise law.
would have no desire to prohibit the
aisle 70 drugs on Sunday but my hon
est conviction is that there is very
little real necessity for their purchase
on Sunday except in times of an cpl
demic. There are two essential reas-
ons for the institutions of the law of
the SABBATH One is the necessity for
one day of rest in seven and the other
is mans need Of such day for spir-
itual growth and development. Clerks
in stores and restaurants stand in the
same need of this day of rest and of
spiritual uplift that others do and
they should not be deprived Of it.
It is said by way of objection to
Sunday laws that we cannot legislate
Righteousness into men. Certainly
not, and this is not the intention of
Sunday legislation at all. The inten-
ton back of it is the protection of
man in his natural rights. He as just
as much right to quiet and restful
Sabbath and the protection of the law
to this end as he has to protection
from a robber who would disturb his
rest at night and infringe on his prop
erty rights. The inherent right of
those who would enjoy quiet and
restful Eabbath, to do so and to teach
their children accordingly, should not
be interfered with by those who do
not care to avail themselves of this
see that it is not interfered with. No
town or community can enjoy this
right to quietude and restfulness in
its fullness until all business of a nom
essential kind is suspended.
It has been asid to me that by my
attitude on the Sunday business /
would lose great many votes. In
reply to this will say that, when
was elected mayor, it did not occur
to me that my duty was to get votes.
1t some how got into my mind that
my duty was to enforce the law and
to advocate such measures as I
thought would make Greeneville a
better town in which to live, rather
than to set about making votes for a
reelection. To be perfectly frank l
am not seeking a second term. If l
can feel, when | am through with the
first term, that have discharged my
duty faithfully l shall be satisfied and
shall willingly turn the job over to
another who hope may be better
able to cope with the cituation than
| have been.
! have made this statement, not for
the purpose of antagonizing any one
who does not agree with me, but only
that my friends who have supported
me so Loyalty may know that the mod
ifcation of the Sunday law was not
done with my concurrence or con-
sent.
c. G. ARMITAGE, Mayor.
August 18th, 1919.