The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-15
Frederic Haslxin's ! Iefl3
The Blue Law Debate.

Washington, D. c.. Dec. H.-Rs-
solved: That human nature can b.
improved and even made perfect
BY removing from It every imagin-'
able temptation, such ~ drink.
gambling. smoking. dancing. short
skirts, Sunday baseball and NOV
ing pictures Of thrilling love
scenes.
This subject for debate has been
hurled into the arena BY the an
nouncement that various religious
and reform Organisations intend 70
have the Observance Of the Sabbath
made compulsory in the United
States. Some propose to do this
BY federal laws, and some By city
and state law. At the same time
there is more or less talk Of legis-
lation against cigarets and gam
bling. In q word, it is evident that
the forces Of moral reform plan to
follow up the prohibition amend
ment with a campaign for variety
Of other legislation designed to i'm
prove our morals by force rather
than suasion.
At the same time. howl Of pro-
test has gone up against the pro-
posed Sabbath law and all the 9th
er moral legislation. 1t is made
very plain that there is q powerful
and aggressive negative to the
above proposition, as well as
powerful and organized afirma-
tive. The reformers Of course, say
that the negative is backed by pro-
moters Of amusements, dealers in
tobacco, and other interested par
ties, just as the opponents of re-
form say that the reformers are all
in the pay Of a few minded
millionaires who are ambitious to
make US feel their power BY regu-
lating our personal conduct.
As q matter Of fact there are sin
cere persons enough on both sides
You have only to talk to q few OF
the reformers to realize that most
of them are burning with sincerity
that they firmly believe the world
can be improved, II We can only gel
laws enough and policemen enough
to enforce them.
The Llbertarians.
Nor do you have to 60 far to flnd
a man who has not a cent invested
in any amusement proposition
| whatever and never expects tc
have, but who almost foams at the
mouth as he tells you that in this
alleged land of the free there will
soon be somewhat less personal lib.
erty than there was in Russia o.
the car, unless these reformer:
can in some way be prevented from
executing their benighted designs
Yes, there is a genuine and ever
heated difference Of opinion. AND
it is one that has existed in thi!
country for a long time. The re
formers undoubtedly take their in
tellectual ii not their physical de
scent from the colonial puritans o
New England, the inventors Of thu
blue law, who put men in stock.
for drinking. smoking, kissing ant
the like. In fact, what the reform
ers really aim at is nothing les!
than a revival of the blue laws o,
q national scale. ~
The opposing school Of thought Il
descended from Colonial Virgins
and especially from such men q
Patrick Henry and George Wash
tington. According to the theory o
this school, personal liberty is
necessary condition Of happines
and of development. Personalit
cannot be developed without it, an
personality is the essence of civi
lization. Morality is dependen
upon character, and must there
fore be inculcated by education an
example, not by force. 1t hold:
therefore, that morals are not
proper sphere for legislation, an
the moral restraint should be az
piled only to those who are IRE
: sponsible-the very young, tn
. criminal and the weak-minded
This school Of thought has faith i
I human nature and believes ths
, the production of superior indivit
uals is the main purpose Of civil,
: alton. The moralists have faith
the state, in law and in force, an
aim at the production Of an orderl
: whole, even though individualit
! suffers in the process.
A Typical Reformer.
A typical representative of Il
ideal of uplift-by-force is DR.. Wi
bur F. Crafts, superintendent
the international reform burea
> with whom we had a talk recent
about the state of the public mo
ais. DR.. Crafts and his organic
ton have been blamed for the pr
ject to pass federal Sunday bl,
law. He denies that this is the cas-
!, He says that the proposition for
, federal law comes from q couple
:. state conferences Of the Methodi
y church in the south, that no SUI
: law has been introduced in CO
Igress, and that the movement 4
such a law is net to be taken Sci
ously. He is trying merely to ha'
; a Sunday blue law passed for u