The Morning News

Publishing is Exciting in Pittsburg.

Lively times are expected around the offices of the Pittsburg morning newspapers this morning. Ominous anticipations are said to be grounded upon the recent threats of the more zealous officers of the Western Pennsylvania Sabbath Association. Should they be realized no Sunday newspapers will appear in the city of smoke and pig iron to-day.

Those enthusiastic and aggressively righteous gentlemen are opposed to the common practice that journalists make of working on Sundays. Therefore they are determined to make a vigorous fight against it. Evidently they honestly and sincerely approve their own method of passing the Sabbath. Therefore they intend to insist that the journalists shall follow their presumptively worthy example whether they are willing or not. This is a matter of principle and religious conviction which has been duly considered and thoroughly indorsed by the gentlemen of that association formed for the purpose of compelling inconsiderate people to do what the officials of that organization believe to be right. Consequently its policy must commend itself to these bright and intelligent journalists if it has to be done by force of arms and that imposing intangible majesty of law which is not restrained even by the Sabbath days which this exemplary organization has designated for cessation of all activity—except its own.

Pursuant to this policy it was arranged that when the utmost verge of Saturday night merged into this beautiful Sabbath morn the officers of the law were to begin actual work by invading all of the morning newspaper offices and arresting everybody found employed there even down to the smallest newsboy whose Sabbath breakfast depends upon his toil in the sale of papers. All of them are to be arraigned in court and bound over for a further hearing. That was the supposed plan. But the society took care to conceal its exact method of procedure.

Not satisfied with this, 'the good work' is to be pushed still further along in the afternoon and evening. All the employees of the four morning papers then found at work in the preparation of the Monday edition are to be likewise summarily arrested.

That is supposed to be the original plan. Possibly wiser counsels may prevail before such a wild break is made, and the enthusiastic Sabbatarians may conclude to content themselves with taking all the names they can get of the alleged Sabbath desecrators on Sunday, and then have the arrests made on Monday.

These interesting proceedings are to be instituted under an antiquated act adopted in 1794. By its application the law and order enthusiasts have for years succeeded in making Pittsburg the glummiest town in all the region round about on the Sabbath day.

Newspapers have not for years been sold in Pittsburg on Sunday except before noon. Such a thing as getting a shave or buying a cigar or a stick of candy or even an inoffensive tooth brush there on Sunday is said to have also been for several years an actual impossibility.

As working is not a felony, and few of the states of this union recognize the practice of making arrests on Sunday, even on a warrant except for a felony, the gentle regulators might be somewhat astonished on opening the doors of those private places of industry to find themselves peering into the open countenances of a bevy of very grim looking shotguns. Officers have no more right to invade private premises than have civilians unless they happen to have warrants or have reason to believe that they are thus preventing a felony.