Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1919-04-10

TRENTON, April 10.-If the ac.
ton of the state senate on the Sieg-
Ter bill which would have allowed the
opening Of several parks in. Essex
county on Sundays for sports may be
taken as a barometer, the bill to legal
ize Sunday movies and other forms of
amusement on the seventh day of the
week is dead for this session of the
Legislature. The Siegler Bill was
beaten by the Senate IL to s and the
the other measure OF similar import,
sponsored and passed through the
House last week.
In fact the similarity of these two
bills was 30 marked that Senators who
had primed their remarks for the
Sunday movie bill let go their fire.
works against the Siegler Bill. The
vote was as follows:
Ayes-Brown. Kays. Pilgrim, Smith
and Edwards--5.
Nays-Ackerson, Barber, Bright,
Mackay, Runyon, Sturgess, Wells and
Ffthian--12.
The Senators who spoke for the bill
were Pilgrim, of Essex and Brown. of
Middlesex. Those who argued against
1t were Case, of Somerset, Wells, of
Burlington, and Hammond, of Mer-
Ger. Senator Whitney, of Norris,
thought the measure would go some
of the way in removing class distinc-
tons and opening up an avenue Of
Sunday diversion for the poorer class
es as an offset to the Sunday golf and
mo toring of the more well to do. How
ever, on the roll call he failed to
vote for or against the bill.
This Is thrust at the American
Sabboth." said Senator Wells, of Bur-
lington, who usually keeps quiet in the
debates in the Senate. ''It is a plan
to close old fashioned Sunday upon
which the country was built. America
is the only place where there is this
kind of a day, just as we are the only
people, who open our Legislatures
with prayer. The new idea seems to
be to give the child 127 hours a week
for history, geography and other edu-
cational subjects. but only half hour
a week for the study of the bible.
This bill would repeal one of the ten
commandments, and would let in the
Constitutional idea of the seventh day
of the week.
The best argument for the bill was
advanced by Senator Brown, of Mid
dlesex. He saw no reason why peo-
pie should not have the benefit of
parks on Sundays for sports. He de-
clared the Creator never meant for
anyone to sit straight with a solemn
face all day on Sunday. The Middle
sex senator said that there was much
opposition to any leeway on the Sum
day, and yet there are in his COM
munity factories imposing hard
working conditions and hours on their
employees. including work on Sundays
and no outcry comes against this
practice.
my church makes 1t mortal sin
for it's members to fail to attend SER
vices on Sunday" he declared. land
yet with that premise 1 intend to
speak and vote for this bill"
Senator Whitney thought the bill
would greatly benefit congested CEN
ters of population, like the lower Sec
tions of Jersey City and Bayonne,
where the people ought to have an op-
portunity to get out on Sunday and
have some place to go. He indicated,
he would be against the Sun
day motion picture shows
In speaking against the bill, Sena-
tor Hammond referred to the remarks
of Senator Brown concerning the
working conditions and declared that
in his legislative experience he had yet
to see a. churchman coming before
either the Senate or the House to
urge the passage of bills which have
been introduced to cure these condf-
tions. He said the ministers should
register their sentiments on this sub
ject in the same emphatic manner as
they did on the Sunday movie ques-
ton at the Senate hearing last Mon
day afternoon.
Senator Pilgrim declared that the
old Puritan idea of the Sunday had
broken down in the United States and
he wanted to know IL riding, golfing,
swimming. open restaurants. printing
operation of trolleys and
trains were to be treated as un-
Cody.
AS the Siegler bill has gone down
to defeat, ii is now regarded as doubt
ful whether the sponsors of the Hy-
land Sunday show bill will attempt
to have a vote on their measure in
the upper Legislative branches. all
though they may.
AnAA FL Ta~s