Evening star., 1926-03-05
HOT ATTACKS MADE
ION SUNDAY CLOSING
Speakers FIay "Bigotry" and
"Church- State Alliance"
in Opposing Bill.

Several hundred persons crowded
the rooms of the committee on public
buildings and grounds today when OPP
ponentS of the LAM kford bill for strict
{ observance of the sabbath day We're
heard by It subcommittee of the House
( District committee.
The Ministerial Association of the
{ Scventh-pHy .Advcnti@ts and speakers
( for the Association Opposed to Blue
( Laws WrI" the principal witnesses.
[ The most spirited speech Was made
by Representative William i. Conntry,
[ ir.. of Lynn, Mass, who said he APP
( peared in Il triple can;icitN. but that
( he was not speaking as Il former actor
( or manager, but for the public i'll Wig
orously protesting against an attempt
( to thrust an" more blue" laws upon
a long-suffering public.
[ You can never legislate morals into
{ the people, he said.
[ He said he and the public he rep
{ resents are unalterably opposed to
( (any further legislation of this kind.
which is antagonistiC. to the Consti-
tuition.
Mind Kept Busy.
! Mr.. Connery empha sized that when
! a man goes to a base ball game on
I Sunday after having attended To his
I religious duties according to the die
I tates of his conscience. his mind was
I on whether the center fielder would
/ catch the fly. the second baseman
make the putout. or Babe Ruth strike
out. and so was kept away from more
| sinful matters. He said he was bet
| ter employed than sitting in ba ok
| room playing poker, shooting crap or
| engaged In other amuSements he did
not care to mention. Similarly. a per
son who went to the theater was in
terested in a good show and not Yield
ing to more dangerous temptations
| Among the speakers today We're
Representative LonCacre. secretary
| of the religious liberty department
of the Seventhday Adventists: l.. f..
| FrOOm. associate secretary of the
Ministerial AssoCia ton of the Seventh
day Adventists: Rev. Il. II. shaw
/ pastor of Capitol Memorial Church.
| Il. w. Darden, representing the
| Bible Union: DR.. Joseph A. Themper
| president of the Association Opposed
| to Blue Laws: Marx Lewis counsel
| for the associa ton: T. Emmett Mac
kenzie. an attorney. and Thomas H.
! Eckloff, member of the executive
committee of the Anti Blue Law So
| ciety. who is also president of the
| Washington Secular League.
Hits Church-State Unity.
DR.. Themper said: 1--WE are un.
alterably opposed to any law tending
to unite church and state. This law
| is step in that direction. The
right of the people To have amuse-
| mentS is as fundamental as their
right to worship. From the stanu-
point of medical science and health
il is imperative that recreation and
games he encouraged. We do not
ask the Government to force attend
ance at base ball games and thea
ters, and we certainly object to the
Government forbidding attendance at
them. 1t Is not the function of the
state to compel observance of the
tenets of the Christian religion. the
Mohammedan religion or atheism"
Mr.. Lewis charged that the Lank-
ford bill would violate the rights of
minorities." The convictions of the
minority are entitled to the same pro
lection as the opinions of the ma iori-
ty, he said. and no group should use
State authority TO lam its doctrines
down the necks of .other groups"
''Damnable hypocrisy was the
characterization given blue laws in
general by Capt. Frederick L. Jones