The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-03-05

% clear the corridors at the House
Office Building today when hear
ings were resumed on the Lark
ford Sunday-cIosing law for the
District of Columbia. Hundreds
OF spectators were turned away.
Strong opposition to the clamp
ing of Sunday closing law on
Washington business was voiced
BY nearly score Of speakers.
Policemen Clear Lane
The hearing was held in the
committee room Of the House Com
naittee on Public Buildings and
Grounds. The room was damned
to the doors long before the hear
ing began. It became necessary to
lock the door to prevent the crowd
operflowing into the office of the
COMMITTEES chairman, Representative
Richard n. Elliott Of Indiana.
Traffic policemen were forced to
clear lane through the corridor
outside the committee room in order
to keep passageway open to
the street.
The hearing will be continued
throughout the afternoon and pos
sfbIy tonight IN the caucus room
Of the House Office Building.
Today's hearing was frequently
interrupted by prolonged applause
~ - IN ref
those campaigning to extend legal
lied religion TO the National Capt.
tai.
DIR. Joseph Al Themper. presi-
dent OF the Association Opposed to
Blue Laws, appeared az one of the
chief Witnesses He was accom-
panied by officers and members of
the association.
we are unalterably opposed to
any Law tending to unite church
and state. said Doctor Thomper.
This law lis a step in that direc-
tom no matter how specious the
excuse. The right of the people
to have amusement Is as funda-
mental as their right to worship.
They have right to vote, and
Il is their personal affair. which
thew shall elect From the stand
point of medical science and health
It Is imperative that recreation and
games be encouraged. We do not
ask the Government to force at
tendance ait baseball games and thea
fers, and we certainly object to the
government forbidding attendance
at them"
Linn A. =. Gale. secretary-treas-
urer of the association, declared
that the Landlord bill is based upon
q mfsconception of government.
MATTERS OF conscience and re
Iigion should be let strictly alone
by the law of the land Mr.. Gale
said 1T is not the function of
the State to enforce respect for the
Christian sabbath, the Jewish Sab
bath or any other Sabbath"
Not Government Function
''It Is not the function of gov
eminent to compel observance of
the tenets Of the Christian religion,
the Mohammedan religion, or athe-
ism. Those are private matters.
The individual has a right to re-
frain from labor on Sunday or to
engage in labor, to abstain from
amusement or to participate in
them"
IF religious people can enact
law lHE ldOlCo
can be turned and free thinkers
may some day enact laws forbidding
religion. The only safety lies in no
such laws at ALL"
Capt Frederick l.. Jones, Spar
ish- American War veteran and
member of the officers reserve
corps, characterized the propooed
blue law as contemplate hypoc-
risy."
Other speakers INCLUDED Repre-
sentative William p Connery of
Massachusetts,, Charles s. Longacre
assistant pastor of the Capital Me
mortal Church and secretary of the
Religious Liberty Association: l.. f.
Froon. associate secretary of the
Ministerial Association of the Sew.
enth Day Adventists Church; r.
Emmett Mckenzie, Thomas 3. Eek
loft. president of the Washington
Secular League: Marx Lewis. 'coun
sci for the Association Opposed tC
Blue Laws, and DIR. r. II. Shaw
pastor of the Capitol Memorial
Church.
Mr.. Froom presented a long reso
tuition of protest against the bill
by the entire membership of the
Ministerial Association of Seventh
Day Adyentists.