Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-10-21
THE SUNDAY LAW.
IIACoNNER, Oct. II, ISIS


If You will give space to the fol-
lowing few lines you will oblige the
undersigned and all on the Demos
cratic ticket. In last weeks Mail
appeared the following: "The Sum-
day law received a pretty severe de-
ANNEXATION from the Democracy of
Whatcom county, in convention as
sembled, and the religious element
now appear rather disposed to de>
nOunce the Democratic party; and
40 it goes The severe denuncia>
tion spoken Of in the Mail has ref
erence probably TO resolution
passed by our convention, and
which was, in substance, as
follows: "Resolved, That we de-
nounce the Sunday law, AS PASSED
BY THE LAST LEGlsL AZURE, as unC on
stitutional, and Impracticable, and
not right, and instruct our candi-
date for representative 10 use all
honorable means to have the same
repealed"
The object of this resolution was
not, as the Mail would
have you infer, that We as Demos
Gratis wanted this law repealed and
no other enacted in its stead, nor
that we object to Sunday law on
general principles, nor will any fair
minded man put any such construc
lion upon 1T. 1t was for the reason
that we conscientiously thought the
law as passed was not constitution
al, not practicable, and not right. |
will not discuss the unconsttution>
atty Of the law at this time, as 1t
would require too much space, but
will refer the reader to the decision
of Judge Hoyt, on record in the
office Of the Clerk of the District
Court at Olympia, in the Second
Judicial. District. The law is i'm
practicable, because whoever buys
goods, wares and merchandise on
Sunday becomes particeps criminis
ii. O., party to the crime) as well
;.s he who sells the same, and can>
not be compelled to testify against
the party from whom he buys. By
whom then are you going to prove
the guilt Of one who violates the
laws. The officer making the arrest
can probably swear that he found
the place open, but that is not suffi-
cient; must be open for the purposes
of trade, and the only way to prove
that, is to prove that the party com
planned Of did carry on trade at his
place on Sunday. Now, how are
you going, to prove that? He is
not so foolish as to carry on trade
in the presence of an officer. Those
who Luy cannot testify to the fact
without eliminating themselves, and
if the trader or merchant is a
shrewd man he will not allow by.
ISLANDERS about; and now pray,
under such circumstances, how are
You going to convict a man of
crime when to do so you must es>
stablish his guilt beyond all reasons
able doubt2 They have tried to en-
force the law in Seattle, and not
once have they convicted man, and
it has cost King county to find out
that the law was impracticable $500
in the way of Court costs. So much
for its impracticabllity.
Now, supposing the law to be
practicable, and looking at it from
a moral standpoint, is it right? Ihe
law says it is not to be applied to
inn>keepers, except in SO far as the
sale of Intoxicating liquors is con-
cerned, nor to livery stables, nor to
undertakers, nor to drug stores.
Now, Judge Green's construction Of
this clause is, that hotel-keepers
may furnish liquor to their guests
on Sunday as we'll as on any other
day, and may keep open and runs
ming billiard room and card rooms
also for the accommodation of their
guests. Judge Greene has held fur
thor that under that section livery
stable or undertaking establishment
can, if they have a bar in connec>
ton with such business, run the
same for the accommodation Of their