The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1921-01-08
CONNECTICUT WILL
NOT BE PARTY TO
BLUE LAW DRIVE
Instead Church Federation NAV
Approve Further Recrea-
ton Laws.

Instead Of joining the blue noses"
now at work in Washington endeavor-
ing to have passed a series of Sunday
blue laws" that would put the famed
Connecticuts ancient laws to shame, the
Connecticut Federation of Churches
will have nothing to do with them, and
on the other hand is going quietly about
endeavOrlng to secure an unbiased OpIn-
ion as to whether or not the people of
this land of steady habits" do not want
the Sunday recreation laws further lib
eralized. This is especially true regard
ing Sunday afternoon baseball and 9TH
er sports which do not interfere with
church service and which are now re-
stricted to amateur unpaid for events.
The unqualified demand for regular
professional ball on Sunday has led the
church people to ask whether or not
this shouldn't be made legal and thus
provide a way of having the sport with
out making thousands of law breakers.
The Connecticut Federation of
Churches, through individual enthusi-
asts, has been appealed to like other or
CARNATIONS the country over to JOIN
hands with the crowd at Washington
now trying to legislate the entire coun
try into church or bed on Sunday with
tactics similar to those used in putting
prohibition over on the public. So far
the Connecticut association has officially
had nothing to do with them and more
likely will not, inasmuch as ConneCtl-
cut seems to be getting along very we'll
as it is.
To determine the trend of public
opinion in Connecticut regarding Sun
day legislation, the Connecticut Fedora
ton of Churches will hold a social
service conference in New Haven Feb
ruary IS, to which will be invited all
clergy and anyone else who would like
to attend. The program will be varied,
but will consist mainly of the consid-
Grafton of social legislation which may
then be before the Legislature. The
federation will prepare a digest of such
of this legislation as affects the church.
es and will give it to the clergy of the
state. Owen Lovejoy, secretary of the
national child labor bureau, will be the
principal speaker.
The committee has prepared list of
six questions, touching upon the statutes
now on the books, with a view to OBJ
tanning the opinions of wide range of
people, including the clergy, farmers,
mechanics, lawyers, teachers, business
men and manufacturers upon some of
the mOOted questions. For instance,
opinions will be obtained as to whether
to amateur games should be enforced or
repealed This question is asked be-
cause of the known fact that regular
league baseball games are played in
Connecticut. The question will be asked
by the federation, without any attempt
to prejudice the answers one way or
the other,
The Connecticut branch of the Anti
Saloon League is not taking a hand
either in the blue law campaign, &C
cording to H. H. Spooner, who brands
the published reports that it is as pro
paganda spread by the liquor interests"
Mr.. Spooner was asked what he
thought the attitude of the Connecticut
Temperance Union, as the representa-
tive of the Anti-Sa1oon League, would
be if blue law amendment was intro
duced before congress and if efforts
were made to get it ratified by the
Connecticut legislature.
Certain members of the union might
favor such an amendment, but | think
the organization would be opposed to
it," he replied. eff the matter should
come up at the annual meeting next
month l think it would be voted down,
and furthermore | don't think it will
come up at ALL
The Sunday matter is one that holds
a great interest for the worker mas
much as that is practically the only day
he has for outside recreation and will
have until the Saturday half holiday
becomes universal, which seems a long
way off now. So far as Connecticut is
concerned, however, he has little to
worry about apparently, unless in fact it
is put over on him again as was pro-
hibitlon, without the states consent.