Religion: Laws & Lawmakers

By last week the able news service run by the National Conference of Jews & Christians proudly released a survey recording that 34 Protestant ministers hold seats in 21 State Legislatures. In addition, U. S. Senator Theodore Gilmore (“The Man”) Bilbo of Mississippi is a licensed Baptist lay preacher in good standing and U. S. Representative Herbert Seely Bigelow of Ohio is pastor of Cincinnati’s People’s Church. Secretary of State of Iowa is Dr. Robert Enlow O’Brian, Methodist minister and onetime president of Morningside College in Sioux City. Currently many a New Jersey Republican favors, as lis next gubernatorial candidate, Rev. Lester Harrison Clee, State Senator and pastor of Newark’s Second Presbyterian Church.

By last week, churchmen in & out of Legislative seats in many a State had waged some mighty battles for Godly lawmaking. The 23 Legislatures still in session had largely wound up their major concerns of taxing and appropriating, were ready to hear the pleas of special interests, among them the church folk who won and lost the following objectives:

¶ In Pennsylvania, Governor Earle promised to veto a bill permitting horse racing, but last week both houses passed a bill permitting Sunday fishing and Governor Earle signed it the day before trout season opened. Pennsylvania thus became the last State to lift its prohibitions on Sabbath angling.

¶ New York and West Virginia Legislatures passed laws requiring three days’ notice of intention to marry. To the conservative clergy’s satisfaction, out of business went blatant, self-advertising ministers in West Virginia’s “Gretna Green,” Wellsburg. In Westchester County, handy to Manhattan, justices of peace found a profitable hasty-wedding trade cut off. Likewise in Maryland a two-day law disposed of a once-popular maritopolis, Elkton.

¶ In Virginia, ministers were pleased by passage of a law banning “slogans” in liquor advertising, limiting illustrations therein to pictures of bottles.

¶ In Oregon, churchmen unsuccessfully supported bills to ban liquor advertising, “hard drinking” in hotels and eating places, pari-mutuel horse and dog races. However, they counted as a triumph an act outlawing pinball and other coin gambling machines, although the bill was vetoed by the Governor.

¶ In Arkansas, liquor taxes were upped, various kinds of liquor advertising prohibited. Bills to provide State liquor stores were defeated. Henceforth Arkansas school children will be taught the bad effects of alcohol.

¶ In New Mexico, churchmen claimed they defeated a bill to legalize gambling, took credit for laws banning curb sales of liquor, providing Sunday closing of bars.

¶ The Missouri Senate chose its first female chaplain, Rev. Mrs. Sophia Fritts, Christian Church pastor in Pleasant Hill. Said she: “I can guarantee there will be no long prayers.”