The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-04-07
TAKES EXCEPTION
TO SUNDAY SESSION
Correspondent Points Out That Gen
eral Assembly Violates Letter
and Spirit of Laws of State
To the Editor of The State:


against the action of our recent gen
eral assembly in sitting upon the Sao
bath day and thus violating a wei
recognized law of this state. Among
other reasons l had hoped that one
or more of the leading papers OF the
state would champion the cause OF
law obedience or that some oHe
better able than l would raise this
;ssue.
For many years past the legislature
has in the closing days OF It's session
continued it's work into the early
morning hours of Sunday, so that II
has almost become a habit. The last
session, however, has broken the rec
ord and remained in unbroken session
from 10 o'clock Saturday morning un-
til 5 p. m. Sunday, and so remained
in session while the people Of this
city were in their accustomed places
of worship. Such work seems to be
IN violation Of both the laws Of God
and the laws of this state as enacted
by man.
All citizens are presumed to o3ey
the law and it would seem that this
duty rests more solemnly upon those
elected by the people as our law MAX
ers. Had this occasion been an excep-
ton it would possibly be unworthy Of
notice, but it now seems as if this has
become a custom. Lawlessness is the
crying evil of the day and if our leg
:slative body sets an example what
nay we expect of the common peo-
pie?
have stated that, in my opinion,
this conduct of the legislature was IN
violation of both the laws Of God and
the laws of man. In a newspaper
article, however, it will be necessary
to deal very briefly with the laws
upon this subject. To cover the en-
tire ground would require book.
To show that it is contrary to the
laws of God, need only refer to the
commandments: "RemembeE the Sab
bath day to keep it holy; six days
shalt thou labor and do all thy work !:
the seventh day is the Sabbath OF the
Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not
do any work, thou nor thy son, nor
thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy
maid-servant, nor thy cattle, no. the
stranger that is within thy gates. :
That law has never been repealed ana
is as binding upon the Christian com
munities as the day it was published
from Mount Sinai.
am quite aware that under our
modern civilization many forms OF
labor may be performed upon the
Sabbath day, but the we'll recognized
rule is that they should be works Of
necessity or of mercy" and as Judge
White, chief justice of the United
States, expressed it in one important
case before the court, that we must
"apply the rule to reason" Governed
by this rule, can not see any reason
why the legislature should offend the
people of the state in desecrating the
Sabbath and that, too, for no good
reason. The United States census
shows that a larger proportion per
capita of the people of this state are
members of some religious denomina-
tion than any other state in the union,
and l do not believe that such action
on the part of our Legislature Will meet
the approval Of the people. Il is still
more remarkable when we may as
sumo that a very large proportion OF
our legislators were members Of some
one of the Christian churches of this
state. The surprise is that we have
heard no voice of condemnation from
that source and we may, therefore,
with some propriety ask whether this
conduct meets with the approval of
the churches Of the state.
l have stated that this action OF
the legislature was not only contrary
to the moral laws but equally contra
ry to the laws of our land.
The charters granted to each Of the
colonies recognize the Christian reli-
gion as the established faith of the
English speaking people. The char
ter granted by Charles II in 1868 re.
cites that the petitioners "be excited
by laudable pious zeal for the prop
agation Of the Christ an faith, et~.
etc" Such fundamental principles
are embodied in the charters granted
all of the colonies. A Fundamental
principle in the constitution Of this
province declares mo man shall bt
permitted to 3e a free man of Carroll
no ~. m have an estate m. h1 hiTaiiOr