The Washington herald., 1921-06-29
Opposes Daylight Law.
o the Editor. The Washington Herald:


In a recent letter to the open
Court" of The Herald on the sub
ject OF daylight-saving (meaning. Of
course, the attempt now being made
to force District residents to turn
their clocks ahead one hour. get up
one hour earlier and go to work
an hour earlier and do II by law }.
the only statement in its favor made
by Russell T. Edwards was fol-
lows: Persons opposed to being
made an object of petty persecu-
tion in the form OF such a puerile,
but irritating, law should visit the
Ellipse at 4:30 any afternoon. wher~
he can see four or five ball games
in progress with the lengthening
shadows stopping them all to early.
Then. II he will step across the
drive. he will find four or five more
baseball games and young women
playing tennis"
thought that the professed OBJ
ject of making a daylight-saving
Jaw during the wartime was to
make it possible for the people to
do more work in the hours IT day
light, in order to make sure that
argument advanced was that Ger
many had started it and was max
ing her people do more work; that
England and France had followed
suit and therefore We should not
fall behind in patriotic strenuosity.
Now, here Is Mr.. Edwards advocat-
ing 1t on tie ground that IT would
give a few young folks a longer
. time to play baseball. l wonder IL
that is not the real reason under
! lying the advocacy of this fool prop
aganda b. the few in the Distric,
who are advocating It?
/ am opposed to It. 1 am op-
posed to such a thing being made
into law in peace times, because
It would violate a principle deal
to the heart of every true and in
telligent American. That principle
is similar TO the one which led tc
the Revolutionary War in which my
ancestors took part. That il a nag
ging, irritating, regulatory law
would be made which would put
an unnecessary burden upon thou
sands Of citizens of the District
without their consent, without their
nav q ShdHCc " say whether
1t should be put upon them or not
without even their knowledge that
such an effort is on foot.
If passed, it would be unconsti.
tutional. II such a, Limitation car
be put upon the people in time
of peace. as this which proposes &c
| make them get up an hour earlier
and turn their clocks ahead on,
hour now and then turn il back mex
October 80, then Congress could pas,
law to make us all go to bed Al
3 p. m. the year around. One Law
| would be as sensible as the other
which is not saying that l consider
either ore sensible.
| ! i deny the constitutional right ot
Congress 20 make either propos,,,or
into law in times Of peace. de
not deny that Mr.. Edwards has tn,
right to play baseball all day long
| II he wants to do so, or the right
OF any member of the Chamber 81
Commerce to 60 automobile ridins
all the afternoon. IL he has a ma,
chine: but I do object to their at.
tempting to force me. by law, tC
turn the hands of my clock back.
ward or forward and to 60 to worl
an hour earlier against my wisl
and will, merely to give them tn,
chance to sport an hour longer IN
the afternoon. Laws, at lea,, N
this country. are not passed to max,
/ one class of citizens the puppet,
OF another class. That, in effect
Is what this would do as a law.
3 Let us see IL that is so. II thi
misnamed daylight bill h
made into law. 1t will force tn,
drivers Of the various milk wag
ons, bakery wagons. yeast wagons
etc, who now start out in the morn
at from to o'clock. to re- y
their job at to o'clock; driver,
J OF garbage wagons. tra.r M,s
ETC., and street car conductors AM
motormen. who now get to worl
1 at from TO a. M, to have to ge
to work at 8 to a. M; marke
employees and others. who now hav
to be on their job at S to a. m
| to be there at 4 to a. m; brick
layers. carpenters and their helpers
who begin work during the sum
mer at a. m. to begin at 6 a. m.
and sometimes they have to e
almost across the District to ge
to their job; all the employees o
the Bureau OF Engraving. the G
p. O.. the navy yard mechanics. an,
all others who have to be at tn
place of their employment som
time before g. to be there som